Fly Fishing for Atlantic Salmon

Atlantic Salmon

Salmo Salar

Freshwater
Saltwater
Fly Fishing for Atlantic Salmon

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Rods

A double-handed 10wt rod of around 15ft helps you cast and control your fly line.

Lines

For the early and late season: fast-sinking, weight-forward fly line. For late spring to early autumn: intermediate or floating weight-forward line.

Hook a 30lb Atlantic salmon and your image of fly fishing as a gentle pursuit will be destroyed forever. Raw power and sheer defiance make this an iconic fish.

Had Shakespeare been into fishing, there would almost certainly have been a play about Atlantic salmon. They spend most of their lives at sea before dramatically fighting their way up their home river, often against daunting odds, to spawn and die. Now, illegal netting and the environmental impact of fish farms are making their journey even more hazardous and introducing four dreaded words into any conversation about salmon fishing – “while you still can”.

It’s a sign of what you’re up against that the target weight for Atlantic salmon starts at 25 pounds. Stuffing themselves with crab, shrimp and fish while out at sea, these fish grow fast and pile on enough muscle to be able to spend months without food as they head upriver to spawn.

Yet they will still take a fly, for reasons anglers are still trying to work out. And while salmon fishing can be an expensive business for the fly fisher looking to fish the best rivers at the best time of year, there are still plenty of beats left where the cost of fishing tickets is less eye-watering.

How to fly fish for Atlantic salmon

While these principles aren’t set in stone, you should generally fish big flies deep early and late in the season, and fish small flies close to the surface from late spring to early autumn.

In early and late season, salmon are often found in sheltered lies away from the main current, so that they don’t have to use more energy than they need to in countering the water’s flow. You should target slow, deep pools when water levels are normal and areas near the river banks when the water is high.

Cast across the river so that the current brings the fly downstream and around, until it sits directly downstream of you, then re-cast. You want your fly to be just above the river bed.

That down-and-around motion must be as slow as possible as fish in cold water won’t move quickly. Take a step downstream after each cast, so that you gradually fish the whole of the pool.

From late spring to early autumn, once the water warm, salmon fishing can get harder but at least you can fish lighter gear; even reverting to your trout rod occasionally.

With water levels now falling, seek out deep water immediately downstream of faster stretches (but don’t rule out fishing those ‘white water’ stretches occasionally – fish love the oxygen-rich water).

Again, you’re looking to swing your fly slowly by the salmon as before, only now it’s on or just under the surface.

What are the best flies for Atlantic salmon?

With salmon reluctant to overexert themselves in cold conditions, it will take a big fly to arouse their interest, so colder times of year call for tube flies. These come in two parts, a long body section with the hook attached to its rear. When a fish is hooked, the body section separates, sliding up the line, away from the hook.

Without this arrangement, anglers would have to use heavy, long-shanked hooks to create the size of fly required. The long shank would provide leverage that helped the fish’s chances of working itself free and the salmon’s many sharp teeth could easily damage the fly’s body beyond repair.

In very cold water, tube flies up to three inches long can be called for (also, try the Willie Gunn).

When the water gets warmer, replace the tubes with conventional flies in sizes 8 to 10, dropping to sizes 12 and 14 in summer. Remind your prey of its days at sea with a Curry’s Red Shrimp, fish a Munro Killer in slower stretches and try the Stoat’s Tail, which works in all water types. 

When fishing high in the water in summer, use a Humpy or Bi-Visible, particularly over broken water.

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Locations where you can fly fish for Atlantic Salmon

The River Wye

One of Wales' most iconic rivers.

Atlantic Salmon

Barbel

Brown Trout

Chub

Grayling

Perch

Pike

Sea Trout

Lake district

Sixteen lakes from large to small, but rivers as well.

Arctic Char

Atlantic Salmon

Brown Trout

Grayling

Perch

Pike

Roach

Sea Trout

The salmon rivers of Southern Norway

Large or small rivers, all full of salmon and sea trout.

Atlantic Salmon

Brown Trout

Sea Trout

Hofsá River Salmon Fishing

Atlantic salmon and breathtaking scenery.

Atlantic Salmon

Torne River

Fly fishers are drawn here for a chance to catch huge Baltic salmon.

Atlantic Salmon

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Countries where you can fly fish for Atlantic Salmon

🇩🇰 Denmark

🇫🇮 Finland

🇮🇸 Iceland

🇮🇹 Italy

🇳🇴 Norway

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

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Flies that you can use to fly fish for Atlantic Salmon

EP Streamer

Lefty's Deceiver

Mickey Finn

Sand Eel

Shrimp Pattern

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Guides, workshops and more specialized in fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon

Anglers Jaunt

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Guiding

Hemmingways Fishing

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Guiding

Workshops

Fishinguide Scotland

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Guiding

Workshops

Fly Fish Scotland

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Guiding

Workshops

You Fish Scotland

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Guiding

Workshops

Hooked on Fly Fishing

The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Guiding

Workshops

Fly tying

Country trips

AnglerPilot

Norway 🇳🇴

Guiding

Workshops

Fly tying

Hookafly

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Guiding

Workshops

Country trips

Other fish

Arctic Char

Asp

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Atlantic Cod

Atlantic Halibut

Atlantic Mackerel

Barbel

Bream

Brown Trout

Chub

Common Carp

European Flounder

Garfish

Grayling

Haddock

Ide

Perch

Pike

Pike-perch

Pollack

Rainbow Trout

Roach

Rudd

Sea bass

Sea Trout

Tench

Twaid shad

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