The Perfect Day of Civilised and Social Salmon Fishing!

This is how I’d best describe my day as a guest of Mr Arthur Mckerron on Wester Elchies yesterday. Add to this, nice weather, the river in great order, a fish or two around and things are beginning to sound really good. Include to this someone catching their first Salmon ever, and its going from good to fantastic, add the final ingredient of like minded and fun people, and you have the perfect days Salmon fishing!
After breakfast cooked in the fishing hut by our host, with the river running at 1 foot on the gauge, it was off to “Pol-ma-cree”, which translated from the Gaelic – “Pool of my heart”, a wonderful pool, which on the left bank of the river can be fished wearing only shoes. Armed with an intermediate line with fast sinking tip and my “Swallow” fly tied o a double, it was time to test the new Sintrix 15’1” rod, hopefully with a heavy fish in some heavy current!
Sam, the Ghillie and I had only just been talking about, what would seem an abnormal number of “Rawners” [Cock fish which had not spawned], when the line tightened for the first time, and interestingly, this fish was a perfect example of what we had just been talking about. To the untrained eye, those fish could very easily be mistaken as a fresh fish, perfect fins, tight vent [see picture], with the only tell tale sign, the Kype and a few more spots on the head. Otherwise, it would be very easily mistaken. What people should remember is, at this time of the year, any small 4 – 8lb fish, which is visibly a male is almost certainly a Rawner. I have also heard people say, “Well, I just wasn’t sure” I “think” it was a fresh fish! The word “think” means we know something’s wrong and we are merely kidding ourselves on! Having said all this, is there anything wrong with catching one of those nice little fish? Well of course not, they are great fun. Personally, I would rather have my string pulled with a few of those than have nothing at all. In fact, I have had many a kelt which has played a whole lot better than some of the pitiful fish I see caught in the late Autumn, by which time they are nothing but Kelts with the eggs still in them!






How did the Sintrix rods handle those fish? Well, all I can say is WOW, if you are after a fish of a lifetime and need, as you do, to bully it; or want to play fish quickly, this baby is sent from heaven! Separate blog needed!