Early season springers, a simple formula
For many salmon anglers, catching an early season springer on the fly is the ultimate achievement. This is because sadly these days’ springers in January and February are few and far between. If you are lucky enough to hook one of these highly prized fish, you have probably had to battle against gale force winds, heavy snow showers and high water. The weather in Scotland, early in the season can often be challenging. So, what are the best tactics when fly fishing for salmon early in the season and searching for that elusive springer?
Catching an early season springer is the ultimate achievement
If a spring salmon is relatively fresh and see’s the fly, more often than not it will take. Fresh springers are renowned for being aggressive and are relatively an easy fish to catch but a difficult to fish to find. It is therefore important to consider three factors when fly fishing in the early spring. Firstly, you want to cover as much water as possible. This is not only in terms of casting distance but also in relation to the number of pools that you fish throughout the course of the day. In addition to this, it is often better to use a fly, which is highly visible. Finally, the depth at which the fly moves through the water column can also be critical.
As you are searching for fish early in the season, it is important when required to cast a decent length of line so that you can cover the entire pool. Often springers lie in deep, sheltered pockets close to the bank. If the pocket in question is towards the far bank and the river is wide, it is obviously advantageous if you can present the fly in that area, so that that the fish has a good chance of seeing it.
Having a balanced outfit helps to cover the water effectively
Having a balanced fly fishing outfit can be key to distance casting, especially when you are trying to get that few extra yards to cover a lie towards the far bank. In such circumstances a powerful rod, which can cast a decent line is vital. It is important that that the rod, reel and line are balanced. In addition to this, you want to make sure that the line can cast heavy tube flies and sinking lines as these are commonly used early in the season. On most rivers, a powerful rod of around fifteen feet in length is more than adequate.
It is not only important to cover the pool adequately when searching for a springer but also vital to fish a number of different pools. It is therefore good to adopt the tactic of not concentrating on just a couple of pools but to fish as many pools through the course of the day as possible. This will maximise the chances of intercepting a fresh fish.
Another important aspect to consider when fishing early in the season is the depth at which the fly is moving through the water. Water temperatures are usually low early in the season. This often leads to fish lying close to the riverbed. It is therefore imperative for the fly to get well down in the water column. There are two ways in which you can get the fly to sink. The easiest and quickest way to do this is by using a heavier tube fly, or alternatively, you can change your line or polyleader to one, which has a faster sink rate.
To get the fly to sink quickly, when the water is high and cold you can opt for either a copper or brass tube. On a rare occasion, you may need to use a large tungsten tube. Usually, if this is the case, it is most likely that water is not only very high and cold but also fast flowing.
It is important to cover as much water as possible
As well as tube flies it is also worth considering cone heads. These flies are also heavy but all the weight is concentrated at the head of the fly. The depth at which these flies move through the water depends on what material the cone at the head of the fly is constructed from. Like tube flies, cone heads can be constructed from either brass, copper or tungsten. A tungsten cone head would achieve maximum depth. Another advantage of using a cone head early in the season is that this style of fly has a highly visible head. Having a fly, which shows up well in the water, is definitely an advantage when searching for the elusive spring salmon.
A cone head fly is highly visible
Another way to get your fly to fish deeper is by changing your fly line or polyleader. Usually, in the spring a sink tip or an intermediate line is adequate. However, if the water is very high and cold, you may have to consider using a fast sinking line with a brass or tungsten tube fly. This would achieve maximum depth as soon as the fly hits the water.
Finally, we come to flies. As already mentioned, a fresh spring salmon is usually quite aggressive and a good taker of the fly. It is therefore important not to get too preoccupied with the fly pattern itself. It is good to be bold in your fly selection because often you are combing large stretches of water searching for a fish. So, a visible fly of a decent size is all you need. Each angler has their favourite spring patterns. Personally, I cannot see past the gold-bodied Willie Gunn. What is probably more important than the pattern itself is to have flies, which differ in weight and size. A decent selection of tube flies and cone heads are usually the answer. These flies come in various lengths form half an inch to three inches.
A great early season pattern
The early season springer is the ultimate prize for any salmon angler and rightly so. They are just as beautiful as they are elusive. There is probably no greater challenge in fishing than catching a fresh salmon on the fly in January or February. It is important not to over complicate things when fishing at this time of year.
It is great to get the rod bent early in the season
The simple fact is that a fresh springer is an aggressive creature and if you can get a fly in its eyeline, then there is a high probability that it will take. Therefore, when fly fishing for salmon early in the season; it is important that you cover as many pools as possible to the best of your ability. In addition to this, using a bold, bright fly, which is highly visible, and fishes at an adequate depth is often all that is required.