Salmon never swim through the fishing hut!!

Reflecting on a very different week fishing with my usual group of friends on the Deveron leaves me pondering over the enigma that is salmon fishing, a sport it would seem, when the chips are down, belief, as well as perseverance, play a huge part in success or failure.

No matter what conditions, there are those who always catch fish and others who only ever seem to catch when more fish are clearly in the mood.

On most rivers this year, autumn fish have just not played the game. Although there in good numbers only the people above have actually managed to hook and land them, but why? Last year, was different, at this time on the Tweed for example, catching fish was so easy I could have tied a fishing rod to my dog and he would have caught one, but this year the salmon are having the last laugh.

Looking at the week just passed, there is no doubt in my mind that the answer to this lies in a mix of “Belief and perseverance”! Of the four fish landed, all could be attributed to this. One was caught when the weather was so bad; no one else was on the water, a mixture of the above was the vital ingredient. The second I could put down to the same; having fished the pool down 3 times with the fly for nothing, to then see it fished twice with the spinner, also for nothing, wouldn’t fill most people with enthusiasm to fish it again. However, as I said – “Sitting here won’t get you a fish”! “I’ve never known the salmon to swim through the fishing hut”! The sixth time down and with a small fly, perseverance paid off and a fine 10lb fish was landed. The two other fish of the week were landed during what seemed much better conditions, only, no one had told the fish that and although there, were only ever going to be caught by those people who really believed they would!

Tam Broon with his fish caught sixth time down the pool, testimony to persistence, belief and the fact that, irrespective of how much we talk about them there, “Salmon never swim through the fishing hut”!


Linked to this, I had a friend who, this year travelled to the Varzuga river and was told by one very experienced rod – The only fly to use here was a large Green Highlander tube, a fly which although he had confidence, in those conditions [low clear and warm], he felt was not the correct choice. Leaving them to fish with their “Green Canaries”, he changed to a small, lightly dressed fly, tied on a Salar hook. Net result – Small fly – 59 salmon, experts fishing “Green Canaries” – 7! The bottom line here was very simple, a little like women, salmon like confidence, and confidence in what you are fishing with [flies and lines], coupled with perseverance and belief, even when the chips are down, will always produce the goods.