Dry fly fishing for Atlantic salmon?

[Marterius]

What is your experience with dry fly fishing for Atlantic salmon? If you are into this, what is your favourite setup? I am more and more thrilled by the idea. If I shall continue to spend so many fruitless hours on salmon fishing, I might at least try to improve the experience using a dry fly and bamboo. I will at least boost my reputation as an eccentric.

Kind regards,
Martin

[CDCdun]

I say go for it! That said, I have no experience with it...BUT...I just did a few day trip on the Deschutes for steelhead and all the guys but me were throwing dry flies. We all caught fish. So my next goal is a steelhead on a dry fly. I don’t know how salmon compare to steelhead in eating dries, but I know they’re both possible to get on top. And like you say, what are you going to lose by giving it a try.

Jake

[60InchDV8]

I have several cane outfits, single and double handed, that I use for Atlantic salmon and Steelhead dry fly fishing. My standard cane outfit is a single hand 9 foot 8 wt. I have two rods that are ideal in this category. An Orvis Shooting Star that I match with a 2/0 Zwarg model 400 Laurentian multiplier and an 8 wt. silk WF. line. My second outfit is a Canadian made rod by Ted Knott based on a Paul Young taper, the General Grant with a Bogdan #1 multiplier with a Wulff Triangle Taper 8 wt. line. These rods are suitable for casting large Bombers and have the backbone to control a twenty five pound salmon and land it with these multiplying reels within 10 or 15 minutes for a successful release. The silk line is an advantage as it is thinner in diameter than a standard floating line and can be lifted off the water during the repeated casts involved with dry fly presentations with less disturbance and notice especially when sight fishing.
I also use some double hand cane rods for spey or overhead casting dries for smaller salmon and grilse. The longer length of these rods allow smaller salmon and grilse to perform their aerial magic and can be relied upon to apply the necessary control if a trophy makes an appearance. A Shapes made, Pezon et Michell, Parabolic Grilse 10’ 6” seven weight paired with a Hardy 3 1/2 inch Salmon Perfect and a 7 wt silk WF line. A Sharpes spliced cane Scotty 12 foot 8 wt. rod with a Hardy 4 inch Bougle with an 8 wt silk TT taper rounds out my dry fly and riffling outfits. These double handed rods can be spey or overhead cast while wading and their added length helps to avoid bank side obstructions during the back cast. They are also a delight to cast overhand in a canoe which is the traditional Canadian salmon fishing technique. The fly passes high above your guide and partners heads, even in a gusty wind which they will really appreciate.

[SalmoNewf]

Dry fly fishing for Atlantic salmon is the absolute epitome of the sport to me. The equipment is light, simple and really fly fishing...no shooting heads, poly tips or tungsten beads!

I usually use graphite single handed rods of 9 to 10 feet but I occasionally use a Thomas and Thomas 8 1/2 foot 7 wt. with a Bogdan Model 00 reel or, as of this past spring, a James Reid 8 foot, 5 inch hollow built, 6 wt. (with a Bogdan Steelhead model reel) for grilse in the smaller rivers near home. Both are excellent for dry fly fishing with Bombers and Wulffs up to size 6. Bigger than that and I go to an 8 wt. graphite.

Dry fly fishing for salmon seems to be far more popular on Canadian rivers than in British or European rivers, possibly because of our warmer water temperatures. Having said that however, in September this year I had great success on the Miramichi in New Brunswick using Bombers in water temperatures that ranged from 6 to 10 degrees Celsius and even with air temperatures in the 4 to 6 degree range.

Go for it and good luck!

[Marterius]

Thanks, a lot for all the input! Fishing dry fly two handed sounds great, and really cool. I was not sure if it was done today or a thing of the past. I have such a spliced Sharpes 12' and match it with a Perfect 3 3/4 inch, which have about the same capacity as your Bougle. That would be fishing in the footsteps of LaBranche, and I need to tie a few Pink Ladies.

As for single handed rods, I have an Edwards Quad 9' #7, which I would match with a 3 7/8 inch Perfect or perhaps the old wide spool 3 1/4. I think it would be great as a dry fly rod - nice presentations but a good response when needed. If I need a heavier line for bigger flies, my idea was to go over to graphite as well (Hardy Deluxe 10' or Powell IM6 9' 1/2). But perhaps I should be looking for a single handed bamboo rod for a line #8 as well. In bamboo I also have a Hardy Houghton but at 10' #7 it is a bit too heavy for prolonged casting of this kind. It is better for careful stalking on sea trout pools at night. I think line weight is mostly about being able to turn a big fly over, if we are comparing a #7 or #8. I have taken a 20 lbs fish on a #7 rod and would not mind doing it again.

There are a few enthusiasts fishing salmon with the dry fly in Norway, but very few here in Sweden. I think the idea is that you need a clear river and our peaty Swedish rivers are less suitable. Still, it is done though I think I will start with a clear Norwegian river. Time to do some reading and go back to Hewitt and Wulff.

Kind regards,
Martin

[mlarocco]

For sufrace action do some research on the riffle hitch knot.

https://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/riffle-hitch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueSbad-jy2I

[gt05254]

"There are a few enthusiasts fishing salmon with the dry fly in Norway, but very few here in Sweden. I think the idea is that you need a clear river and our peaty Swedish rivers are less suitable."
The Miramichi and its tribs are far from clear (very peaty), and many of us enjoy dry fly (mostly bombers)fishing, especially in the warmer water months.
Gary

[Marterius]

"There are a few enthusiasts fishing salmon with the dry fly in Norway, but very few here in Sweden. I think the idea is that you need a clear river and our peaty Swedish rivers are less suitable."
The Miramichi and its tribs are far from clear (very peaty), and many of us enjoy dry fly (mostly bombers)fishing, especially in the warmer water months.
Gary

Thanks Gary, just what I want to hear! Then I will give it a serious try at our club water next season.

[Marterius]

"There are a few enthusiasts fishing salmon with the dry fly in Norway, but very few here in Sweden. I think the idea is that you need a clear river and our peaty Swedish rivers are less suitable."
The Miramichi and its tribs are far from clear (very peaty), and many of us enjoy dry fly (mostly bombers)fishing, especially in the warmer water months.
Gary

Gary, do you use any colour of bombers on the Miramichi, or do you prefer particular, perhaps brighter colours? I have seen them tied with yellow and red deer hair, for example. Tied on a no 4 hook perhaps?

Kind regards,
Martin

[16pmd]

I've fished dry flies for Atlantic salmon and summer run steelhead. Two handed rods give better line control and are easier to cast all day than single hand rods. My fishing has been with waking or skating flies and hitched flies, including hitch tubes, all on the swing rather than dead drifted. One advantage of dries is that you can see what your fly is doing when you mend upstream or downstream or lead or follow the line with the rod as the fly swings.. Steelhead seem to prefer a slower swing, caused by upstream mends to keep the line fairly straight as it swings, but Atlantics seem to like a faster fly speed coming across the current caused by a bit of a downstream bow in the line. I learned a lot about how to fish sunken flies by being able to see what rod & line maneuvers did with a dry. Slack and wrinkles in the line cause the fly to hesitate or move erratically rather than swing smoothly as fish seem to prefer, whether slower or faster.

[gt05254]

"There are a few enthusiasts fishing salmon with the dry fly in Norway, but very few here in Sweden. I think the idea is that you need a clear river and our peaty Swedish rivers are less suitable."
The Miramichi and its tribs are far from clear (very peaty), and many of us enjoy dry fly (mostly bombers)fishing, especially in the warmer water months.
Gary

Gary, do you use any colour of bombers on the Miramichi, or do you prefer particular, perhaps brighter colours? I have seen them tied with yellow and red deer hair, for example. Tied on a no 4 hook perhaps?

Kind regards,
Martin

My favorite is a little Bomber - we're talking on a size 10 or 8 hook, is a natural deer hair body, with brown hackles and white tail and "wing". But there are all manner of color combinations that are popular, and they are tied all the way up to size 2! Some of my friend swear by blue bodied Bombers. Personally, I mostly fish the natural deer hair bomber. There is also a bomber-ish fly called a Carter Bug. Looks horrendous if tied correctly, but is a heck of a dry fly. You might be able to google that one.

My fave:

Gary

[SalmoNewf]

There appears to be quite a lot of variation in the way different anglers fish dry for Atlantic salmon. I do realize that LaBranche used a self designed 14 foot rod for dry fly fishing but Edward Hewitt at the same time was using singlehanded rods down to 7 feet long. While swinging a dry fly for salmon undoubtedly works at times it is basically doing the same thing as using a hitched wet fly, and again that too works at times. In this area at least, Newfoundland, Labrador and where I have fished in NewBrunswick and Quebec, dead drifting dries, typically Bombers, is usually the more productive, and far more exciting method, particularly in clear water but also in peaty water when you have a good idea where the fish are. It requires accurate casting to the salmon lies and close attention to the fly in darker water to spot the rises. I have risen a single fish up to nine times before it finally actually opened its mouth and took the fly. Good timing is also required to ensure a hook up...striking is often required and there a fine line between striking too soon and taking the fly away from the fish and striking too late and giving it time to spit the fly out!


We use dries in many sizes from #12 to #2, Bombers, Wulffs, bugs of various sorts. On the Flowers River in Labrador we have had lots of fish into the teens and higher on #10 Bee Bombers. Here’s my dry box, rather bedraggled after a season in which the great majority of my my hookups were on dries.

[Marterius]

"There are a few enthusiasts fishing salmon with the dry fly in Norway, but very few here in Sweden. I think the idea is that you need a clear river and our peaty Swedish rivers are less suitable."
The Miramichi and its tribs are far from clear (very peaty), and many of us enjoy dry fly (mostly bombers)fishing, especially in the warmer water months.
Gary

Gary, do you use any colour of bombers on the Miramichi, or do you prefer particular, perhaps brighter colours? I have seen them tied with yellow and red deer hair, for example. Tied on a no 4 hook perhaps?

Kind regards,
Martin

My favorite is a little Bomber - we're talking on a size 10 or 8 hook, is a natural deer hair body, with brown hackles and white tail and "wing". But there are all manner of color combinations that are popular, and they are tied all the way up to size 2! Some of my friend swear by blue bodied Bombers. Personally, I mostly fish the natural deer hair bomber. There is also a bomber-ish fly called a Carter Bug. Looks horrendous if tied correctly, but is a heck of a dry fly. You might be able to google that one.

My fave:

Gary

Very neat Gary, thanks for sharing. I guess it could have been straight out of the Rev. Elmer Smith's fly box!

[Marterius]

I am familiar with the riffling hitch, though I cannot say that I have had much success nor giving a serious try. But what has caught my mind is the free floating dry, such as a bomber or a Wulff. In John Rennie's book "I have been fishing" he mentioned using large and bushy Tup's when fishing dry fly for salmon in Iceland, and since that is one of my token patterns I will surely try that as well.

[SalmoNewf]

Some good video of dry fly takes in this promotional video for Loop and the St. Lewis River Lodge in Labrador.

https://vimeo.com/76915768

[mac7x]

SalmoNewf, thanks for that. My salmon fishing this year has been all vicarious. Hopefully, next year will be different.
I seldom fish a dry for salmon, but when I do, it's usually a big white Wulff, to a specific fish or lie.

[Marterius]

Thanks SalmoNewf, some great inspiration for tonight's tying.

[Doug K]

fascinating thread, thanks all. I caught my first steelhead on a waking Bomber dry, looked just like Gary's.. but didn't know that could work for salmon too.. wow

[DUCKMANNM]

I've never fished for Atlantic Salmon, but I did tie a bunch of flies for a friend who did. In addition to the wet flies, I also tied him some dry flies. They were call "Bombers." It's a trimmed (sort of round and oblong, but flat on the bottom) deer hair fly with a hackle palmered around the body. I tied then on #$2 hooks, in 4 different colors. Those will either catch fish, or they won't. My friend said he used them but didn't get bit! Give it a shot!

[Marterius]

My second attempt at a bomber, used a too short hackle for the first one. This is going to be fun!