Roger's Angling Pages
The Salmon Salmo salar		The salmon Salmonidae

This fish is a typical representative of the Salmon family (Salmonidae). A characteristic feature of all representatives of this family is their torpedo-shaped body, which is typical of good swimmers. Its external appearance, coloration and the quality of its flesh justify its pre-eminent position among fishes. Apart from its lines of scales and its fin rays, the plowshare bone (or the vomer), situated at the top of the jaw cavity, is its important distinctive feature. The Salmon inhabits the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean from the river Pechora (U.S.S.R.) to the Portuguese river Duero, the east coast of Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Britain. It is distinguished from its relative, the Sea Trout, by its emarginate caudal fin and dark spots on its head and the upper half of the body. The silvery scales flake away slightly. The male's body is slimmer and its lower jaw is bent in the shape of a hook, particularly in older fishes.

During the breeding season the Salmon moves well up into the rivers, and this does not always take place at the same time of the year. In the Scottish rivers, migration starts as early as March, while in Ireland it starts mainly in June. Sometimes two generations, differing in size, migrate to the same river, one in spring and one in autumn. The main migration, characterized by the Salmon leaping out of the water, begins in spring, when the water temperature rises above 6°C. Fishes moving up river in autumn, usually spawn in the lower reaches of the rivers and their tributaries, whereas the spring migration takes them to the river's source. At this time the silvery shade of the Salmon's body darkens and their red flesh becomes pale pink and less tasty. Spawning takes place during the winter months on gravel or rough, sandy water beds. The female cleans and prepares the area by digging small pits, where she lays 5,000 to 30,000 eggs, according to her size. Salmon weighing 10 to 20 lb spawn in water 15 to 60 cm deep, flowing at a speed of 30 to 45 cm per sec. At this time they often fall prey to poachers and various predators, such as the otter. The constant flow of the river provides a favourable oxygenated environment for the spawn while hatching. Many males die after spawning. The fry hatch in l00 to 150 days and they live in fresh water for 2 to 3 years (parr) and when the fishes reach 10 to 20 cm (smolt), they return to the sea. In colour the parr is similar to small Trout; it is the smolt that acquires the silvery sheen at the sides of the body, which is characteristic of Salmon.

On their way to the sea, some fishes are lost when they pass through polluted parts of the river or close to the turbines of power-stations. Fish ladders have therefore been built in the dams of some power-stations. In the sea the Salmon has a bountiful supply of food and it feeds voraciously for a period of 1 to 3 years. The males then return to fresh water earlier than the females. Weight increases of 4 to 11 lb per year are not rare, although more usual in females than males, and in this connection the length of stay at sea is a decisive factor. During the journey up river they do not feed at all, although judging from some hooked fishes, this seems difficult to believe. In view of the increasing number and variety of obstacles during the journey to the spawning grounds, Salmon are caught in special traps, transferred to hatcheries and are milted artificially. They are kept for 1 to 2 years in small concrete or earthen ponds and only then are they put back into the water .

In recent years Salmon have been plagued by a little known disease of the skin (necrosis), whose symptoms can be seen when the fish is in water. They take the form of a whitish coating of the head and other parts of the body. Places where Salmon breed regularly become a tourist attraction and it is a popular pastime to watch them leaping out of the water. Research has shown that a number of Salmon stay near the coast and the estuaries of their native rivers, while others undertake long journeys of up to 800 miles. At sea they can travel 20 to 60 miles in a day.

The Salmon is usually caught both by fresh bait (for example maggots and fish pieces) and artificial bait (for example spinners, plugs and flies). Fishing, generally using artificial bait, is of considerable economic importance to those countries which practise it (for example Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Scotland). A catch of a single Salmon on a hook can represent up to ten times as much profit as compared with that from netting a single Salmon at sea. Angling is responsible for the development of an industry producing angling tackle. Fishing with large flies, such as Durham Ranger, Jock Scott, Grey Turkey, Fiery Brown, Wilkinson and others is now considered a traditional method. Artificial 'shrimps' and 'insects' of a high quality are also produced. Various other baits, for example the Sand Eel Tail Spinner and bunches of artificial worms have also proved effective when fished on strong tackle. Angling using artificial lures (for example various types of Devon Minnow and fantastic combinations of flies and metal lures), requires quality tackle and a good landing net or gaff. Fishing for Salmon is definitely not easy for the beginner.