for salmon you first need to decide if you are going for atlantic salmon or land loch's. you can fish for atlantics in the rivers and streams east and north east of the province, while land lochs are in lakes in the south west.
most fish land lochs and black salmon in the early spring, then it's almost all about the atlanics for summer and fall. so the season, where you live and how far you can travel dictates which you fish for.

atlantic's are exclusively on the fly, mostly barbless. land loch's are mostly cranks, spinners and bait but can also be taken on a fly.

there is endless info about salmon, are you into c&r or would you like my latest recipe?

 

when starting out the key thing is watch and observe .. see what ppl. are doing .. if you are still unsure just ask..chances are you'll get more info .. then what your looking for

 

I think the most important thing is to work on the cast, having a good cast and knowing where you should cast into a pool is very important. Next would be the flies learning how to tie knots and observing what others are doing. you will never learn it all but you can love to learn all about it
oh and a lot of patience

 

I would suggest any new salmon fisherman first go with an experienced fisherman so he can show you where to start in the pool,when to start your turn in the rotation and hopefully, he will tell you to move if you get glued to one spot in the pool,by accident or design.This approach can save a thin skinned, new salmon fisherman a whole lot of grief and humiliation.

 

I would take riverboys advice so far.. Quarryville is not the place to "learn" to fly fish for salmon. Ask for help from someone that knows what they are doing. Someone who can help select a rod, reel and line, someone who can show you basic knots and select flies. Then go to the NW or LSW to a pool where there isn't anyone else and just do it.

 

All good points indeed, especially when you're fishing overcrowded areas for sure.

Dummiest advice I can give to any newcomer (and sometimes refresh the concept to old timers) boils down to 3 basic rules I have forged over the years for myself:

Keep your fly in the water, and don't overshoot a pool (way too many anglers throw the line over the fish, and not the fly);

More time spent on the water = more takes (it's that simple) the best local anglers on any river are the ones fishing on a regular basis, independant of the time of day, temperature, water level, etc.;

Know how to identify a ''taker'' and prey on that particular fish (an entirely different topic altogether LOL!)

Thight lines,

 

For someone looking to learn some of the more text book stuff in regards to salmon fishing (i.e. tying knots for leader, hooks, leader-to-leader, casting technique, etc) check out Youtube. This is an amazing how-to resouce;I have used it for everything. I use it more when I want to practice stuff before the season or inbetween fishing trips. I learned how to ty tappered leader; different knots; casting technique; how to find where trout lay in the seam; and tons more. I know your not out on the water, but if your home baby siting, or at work fiddling your thumbs you may as well be learning about fishing. Just makes sense to me.

My last tip is to never give up...because as I am still learning myself, fly fishing is truly an art. Don't get too frustrated when you see someone that can throw a line 4 times as long and straight as yours. It took them years to perfect that skill.

And like someone else said, get out and on the water, because no matter how much youtube you watch, it will never hook a salmon for you.

My two pennies worth,

 

A tip I give new salmon fishers is to read Mike Brislan's book "Bugging Atlantic Salmon". It's a short and productive read for any salmon fishers. Since over 1/2 of the salmon are caught on green machines and other bugs it's important to know how to fish them properly and Mike's technique is dead on and he explains it well.

 

Do you know if this book is online?

 

Don't know if you can get the book online but Doak's and Escape Anglers probably have it in stock.

 

Hey to all, I would suggest Atlantic Salmon - A Fly Fishing Primer by Paul Marriner, great resourse book. Its for the regular joe fishing from the cheap seats (public waters).