early season salmon flies

[corsican dave]

happy new year folks! anyone care to suggest two or three early season salmon flies for use on the spey? i've only got a skagit sinking rig at present, so i'm guessing i won't need to learn to tie tubes or cone-heads?

[bibio1]

Posh tosh and gold bodied willie gun, both with jungle cock.

Paul

[Malcolm]

I don't catch many before June but I know IBM59 likes the Cascade and he does well.

[burnie]

I've found the cascade is more for grilse time,springers seem to behave differently.Black and Yellow are popular colours early doors with big flies on big rivers.The Tay,Tweed and Spey have devotees of the old fashioned Waddingtons for the first couple of months.Tubes of around an inch long in about 4 different colours will be my preferred choice for March on the Esks.I'm not fussed for the Jungle Cock,but my fishing buddy thinks it's a target and won't put a fly on without it,confidence is the key I think.

[Part-time]

In addition to the flies already mentioned my favorite is a Garry Dog or variants of it; it's pretty much the only fly I use when I'm salmon fishing whether spring, summer or autumn and just change the size to suit. I tend to use size 6 and 8 doubles most off the time.
I don't do that much salmon fishing but usually manage to wangle a couple of days on the Spey each year. The ghillies I've met there tend to be more concerned with fly size and what depth/speed to fish it rather than pattern. Like Burnie says confidence in your fly is probably the most important thing.
I,m looking forward to your Spey springer report

[corsican dave]

I,m looking forward to your Spey springer report

it would be nice to think there will be one... :roll:

[G Ritchie]

I tend to stick with either Black, Yellow and Gold or Gold Willie Gunn type tubes during the early spring on the Spey. I just vary the size and weight of the tube and the density of tip on the line to vary the depth according to water height/conditions on the day.

[Malcolm]

There are some figures out on the Park stretch of the Dee which suggests that it takes about 7 days of fishing to catch a salmon if you fish before June. Whereas in September it is 2 salmon every 3 days. I wonder what it's like on the Spey.

[G Ritchie]

During February/March it is probably nearer 1 fish in 15 rod days.

[corsican dave]

for myself it was a case of 4 fish (only one landed :roll:) in under 10 hours the first season, which sort of flattered me. last season was bog-all unless you count all the parr i successfully attracted to my artfully placed nymphs and dries.... : at least, i think they were parr; it was tricky to tell without a magnifying glass! :lol: