Species › Europe, UK & Ireland · Freshwater › Atlantic Salmon

Freshwater

Atlantic Salmon

Salmo salar · Salmon, Grilse (one sea-winter), Springer

Water temp
43–57°F
Peak season
Jun–Aug
Best light
Dawn · Dusk
IGFA record
79 lb 2 oz (35.89 kg)
Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar.jpg)

Photo: Knepp, Timothy · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Atlantic salmon are silver, streamlined fish with small black spots above the lateral line and a slim wrist to the tail; males darken and grow a kype as spawning nears. They hatch in gravel rivers from Portugal to Arctic Russia, spend one to four years at sea feeding off Greenland and the Norwegian Sea, then return to their birth river to spawn, mostly between spring and autumn. Adults rarely feed in fresh water, so takes are aggressive or reflexive rather than hunger-driven. Wild stocks have fallen sharply, which makes a Norwegian, Scottish or Icelandic salmon on the fly one of angling's most sought-after prizes.

Typical size5–12 lb (2–5.5 kg); 24–32 in
Trophy20 lb+ (9 kg+); 30 lb+ in Norway's big rivers
Table fareExcellent — but most wild fish are released; many rivers are catch-and-release by law

Where & when

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Rivers open between January and June and close in September–October; Scotland's spring fish come early, Norway and Iceland peak June–August, and grilse runs arrive midsummer with the first good rain.

River Tay, United KingdomScotland's biggest salmon river; spring to autumnAlta River, NorwayLegendary big-fish river; 40 lb+ salmonLaxá í Aðaldal, IcelandFamous large-fish fly water

How to catch

Swinging flies on a double-handerCast a hairwing or tube fly down and across on a Spey rod, letting it swing slowly through lies at the heads and tails of pools. Use a floating line and small flies in low, warm water and a sinking tip with bigger tubes in cold spring flows.
Spinning with spoons and Devon minnowsWhere rules allow, cast a spoon, spinner or wooden Devon minnow upstream and across, working it slowly through deep lies and heavy water that flies cannot reach. High, colored water after rain is spinning time.

Gear

Rod13–15' 9–10 wt double-handed fly rod, or 9–10' medium spinning
ReelLarge-arbor fly reel with 150 yd backing; 3000–4000 spinning
LineSpey line with 15–20 lb tippet; 20 lb braid or 15 lb mono for spinning

Lures

Tube flyHairwing salmon flySpoon or Devon minnow

Baits

Prawn or shrimp (where legal)Earthworm (where legal)

Regulations

A national rod licence plus a beat or river permit is required almost everywhere, with set open seasons, method restrictions and mandatory release of spring fish or all fish on many rivers. Rules are river-specific and change yearly.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 79 lb 2 oz (35.89 kg) — Tana River, Norway, 1928 (Henrik Henriksen). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

Why do Atlantic salmon take a fly if they do not feed in rivers?

Returning salmon stop feeding, but they keep the predatory reflex and the aggression that comes with spawning. A fly swinging past a lie triggers a snap, a territorial strike or a leftover sea-feeding response. That is why presentation, speed and depth matter far more than imitating any real food.

Bite forecast — Atlantic Salmon

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Atlantic Salmon.

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