Fly Fishing Tips : Does Fly Choice Matter?
The most important thing is to get the fly down to where the fish are prepared to take it. In the early season, when the water temperature can be a around four degrees, salmon are not going to rise through several feet of ice water to take fly fished on a sink tip just below the surface.
Later in the year, when the water temperature is higher, fish will of course rise through several feet of water to take the fly.
There can be no doubt that getting the fly into a
position where the fish are likely to take it and getting the fly to swing properly are more important than the pattern
being used.
Yet, it is no coincidence that successful anglers on the Gaula place great importance on the shape, size, colour and
mobility of the fly.
Perhaps the most significant development in salmon fly design in recent years is the development of the fatback or templedog style fly, invented by Hakan Norling on the Swedish Morrum river and tested extensively on Gaula. Hakan and his friends Mikael Frodin and Jonas Hammerstedt (Jonas guides for GFF and Winsnes) came to Gaula to work as guides becoming known, affectionately by the locals as ‘the Swedish Ghillie Boys.’ The invention of the fatback or templedog tube was a significant breakthrough and has since led to the capture of many big salmon throughout Scandinavia.
The principle behind the tube fly is that the hair is tied in such a way that the fly has volume in the water without so much bulk that it is difficult to cast. Using layers of highly mobile fur with a tube that is relatively short to the overall size of the fly, the templedog comes alive in the water, displaying a mobility that makes traditional hair wing tubes look dead by comparison. Hakan has said that a good temple dog ‘looks as if it wants to swim away from you when you drop it in the water at your feet…’
Difficult to tie and incorporating the best and softest natural furs for maximum mobility, these flies are expensive. Are they worth it? Absolutely! Really good temple dogs are not easy to obtain but they can be bought on the internet or through top fly shops like Glasgow Angling. We also sell some beautifully tied temple dogs at Winsnes. Expect to pay between seven and ten pounds for a really well tied templedog incorporating the best materials.