The Bomber is probably one of the most used dry flies for Atlantic salmon

Fly fishing for Atlantic salmon with dry flies is a little different from trout fishing, but has several similarities with fly fishing for big grayling. I learned a lot of my fly fishing skills and experiences from grayling fishing, and many tricks that I used to catch grayling worked very well for Atlantic salmon also. To improve the number of catches, I don't use or follow any rules, but instead I can give you some tips that might be very helpful when you have problems catching fish. Many of these tips I learned by experience, but also by very good observation. Learning and developing the fly fishing talents are very important for a fly fisher, and even very experienced fly fishermen can learn a lot from a beginner, even when they sometimes just show certain things that you never should do. I often use mistakes from my early days and from other people in my workshops and classes. One of the most common mistakes that people make with fly fishing for salmon is walking into the pool right away.

In Newfoundland the salmon sometimes can have their lies very close to the riverbank, so my first tip would be to very closely observe the pool that you want to fish. Explore the water with polarized glasses so you can see the rocks and holes a lot better, and perhaps even spot some salmon too. Try to think like a salmon and search for the easiest ways to travel upstream. What route would you take if you were the salmon, what rock you will pick to take a break behind after you just have passed some real turbulent water? They will try hard to find the ways that cause them less effort. While you gaze into the pool, also try to find and discover the places that are most welcome to them for a good lie; lies that give them both shelter and protection. Don't run, don't stamp you feet and just behave very quietly.

 

Hooking and landing fish in a place like this will need a lot of skill and experience

The sun has a huge influence on how fish see the fly floating on the surface. This is why I lecture about the fly's silhouette instead its shape. Direct sunlight changes the fly's silhouette quite a bit, and when the sun disappears, the silhouette completely changes again. That's why changing flies is so important when direct sunlight hits the pool or disappears again. Direct sunlight always increased my numbers, and I personally caught most salmon and grilse during day time as well.

Another tip: when I can see the fish, they can see me also, and I mostly act like as if they can see me ten times better then I can see them. When casting, start with very short line, and don't make any false casts when it not really necessary. I never do, and even fish out a cast I wasn't really satisfied with. So if you understand my words well, you'll start your fly fishing next time without your feet in the water and with gentle short line casts first.

 

why wading deep while you catch fish in front of your feet

Starting without wading first is not a bad idea

Polarized glasses have lots of benefits, but also a huge disadvantage. You often can see the salmon a lot better when it is rising to take your fly, and that creates a huge problem for many. I never actually face this problem myself because I always set the hook with some delay, exactly as I do with grayling. A big problem in dry fly fishing for salmon is that many people set the hook much too soon, thus removing the fly before the salmon is able take it. Best solution: count loudly 21-22 before you strike and set the hook!

When I used dry flies for Atlantic salmon in Norway I succeed most when I presented my flies 100% drag free. In Newfoundland I would not recommend that, except for head and tailers that keep coming up over and over again at the same spot. The salmon in Atlantic Canada just love skaters, wakers and even water walkers, and they also love wakes around dry flies. It's the same with wet fly fishing too. The Newfie salmon love a wake around the fly! It is probably the wake or fly's action that attracts them, or makes them more aggressive to take the fly from the surface. If you lose sight of the fly, just let it go, always keep the number of casts as little cast as possible. It is not very strange to hear of salmon and grilse hooking themselves, especially when the fly starts to speed up in the swing and last part of the drift. When a fish seems interesting in the fly but doesn't take it, swap your fly immediately and when you see the fish coming up taking the fly, delay the setting of the hook at least a full second. When fish start to play with Bombers by just nosing it or pushing them away, swap the Bomber for deep hanging surface flies, or simply use curved hooks. You will not regret it.