salmon fly below
Salmon fly – sub or surface ? Even though it isn’t all that obvious… Surface and wet-fly fishing is worlds apart. Sometimes surface fishing will be the ideal choice and one will be able to out-fish all other anglers by dead-drifting a small Bomber dry fly and not using a sub salmon fly – But more often it is the angler using the conventional salmon fly that will have the best chance of catching the fish of the day.Why ? Their could be multiple reasons why the fish will – or won´t come to the surface, but time of year and the temperature in water and air – and the insect life that follows these changes, should be key elements in your choice of tactic…Stale August salmon caught on a hot-orange salmon fly shaped as a prawn with long tentacles. A purpose-built salmon fly I keep in the box for this particular kind of fish
Making the perfect illusion
To a certain degree surface fishing for trout and salmon is quite uncomplicated compared to wet-fly fishing – When fishing in the surface, it is the element of commotion or entrapment that is the master-key to success – more than the actual details in the fly. If you’re using a conventional salmon fly – a small details in the fly could very well be the thing that catch the attention of the fish.
Deceiving a salmon into taking a fly is directly comparable to a magician making the perfect illusion
The right salmon fly
Getting the right salmon fly for your fishing is certainly an axis point in the world of salmon and obviously it is well worth spending time & money on making or buying the ideal flies.
As a general rule one can look upon the salmon fly as a miniature airplane or rather submarine – It´s ability to maneuver and finally deceive the fish will very much depend upon or be determined by the river you have come to fish – So the salmon fly has to be able to perform in the river. Hairs, feathers, colors and details in the fly will work with you to make the illusion complete - and if convincing enough you might hook up with Mr. Fish.
Presentation, presentation and presentation
Fishing a salmon fly is very much a matter of presentation. The right fly doesn’t do the trick alone – and the angler has to develop a long line of skills to be successful throughout the season -
Orthodox salmon fly-fishing is often explained as; Cast across on a 45 ° angle – then fish the fly to your own bank – Take a step and a new cast… But fishing with a sub salmon fly is so much more – and to be truly successful in this sport – the angler – the fly and the river has to become as one.
The ability to see different colors, gradually change when the fish enter the river – And flies in different colors may work totally different on a fresh summer salmon equate to how it will work on a stale fish.
Here a big male August salmon, hooked on a General Practitioner – A super salmon fly for late fish especially multi sea winter salmon like this one.
See more on the General Practitioner
Why is a red salmon fly better at the end of the season ?
During the life of a salmon it will travel between two very different worlds. Worlds with colors and images so divergent that it has developed extraordinary abilities to cope with the change of scene.
The eye of the salmon changes physically so the fish is able to view different colors * – best as possible (* colors being technically explained as: different wavelengths of light)
When staying in the river as parr the eyes will be set on: light with long wavelength. This would be colors in the orange – brown tone
In early spring when the time has come for the salmon parr to journey to the feeding grounds at high sea, the endocrine system glands will produce a new pigment for the eye. This will enable the salmon to focus on light with short wavelength like; green and bluish colors… Quite handy ! as these are the colors that prey like: sand-eels, sprat and herring has incorporated in their coloration, to hide and blend into the sea-world.
Upon returning to the river to spawn the fresh silver salmon may actually still have their eye structure set to sea life setting – and often he will be interested in a salmon fly with blue & green colors… Some of them will be so greedy that they will hit any color salmon fly but that is another story… Never the less ! The endocrine glands will gradually produce another pigment that will transform 
the eye back to its original freshwater setting – with abilities to focus on red, orange and brown colors – Something also reflected in the colors of the skin pigmentation. The many patterns in brown, orange and red seen on male salmon – is not just eye candy brought on for the sake women – They are fully lid warning posters to rivaling male salmon.
When fresh fish is moving fast – it can be well worth the effort to speed up the salmon fly by pulling in line
A salmon fly like this Pearl Sunray Shadow stripped across the pool is candy to a fresh “stupid” silver salmon – The local resident fish will most likely pass on such an offer – But return with that same salmon fly one dark evening at the end of August… then that same fish probably wont pass on that black Sunray
See Sunray Shadow and Collie Dog salmon fly
See our series of Sunray Shadow in the E-Shop 
Hooks we recommend for this type of salmon fly: Single hook – Treble Hook - Double Hook
100 Centimeter salmon caught on a Collie Dog
Upstream salmon fly
How to get in contact with difficult fish fishing upstream with a tiny salmon fly
The Blue Charm – Probably the greatest salmon fly ever
The Blue Charm: Here tied on a tiny # 12 hook with wing from a.o Polar bear. The Blue Charm is probably the greatest and most versatile salmon fly patter ever made – its mixture of dull colors and shimmering silver – light bluish hackle makes one dangerous cocktail for salmon. The pattern work on a range of rivers, and is without a doubt a must have salmon fly in the fly box.
Micro cone-head tube fly
If you know where the fish is – Take aim and just do one cast – Play darts!
The Kinnaber Killer a salmon fly I have had very good results with in Norway and Scotland
If you know where the fish is lying a well presented fly up-stream to the fish is the way to go. The sudden appearance of the fly in Snell’s Window * has a strong effect on the fish and will many times induce a rapid take.
When you get to the late end of the season ( August – November) the greatest presentation depth could be 10 – 20 inches below the surface. To be able to fish correctly in this depth a salmon fly like the Micro coneheads may come very handy.
Present the fly in front of the fish on a slack line – Let it sink a few seconds – When the fly starts pulling away it will be at the center of attention and you should be expecting a solid hook-up
See how to tie The Kinnaber Killer
Get the salmon fly into Bull’s Eye
Just like when fishing a dry fly to a known salmon lie and the edge of Snell’s Window * it can be equally valuable to work out where the edge of * Snell´s Window is situated when fishing a wet fly (Snell’s Window is the technical term describing how an underwater critter see life above water) – It is at the edge of Snell’s window that your imaginary Bulls Eye is situated. You have maybe tried to get such a Bull’s Eye when fishing – having a salmon or trout grab your fly instantaneously when it hits the water. To get knowledge on Snell`s Window go to -
Three types of fish
Being successful is of course a very subjective term and most anglers i know will be happy just to be out with their fly rod – But being the guide at the river, the definition of the word success means: fish on the bank… When it comes to sea trout, steelhead and particularly salmon that is not always an option- and anglers can be put to the test for days and weeks. Fishing for salmon and trout we learn to accept these conditions and we fish for every fish as if they all where potential biters.
- The Non-biters: Trout and salmon entering the river is not consistently on-line and a large percentage of them never will be. Science tells us that it is only 10 – 30 % of the Atlantic salmon that actually do bite the hook. The majority of fish will pass right by our feet.
- The stupid silver one: Is the fresh salmon or trout – Steaming in from the feeding grounds at high sea – some with fresh memory of their greedy life at sea, eager to hit your salmon fly – Others could haven been eating on their way to the estuary or river mouth – These are as aggressive as they get – The stupid silver one is the fish most anglers will come to know and so often tie flies to catch – See images of food found in fresh salmon
- The resident fish: Is the fish that have been in the river for some time, that has lost some of its initial aggressiveness – It has traveled through pools and rapids – it might even have been out in the estuary again. It could also be a fish that has settled down in a holding pool. That is starting to take color. Who will jump when new fish enter his pool – and occasionally rise to the trail of drifting insects… This is the fish that is so well in tune with the environment that he live in, that it will take a special salmon fly to hook him – A fly that will work just right in that specific area – The local guy who comes to fish this spot on a regular basis…will have just that salmon fly in his box.
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