Streamer fishing for Spring Salmon- Pulling Springers on the Trigger Treat
Springers pulling the trigger?
This was a day of product testing! Well, actually only an afternoon for T.C, who would have to leave early. Keith was starting late due to the school run so it was nearly 3pm before we got to the river.
Working from home wont get the job done so it is always good to get time on the water together and we have made significant progress with fine tuning our streamer rod.
The prototype needed to get a serious work out, having done a lot of dry casting and a few smaller river outings where the indications were good, very good.
Please disregard the cork handle shown, it was a quick fix to get the rod built up as we have previously come up with a better composite solution.
With prototypes numbers one and two 10ft 7wt rods strung up, we waded in to the top of our favourite pool, Keith took pole position on the first run having seen a fish show while stringing up.
On Keith’s third cast, the fast water at the head of the pool exploded as spring salmon number one inhaled the streamer and took off down the pool. The fish stayed down, head shaking and thumping the line like bigger fish do. Keith put serious side strain on the fish, playing it hard and it was quickly evident that it was a really good fish. T.C made the scoop in the Mclean landing net, The fish was touching 18lbs on the scales! A beautifully proportioned Irish April spring salmon. Apart from a couple of quick lifts for a grip and grin, we kept the fish in the water and he went back strongly. There were handshakes and euphoria despite heavy showers and halestones that were bouncing off water and goretex. It was Keith’s personal best spring salmon.
The Hardy Cascepedia seatrout reel has seen a few decent brown trout but really got to sing with this springer!
Another angle on this wonderful creature before it swam away. We hope to see his offspring in the near future.
There were more fish showing and fresh salmon obviously travelling. With streamers back in the very clear water, TC had a follow that did not convert. Keith continued down the pool covering the same section and hooked another one that ripped line off the reel but pulled a Houdini manoeuvre and was gone.
Two paces further and Keith hooked and landed springer Number two, a cracking fresh fish which made the first fish even more impressive. The rod was really doing its’ job and performing with panache. Accurate and with plenty of backbone to comfortably handle the sinking lines, 10cm streamer and also to subduing strong salmon in nice spring level water. Omens were good, this blank has the Mojo Keith reckoned.
T.C wanted to try the rod and a line change to our favourite 6ips sinker. Keith had this line set up on the lunar ac2 hubless reel righthand wind being a ciotóg (left handed setup) . T.C cast upstream, covering some fast turbulent water at the very top of the pool with his amazing and unique stripping action. His Trigger Treat streamer was ripped away in a visually violent take with Keith standing behind him watching a moment of brilliance! A seriously enjoyable scrap ensued with springer number three on the same prototype rod which despite being wrong handed really worked and got the fish in quickly. T.C commented that the rod was absolute magic in circumstances that would conventionally be regarded as double handed fishing. With purpose designed Impact tippet & leader the fish were played strongly and extremely quickly to the waiting net.
T.C had to roll, decided to finish that pool quickly and missed a strong take which would have evened the score and was not to be.
Having the extraordinary fortune to have hooked four Springers and landed three and met more in one pool in just a couple of hours, Keith decided to hit the lower beat solo and met two more fish that did not stick.
As always with salmon fishing, the fish have to be there first as you cannot catch what’s not there. To encounter running fish at this time is great and you have to maximise the chances and make the most of the time. Spring salmon can be hard to deny when they want it and boy did they want those Swim fly streamers! They hit them in a fashion of a Sunray Shadow or Dee monkey.
The trigger treat streamer is a brilliant fly for trout and salmon. It has fished very well this spring and the key is that it swims and rides current without any weight. When you pull and pause the fly it rights itself in the manner of a wounded fish and predatory fish get very upset!
This was one of those amazing fishing days that we will never forget.
There’s always more testing to be done and with a PB salmon for Keith and an excellent performance under pressure, the signs are looking really good for us putting out a world class fly rod!
As our friend, mentor and very wise old salmon angler used to say: “You never know when you will meet a fish and he will pull ya”.Stay tuned for more updates and get out there yourselves!
A Game Changer!!!!!
Cheers Gerry, a fun way to fish and the springers approve
Congratulations..
Love the fly..Were you stripping the fly a la sunray style and could you post the exact dressing as would live to try.
Thanks yep stripping..not the most straightforward fly to tie..I might do a video soon cheers
What a super day’s fishing! Well done and congratulations on your PB.
Thanks Crispin..you need to get the big flies out for those Scottish trout and salmon!
Well done Keith , super fish.
Thanks Declan tight lines!
Thanks for the awesome post, Keith. I would love to see the video on that fly
Is that the one attached to the bottom of the post? It doesn’t seem to be linking correctly.
Also very impressed with the description of the rod. I’ll be watching that space!
Hi Keith
Loved the article on Spring Salmon. Can you recommend 3 streamers from your website that would work for Springers and Grilse please. Also what set up were you using, line, tippet length etc.