Long salmon flies / Hearing the cast

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Hi Gordy,

I?m told that the "Sunray" was originally designed as an imitation of a sand eel. (FYI: Sand eels are not related to the true eel family. ) I?ve seen ?sunray shadows? with wings up to 30cm (12 inch)! ?The Sunray works best when it looks like a mink swimming in a pool?.

Plenty of salmon flies are tied with a shrimp pattern in mind. Think about the Irish shrimp flies, Ally?s shrimps, Cascades, Pot bellied Pigs, Francis flies even the classic Spey flies.

I think you have to look at the long tails on the Atlantic Salmon flies as an derivative ( I don?t know if this word is correctly used) to try to represent the feelers and the rostrum of a shrimp. On old guide once told me that the long tails need to tickle the salmon nose, during the swing, to induce him to take.

I can?t say anything about ?Tying the Classic Salmon Fly? by Michael Radencich?.

But a very good book concerning Spey flies is:

Spey Flies and Dee Flies, their history & construction. Written by John Shewey.

Regards,

Elie

Long winged flies took their inspiration from the Collie Dog and Neil Grassers?s Tadpole. Although mostly tied as tubes nowadays the original Collie Dog was simply a bunch of long curly hair from the hock of a Border Collie tied onto a single iron. Soon it developed into a tube fly usually tied on aluminium tube which gave it s silver body. Arthur Chamberlain from Alness used a very similar fly called the Millcraig Special which is tied on clear plastic tube using long dark coloured goat?s hair and usually given a red head. Arthur used it mainly for dibbling. Sunray Shadow I think was originally tied with natural brown bucktail underwing, a few stands of peacock herl and a bunch of black hair. The example that I have was given to me by one of Ray?s friends and was allegedly tied by Ray. What the hair is I don?t know for sure but it looks very much like goat hair but it could be monkey.

I first tied my shrimp flies in the late 1970?s but didn?t actually have the courage to use them until later largely due to the unconventional long tails! When Orri Vigfusson was compiling his little book ?The World?s Best Flies? in 1996 he told me that he would have to stop accepting nominations for Ally?s Shrimp because it was so popular. Today things might be different because another of my flies, the Cascade is reputedly the most successful salmon fly. I know that these flies catch species other than Atlantic Salmon because I get messages from many countries. Recently I got a note from Alaska saying that the guys in their group using Cascade caught the most Chum and Coho. Since I started the long tailed craze other tiers have copied the style with some success. The reason for the success of this design is that the fly swims practically level whereas most flies with unsupported rear ends swim tail down and the longer tail probably gives more movement. When my late great friend Warren Duncan first saw the shrimp fly he said that it would never work in New Brunswick because the fish would not get hooked. The following year I got an excited phone call from Warren to say how successful the flies were. Warren was a fantastic fly tier and very fine and generous person sadly missed by many. Fish don?t catch other fish by nipping their tails! They both overtake and engulf prey or attack prey by interception usually from the side and below to take advantage of the blind spot in the prey?s vision. In both cases the predator uses inhalation to assist capture.

As for ?classic? salmon flies I believe that you could travel thousands of river miles without finding an angler using one to catch fish! Hairwings, shrimp patterns and tubes are much more popular and successful and they are cheaper and easier to make. However if you want to hone your fly tying skills to a high degree there is nothing more frustrating than perfectly placing bronze mallard roofs and nothing more satisfying in fly tying than a perfectly tied classic. If that is your aim be prepared to spend many hours preparing and practicing.

I am reminded of a friend?s saying ?After 50 years of salmon fishing I don?t know what won?t catch them?. Sometimes I reflect the converse!

Best wishes,

Ally Gowans

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Ally... Although there are certainly species of fresh water shrimp, one might have second thoughts on the use of shrimp flies for salmon. Of course neither Atlantic or Pacific salmon actually feed once having entered the river on the spawning run.

I have observed youngsters in Norway catching salmon in the Fijord tidal estuary on stout poles using magenta colored dead arctic shrimp for bait.

Once in Northwestern Alaska, I took note of the fact that a group of eskimos had netted king salmon in the estuary waters of the Unalakleet River which drains out into the Bering Sea near Nome. We had been fishing this river for 3 days with various flies and found no takers. I opened up one of the fish left on the bank and noted magenta colored arctic shrimp remains undoubtedly ingested just prior to their entry. Armed with an idea, I tied some marabou flies of the same color. We used them on the following day up river with great success. Rightly or wrongly, I figured that since that was the last quarry the fish had attacked before entering the river, that there might have been some rudimentary spark of "recollection" which led to their striking.

True "classsic" salmon flies, I understand, are tied with many hard to find natural materials. I recall Rick Whorwood spending a total of 11 hours tying one !!! One of his classsic salmon flies was chosen to grace a Canadian national postage stamp.

I used one of your shrimp patterns left over from a visit to Dennis Grant in Nova Scotia during a shrimp hatch here in the Florida Keys and found it worked fine on juvenile tarpon when dead drifted in the current. Those fish were keyed in on the shrimp and wouldn't take our standard offerings. The salt quickly ate the hook.

Rumor had it that Lee Wulff once caught an Atlantic salmon in Labrador on a bare hook . The story claimed that it was mouth caught.... not snagged.

Gordy

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HEARING THE CAST- TEACHING WITHOUT HEARING

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From Jim Bass:

Gordy, I have heard the wooosssss! of the rod as I overpowered it trying to increase rod speed. This is a dead giveaway that I have misapplied the power. It should not be heard. If the power is right you might hear the line whisper a slight swish as it cuts the air but if you hear a storm going by cut the power. This is one way to help the CCI candidate on the change of speed task. If he can hear it he is changing to much power and not the speed easily.

I had the opportunity to teach a young man who was totally deaf. My experience was one of self examination about how I teach. I was teaching through an interpreter. She was very adept at transmitting my words to my student in sign. This was not a class where I had an advanced warning he was in a group and wanted to learn. I slowed down my presentation to the point of interest loss for normal teaching. With as few words as possible I would explain and demonstrate. Then have him perform the movement.

He was amazing the way he could duplicate my cast. If you want to see if you are making good casts teach someone who is impaired and let them duplicate your cast. The Main thing I carried with me from this experience was the eagerness and willingness this young man had to experience the total fly fishing scene. I had to remember to be very slow and precise on my demo.

This is the only student I have taught that wrote me a latter to express his gratitude. I learned that we may not be able to complete a task the same way as others but if given the chance most humans who have the will can and will accomplish the fete.

I have been accused of having selective hearing, yet the best sound I can hear is the drag as it sings announcing fish-on1

Have a great day tomorrow the best to you and all.

Jim Bass

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Jim... Clearly, your student had compensated by having developed a keen sense of learning by observation and feel.

Equally clear that you are a thoughtful and competent instructor.

Re your last sentence: I recall the time when Ted Juracsik started making Billy Pate fly reels which were silent as the fish ran. Many anglers and especially guides didn't like the silence so it wasn't long before he made them to sound clearly as the fish ran.

I get a HIGH when a fish runs with a resounding "Hardy screech" !

Gordy