Catching Australian Salmon on the fly.
Salmon are a premier Australian sports fish on fly and each year their return is anxiously awaited by fly fisho's throughout the bottom half of the country. They inhabit shallow inshore areas, eat flies with aggression, fight hard and love to show off with their aerial skills. A perfect target for any fly fisher!
There are 2 seperate populations of Salmon in Australia, Those that inhabit the South East and those that inhabit the South West. The split in populations occurs somewhere near the Vic / SA border. East coast fish rarely match the gross size of their Western cousins but the techniques and tactics remain much the the same. Salmon are a pelagic schooling fish that primarily feed on baitfish, so keep your eye out for birds, they will often be tracking the school waiting for an easy meal when the salmon locate their prey, pushing baitfish to the surface.
Gear
This really depends on the size of fish your chasing. for smaller 1-3kg fish you will no doubt get away with a 6-7 weight outfit. For the bigger 4-7kg fish a 9-10 weight is preferred.
Most anglers prefer to fish on the heavier side when boat based as it provides that extra muscle in the butt section of the rod for lifting fish quickly, enabling you to get another shot at the school before they disappear or dive deeper. When shore based you may enjoy fishing on the lighter side. You have the ability to apply side pressure and plenty of room to let them run and jump as they don't usually try to bury you in reef. From the rocks, well that's another game and will require a judgement call but we would recommend at least a 9wt to steer these fish away from barnacles and make landing them easier for yourself.
Line Choice
When boat-based, a fast sinking head is a great choice as the fish that are in deeper schools. Salmon will not always be on top and the ability to get down will be an asset. straight intermediate and intermediate sink tip lines are also a top choice for shore-based and rock fishing as they are easier to cast and the fish shouldn't be too deep. For fishing in the surf zone, a full intermediate is going to be your best friend. Being able to get the line under the crashing waves to keep in contact with the fly will be the difference between success and failure here. Just remember you are fishing in cold water for these fish, so you will need a cold water line, such as the Rio Striper intermediate line or Cortland Compact Sink.
Leader and Tippet
Accuracy is rarely ever needed when targeting schooling salmon, with this in mind, you can keep your leader systems very simple. I suggest a leader around 8-9feet in length. A tapered leader going from 40lb-30lb-20lb is my preference to get the fly to roll over nicely, especially as you are often dealing with wind when chasing salmon. My leaders generally consist of: 3 foot of 40lb, 3 foot of 30lb and 3 foot of 20lb. This is a very simple rule of thumb that can be changed and manipulated to your preference, there is no right or wrong here as long as the fly turns over well, you could also simply use straight 30-40lb or use the Rio pre-made leaders which are also fantastic.
There are no serious choppers on salmon so you can fish light if you want too. 12-16lb is a good starting point if you are fishing a lighter setup or targeting fish that have had lots of angling pressure. If it is bigger fish you are chasing, then consider 20lb for more confidence when doing the heavy lifting.
Flies
Salmon are rarely fussy but it always pays to "match the hatch" wherever you can. A range of clousers, surf candies and realistic baitfish patterns will usually see you well equipped for most scenarios.
For supreme fun, also ensure you have a few poppers in your bag too, salmon at times can be very aggressive to top water flies and there is no better visual than a big WA salmon torpedoing at your popper.
Drone
A drone can help tremendously when trying to locate schools of salmon along large stretches of the southern coast. Salmon schools look like huge, dark smudges in our blue water. By having a drone handy, you can cover large areas of coastline fast, helping to maximise your chances.
Strategy
This game is not usually technical, just get the fly in there and strip! Play around with fly choice and stripping speed if needed on the day. Keep your eye out for baitfish and do your best to "match the hatch", particularly in terms of size and to a lesser extent, colour, but remember, salmon are a predatory pelagic fish, so they usually prefer a fast or double handed strip.
When you're fighting fish from a boat and they start sounding deep, be sure to "lift from the butt" and don't "high stick" the rod as the fish dives under your boat, The fight will be over much faster and many fly rods have met their maker at this stage of the fight if high sticked.
Good luck, and drop into the store for any questions or gear to target this awesome sport fish!
