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Rivers

All riversHatch chartMiramichi RiverBow RiverWhite River, ArkansasDavidson RiverPenns CreekLetort Spring RunFarmington RiverPere Marquette RiverNorth Umpqua RiverDeschutes RiverSan Juan RiverFryingpan RiverYellowstone RiverBighorn RiverTraun RiverBeaverkill RiverRío GrandeGreen River below Flaming GorgeRiver WharfeHenry's Fork of the SnakeSoča RiverAu Sable RiverTongariro RiverSouth Platte — Deckers and CheesmanRiver TestMadison River

Insects

Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadAtlantic salmonEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout

Techniques

Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

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Insects
Miramichi RiverBow RiverWhite River, ArkansasDavidson RiverPenns CreekLetort Spring RunFarmington RiverPere Marquette RiverNorth Umpqua RiverDeschutes RiverSan Juan RiverFryingpan RiverYellowstone RiverBighorn RiverTraun RiverBeaverkill RiverRío GrandeGreen River below Flaming GorgeRiver WharfeHenry's Fork of the SnakeSoča RiverAu Sable RiverTongariro RiverSouth Platte — Deckers and CheesmanRiver TestMadison River
Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadAtlantic salmonEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout
Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

Salmonidae

Atlantic salmon

Salmo salar · Grilse 1–3 kg; multi-sea-winter fish 8–20 kg.

By The Fly Desk

How it feeds

Once Atlantic salmon re-enter fresh water they stop feeding almost entirely and live on their body reserves until spawning. Everything a salmon angler does is therefore about triggering a reaction, not about matching food — which is why salmon flies are bright, why they are swung, and why a salmon may take on one cast and ignore the identical fly five minutes later.

How to fish for it

Fish the fly on a controlled swing, cover the pool in a fan, and take one step downstream after each cast. Do not strike on the first show — a salmon often boils at the fly and comes back for it. Report every fish caught, including released ones, because the management of the whole fishery depends on those returns.

Flies that work: Bomber · Silver Doctor · Undertaker · Black Dose · Frances · Junction Shrimp

Atlantic salmon in the ledger

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