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Fine-tuning for grilse
Grilse are the most numerically significant class of adult salmon in the British Isles and rightly deserve the angler’s attention. Ally Gowan's explains the nuances of the grilse and tells us how to set up.
Fly-fishing at grilse time produces something of a dilemma for the salmon angler. On large rivers salmon fly fishers tend to use long, powerful rods. Now, to my way of thinking, lines AFTM 10 and larger are not suited to fishing flies down to 12’s (or possibly size 14’s). And anyway a #10 line is like a piece of a rope in low-water conditions. Such gear does not provide the best sport with grilse or sea trout (which you may also encounter).
Choice of rod depends on the size of river you have to cover, fly sizes you intend to employ and what you expect to catch. On small rivers I am quite happy to fish a #7 single-handed rod, knowing I can cast a #6 fly a moderate distance if need be, and that if a really large fish gets hooked I can follow it and shouldn’t run out of backing. I would not use a leader that is unnecessarily light, my absolute minimum tippet diameter for the smallest flies when salmon fishing is 0.28mm. This diameter is equivalent to as little as 8lb BS with some of the older monofilaments, and in the latest fluorocarbons it may be double that strength, and that is a bonus I am happy to take advantage of, because the fish of a lifetime may be hooked on the smallest of flies and also, since I intend to release fish, I do not want to play them any longer than is necessary.
Droppers can be a mixed blessing. I have caught many fish on the dropper. I have also lost a few because of the dropper fouling with consequential breakage. One evening on the South Esk a lovely fish of about 8lb took the tail fly within sight of me. Securely hooked, it moved steadily up the pool where another similar salmon took the dropper and hooked itself. For several minutes they swam around happily together before the inevitable happened and the dropper hooked fish made a downstream dash and both broke free.
Landing nets are probably the biggest cause of losing fish whilst using two flies. The free fly fouls the net, the fish avoids the net, and you have an interesting interlude of indeterminate conclusion playing your fish with a landing net! Despite the problems that can arise, I believe that a dropper increases the percentages in your favour on smaller rivers. Two different patterns and/or sizes of flies can be employed and the dropper can be dibbled over pockets and small streams using the tail fly as an ‘anchor’, often a very effective means of fly-fishing in places too small to use a conventional drifting technique.
Large rivers often require longer casts to be made. Consequently, longer rods and heavier lines are necessary. A dropper can be used but the risk of tangling the leader increases with casting distance and perhaps more significantly, the risk of the tangle going undetected also increases. Whenever drag is detected from the leader/fly combination take a look at it, the fly may have doubled back or the leader may be tangled. Either event is going to ruin your chances. Even worse is flicking the fly off altogether, the leader drag disappears and casting may appear to have suddenly got better! In either case, it’s a kind of hollow feeling that you get after fishing the best water for nothing. Watch your fly landing after each cast and if you have reason to suspect that the leader and fly may be other than in perfect condition, check it out.
Heavier line ratings such as #10 or 11, necessary perhaps to use in conjunction with longer rods to cast fairly long lines on the larger rivers have the disadvantage of being somewhat clumsy in low water conditions. If I feel that my presentation is not as gentle as I want it to be I am perfectly happy to extend the leader length using a continuously tapered leader of 15 ft or 17ft and adding a tippet to it if need be. Clearly, such leaders are not easy to cast in a stiff breeze, but in such conditions with a wind-riffled surface there is not need for them either. In calm, bright conditions I have on many occasions believed that these long leaders have contributed to my success compared to other anglers fishing the same water. Properly designed tapered leaders used in conjunction with the larger line sizes produce excellent turnover and minimise disturbance and in addition allow the fly to sink a little deeper. That, too, may be reason for their effectiveness and indeed in some of the faster streams an intermediate or sinking tip on a multi-tip line or a sinking leader is often more successful than a fully floating line.
Fly sizes and types for grilse are identical to those for salmon, but because rivers are often low and warm at grilse time smaller sizes are more likely to be used. I always like to make sure I have in my box a few small plastic tubes of 1/4 & 1/2 inch long, armed with number 16 trebles. These are very useful for sub-surface fishing, allowing the tube to produce a tiny wake as it is moved across the current, a particularly effective method in slow pools and especially so when a warm upstream wind is blowing.
Dressed fly sizes for summer conditions range from 6’s down to 12’s or 14’s. My favourite patterns are Cascade, Tummel Shrimp, Ally’s Shrimp and Executioner or Silver Stoat. When fishing a full floating line in low, clear water a dark fly such as a Stoats Tail (preferably with jungle cock cheeks) is hard to beat. Irish Shrimp flies too are very good for summer fishing, if I was limited to just one pattern of that style it would be the Bann Special and if allowed another couple I would include the Curry’s Red and Octopussy.
Read the rest of Ally's article in the July 2006 issue of Fly Fishing & Fly Tying.
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