Fw: Fwd: Learn to fish for Salmon Worksop Saturday November 3, 2012

[ron merly]

 

 

 

On Saturday, November 3, The Nutmeg Chapter of TU will host an outdoor "Learn to fish for Salmon"  workshop.  This is a great time to learn techniques for catching these fish since the annual Connecticut broodstock Atlantic salmon stocking program will take place a few weeks later. This  "hands-on" workshop will be led by Ben Bilello and will run from 9:00 AM until about 4:00 PM at a location in the Beacon Falls/Naugatuck area.

 

The  per-person price for the day will be around $40.00 if we max out at 8 people.  We have 4 openings at this time for interested members.  First come, first served.   If you want to attend, please send Gary Anderson an email  at gande...@aol.com and he'll reserve you a slot.  We'll need  payment by October 10. 

 

 Here's the agenda for the day.

 

 

 

The objective of the “Salmon Classroom” project is to act as an on-the-water fly

fishing primer for Atlantic salmon anglers. Though there are many similarities between

trout and salmon fishing, there are enough differences to confuse trout anglers who

might be new to the sport of salmon fishing. Given that salmon do not feed during and

immediately after their spawning run, fly selection and fishing tactics can seem

mysterious to the novice salmon fisher. This primer will help to clear some of the

confusion and help make salmon fishing more productive and more fun. This class will

cover fishing tactics for both wild and broodstock Atlantic salmon fishing.

 

Ideally, this program should take place in October or November, set to coincide

with the beginning of the Connecticut Atlantic salmon broodstock fishing season.

Keeping in mind that salmon fishing is typically a low-numbers pursuit, preparation is

especially recommended for those looking to travel abroad (Canada and Europe) for

sea run salmon fishing. Connecticut’s broodstock Atlantic salmon fishery is a fantastic

resource to prepare for future salmon fishing trips.

 

The “Salmon Classroom” project consists of three major components:

 

•The first component will take place on land (location tbd before outing, though most

likely at Linden Park in Naugatuck).

(Approx. 1-1.5 hours)

Topics will include: tackle selection, rod selection (single handed, two handed and

switch rods), rigging, knots, flies and fly selection (both traditional and tube flies), useful

tools and accessories, etc.

 

•The second component will be a thorough demonstration of on-the-water techniques

and tactics. (specific location tbd based on current conditions)

(Approx. 1-1.5 hours)

Topics will include: Salmon behavior, reading water, identifying likely salmon lies and

holding water, fishing in a rotation and fighting, landing and safely releasing salmon.

A large portion of this time will be devoted to the four major fly presentation techniques;

fishing the wet fly, dry fly, sunk fly and the riffling hitch, as well as when and where to

use each technique. Also covered will be a few “last resort” tactics to use in difficult

conditions.

 

•The final component will be group fishing time.

(Approx. 3-4+ hours)

The group will be divided into smaller units of two-to-three anglers and will be sent to

specific pools to put these tactics to use. I will monitor each group for a time and offer

guidance as they fish through the pool. Once a group is on the right track, I will move on

to the next group. After a mutually agreed upon amount of time, the groups will switch

pools and work on targeting salmon in a different location.

The lower Naugatuck River has some very diverse pools and certain flies and tactics

work better in some pools than in others. During this semi-guided portion of the

program, I will offer suggestions regarding flies and tactics most useful to specific

locations.

 

Total length of program: 6-8 hours

 

*food and drinks are not provided*

Anglers should bring:

•Warm, comfortable clothing

•Waders & boots

•Wading staff

•Fly rod, 9’-13’- 6-8 wt. (single hand, double hand or switch)

•Reel with a strong drag and at least 100 yards of 20lb.+ backing

•WF or DT floating line

•Floating Scandinavian head (for use with double handed/switch rods)

•Sink tip line or a selection of sinking polyleaders or tips

•9’-12’ stiff mono leader for single handed rods

•6lb.-15lb test tippet material (I prefer stiff mono like Maxima Chameleon)

•Wet flies and streamer and/or tube flies, both weighted and unweighted (Mickey Finn in

sizes #4-#8 is essential)

•Possibly a couple of big, bushy dry flies

•Polarized sunglasses

•Pliers or forceps

Specific recommendations regarding sinking tips/leaders, fly sizes and weights, etc., will

be emailed to the group based on projected conditions

•Optional items: dry fly flotant, large landing net, camera, snacks