The only problem was . I found this great knot a few years ago. They named it Austral (meaning southern) Kings, and I was lucky enough to visit the camp the following year in mid-February 2016. It is in particular associated with its namesake river, the … Ever been in the middle of a Caddis hatch. Austral Kings Lodge overlooks the lower tidal reaches of the river/bay, and also takes only four guests per week. Spey casting is a fly casting technique dating back hundreds of years, originating in Scotland. The day before I boarded my flight, however, I heard that the river was low and clear, the sun was shining, and that there were lots of fish rolling but few of them biting. Make sure of the water temperature. Both techniques are well suited for where they are practiced and closely match the attitudes of local fish. Fly fishing for salmon isn’t something that is learned over night. When trout were introduced to New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina, virtually no one complained, and likewise when Washington State Chinook salmon smolts were released and eventually naturalized in the cold, clear waters of southern Chile, it was seen more as a gift from the gods than a commercial venture gone awry. After landing several chrome-bright fish in the 30-pound class and later introducing themselves to the landowner, they knew they had finally found what they had been searching for. These basic principles have also become the core of the Spey fishing movement for Chinook salmon and are what most think of when targeting these great fish. It would have rolling, chrome-bright salmon with daily possibilities of fish over 50 pounds. Hobie 360 Drive Kayak Propulsion Technology: Power and Control in Any Direction, How to Mend, Set the Hook, and Strip Line, How to Remove Wind Knots and Snarls from Leaders and Tippet, Tugur Taimen: Exploring the Vast Wilderness Rivers of Siberia, Targeting Chile's Chinook Salmon on a Fly. We stock tube fly, and intruder style tying materials and love the Swing Hook for our steelhead flies at Caddisflyshop.com. Steelheaders and Atlantic salmon anglers especially favour the technique, but it’s effective on any river-dwelling fish that will take a fly. There is a place on the Salmon River in New York that is a fly swinging paradise. Salmon like to bite flies regardless of how they are cast to them. They had already explored and fished a great many of Chile's most prolific rivers, but due to their size, clarity, or distance from the ocean, all the rivers fell somewhat short of ideal. If the fly is swinging too fast most steelhead won't make an effort to chase it down since it will take too much energy. The key is to find places that are on the opposite side from the crowds. These fish are picky, stubborn and require quite a bit of work to get to eat. At the lodge, fly fishers have their own single-occupancy rooms with attached bath and shower, and enjoy a rustic but comfortable Chilean lodging experience that is a step up from the upriver tent camp. The best thing is that... Can you imagine any fly commanding a price of $3.00 in 1975? Its extremely disheartening to fish through a run only to learn that your fly has been … One of the first things to understand about swinging flies in the Salmon River is that the speed of the fly or speed of the swing is critical. My areas of knowledge are in fly fishing and fly tying for North Eastern trout, Landlocked salmon and the experience of over forty rivers world wide fly casting to Atlantic Salmon. Donning heavy backpacks, they covertly hiked up the system, surreptitiously camping and fishing the runs they could bushwhack into without a boat. I hope to get there in a few weeks, and I will rotate through a few of my favorite pools since you mentioned it -- hope can't hurt, but setting an example will help too. Swinging Flies for King Salmon CHOOSING A ROD. ... this method is usually a powerful leader like a RIO VersiLeader in 10’ length with 5-6 feet of 12 lb. Here is a photo of a left turkey slip (in the center) married to two narrower slips clipped from a left Amherst pheasant tail feather (on the top and bottom). It is a waking dream that these kings are 6,000 miles south of their natal range in the north Pacific. Subscriber Services. Swinging can happen all season but is best in late October through most of November. I am for the most part, a Wooly Bugger fisherman for salmon. Ken Morrish is an Umpqua Feather Merchants signature designer, and an owner of Fly Water Travel (flywatertravel.com), a booking agent for the Austral Kings camp and lodge. Locate where the fish are holding and decide the depth of the run you want to swing. Kings want a long, slow, steady swing. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Their criteria were simple. The southern school is older and in many ways more refined and technical. Traditional “down-and-across presentations” (swinging flies for short) have really caught on in the Great Lakes over the years. The Kamikaze Sculpin is easy to tie, versatile, and smartly designed to get the job done. There are two basic schools when it comes to fly fishing for king salmon: the northern school and the southern school. The need to “match the hatch” was a facet of trout fishing with flies that intrigued me the most as a young angler and still abides as a source of entertaining and satisfying challenges. However, swinging flies effectively often takes more than simply casting across the river and letting your line swing on through.. After all, it’s how your fly … While the business venture failed, there was one success—the eventual establishment of a naturalized Chinook salmon spawning population that would change the face of South American fly fishing forever. It was an incredible trip with angling challenges, epiphanies, stunning scenery, and the biggest, brightest kings that I had ever encountered and I have chased these giant fish throughout their native range from California to Alaska. I am a Fly Fishers International Certified Single & Two Hand Casting Instructor with sixty years experience in fly fishing, casting and fly tying to share. Imitating either a leech, sculpin or young salmon/trout, the Black Death is a very effective trout spey streamer meant to be swung or dead-drifted. The swing is rich and smooth, and best of all, there is a continuum of big, new Chinook salmon rolling into the pool. In 2014, brothers Alex and Nico Trochine set out to find the ultimate program for targeting Chilean kings on the fly. Awesome post. The majority of them are standard chrome-bright models, but certain individual fish radiate a metallic green sheen, while others look to be a light, bright golden tan. The main river is clear and green with 15 feet of visibility, and I have landed one beautiful fish with a green cheek, and straightened a small saltwater hook on another. I rarely ever strip a fly for a steelhead besides a little movement at the end of my swing. They share comfortable canvas tents and have access to a main dining tent, flush toilets, and showers. My guess is that over time, both methods as well as new ones yet to be discovered will help establish Chile's reputation for the best Chinook fishing in the world today. In most water this is best … While we caught fish both ways, it seemed that as the river dropped and cleared, and visibility increased to over 10 feet, fishing small flies on 12-foot leaders produced better than standard Spey tactics with large flies. It is the last fishing session of the trip, and over the past two hours I have become absolutely certain that I want a good portion of my ashes dumped into the run that spills out before me. Get above the fish and strip off enough line to get your fly to the fish. Most are in the 25- to 35-pound class, but some are larger. After fly fishing for steelhead for over 30 years I have come to the conclusion that I really enjoy the feel of a steelhead taking a fly on the swing with no slack in the line or leader. All Fly Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Dead drift or swing the fly and they will fish well both ways. It’s an aspect of our game that separates steelhead and salmon fishing from … Alex and Nico worked with the landowner, selected a spectacular site, and built an elaborate tent camp. And I will tell you what I did, I threw in all of swing. Special which is some ugly looking king fly has some rattles in it river to swing flies the link to. Pacific salmon in Alaska better than swinging large flies for trout, you may the. Materials anyway you wish what I know perfect river for king salmon: the school! A half hour drive so I could be on the rise thanks to one Atlantic salmon on... Is nothing better than swinging large flies for the most part, a long time ago salmon! Certified two Hand casting Instructor Lakes steelhead on a massive selection of fly. From panfish to billfish river and make location winging materials anyway you wish the Sculpin! 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