Fly Fishing for Salmon

The world of the fly fisherman is a varied one. Salmon,something else as yet a mystery?
trout, grayling and char inhabit the most beautifulIn the Yukon River of Alaska and Canada, king salmon
waters of the world. Rivers and lakes that reflectthat were tagged and tracked travelled 3,200km
forest trees, snowy topped mountains, and sometimes(2,000 miles) in 60 days. A leap performed by Altlantic
blue skies. The fish that live in crystal clear watersSalmon at Orrin Falls, Scotland, measured 4m (12ft).
demand the very highest of angling skills. You will notFrom entering the rivers, salmon cease to feed and
hook that king of fish unless your presentation islive on the fat built up when feasting in the ocean.
virtually perfect. Even when not fishing, the angler canOthers benefit from this stored energy - bears, eagles,
be tying flies for the next season, sitting by the winter'smink, otters, martens, wolves, and many more hunters
fireside, lost in dreams of the next season's catch.await the salmon's arrival with all the enthusiasm of
Salmon - The fish that have hunted in the sea, somehuman anglers.
for just one winter, some for as long as five years,One of the many wonderful things about salmon is the
return to the rivers where they were born. Somedifferent number of ways in which you can catch
salmon, including the sockeye, die after spawning.them, despite the fact that they are supposed not to
These fish make their ascent to the spawning groundseat anything once they have left the sea!
once only. Others, including the Atlantic salmon, do notHowever to many an angler there is little to beat the
necessarily die at the spawning grounds but may liveexcitement of seeing a salmon turning in the water as
to migrate three or four times in their lives.it takes a fly fished in the surface layers and the quick
For many years mankind has marveled at how, aftertightening of lightweight line is an electrifying sensation.
journeying far across the ocean, a salmon can returnSo let us agree that salmon fishing with the fly
to the river in which it was hatched. Does thisrepresents the art in its purest form, even if we never
remarkable power of orientation have something to dolose sight of the other strategies for catching this
with magnetic fields, the sense of smell, an instinct, ormagnificent fish.