This topic is always much debated on my fishing trips. All it takes is a fish or 2 to be lost and it's top of the lunch table agenda. So I'd like to put it out to all the readers - what's your prefered method is of hooking Atlantic Salmon?
Keeping in mind the following.
You are fishing a wide (ish) river so casting 25-40yards.
You will typically have a belly in your line
You can be fishing anthing from full floating to full sinking......I'd like to see if anyone alters their hooking methods based on line density.
You are typically letting the current swing the fly round i.e no pulling or stripping.
I know hooking usually comes down to personal prefernce, but it would be interesting to see whether any particular method has a greater success rate, so please offer some indicatation.
I fish off the reel and let fish take line. When I think it has taken sufficient line to turn I clamp the line and set the hook. Then I lift the rod.
My exception is during the cold Spring months fishing in Scotland using sunk lines.
There I hold the line clamped all the time. I don't give the fish any line and use the belly of the sunk line to allow the fish to turn. I only lift the rod once the fish is pulling the rod tip under the water.
I would estimate that I lose 20-25% of what I hook. Obviously you lose some fish that simply don't take the fly correctly or for other reasons, but I still lose fish or fail to hook fish which I feel I should have got. This is mainly, but not solely, on floating/sink-tip lines when I give them line from the reel.
Would be interested to hear others views.
Keeping in mind the following.
You are fishing a wide (ish) river so casting 25-40yards.
You will typically have a belly in your line
You can be fishing anthing from full floating to full sinking......I'd like to see if anyone alters their hooking methods based on line density.
You are typically letting the current swing the fly round i.e no pulling or stripping.
I know hooking usually comes down to personal prefernce, but it would be interesting to see whether any particular method has a greater success rate, so please offer some indicatation.
I fish off the reel and let fish take line. When I think it has taken sufficient line to turn I clamp the line and set the hook. Then I lift the rod.
My exception is during the cold Spring months fishing in Scotland using sunk lines.
There I hold the line clamped all the time. I don't give the fish any line and use the belly of the sunk line to allow the fish to turn. I only lift the rod once the fish is pulling the rod tip under the water.
I would estimate that I lose 20-25% of what I hook. Obviously you lose some fish that simply don't take the fly correctly or for other reasons, but I still lose fish or fail to hook fish which I feel I should have got. This is mainly, but not solely, on floating/sink-tip lines when I give them line from the reel.
Would be interested to hear others views.