Fact, Folklore or Fiction?
Whether it’s called folklore, an old wives’ tale or common myth, fishing seems to have more than its share, and some beliefs are easily disproven but rigidly adhered to. Take, for instance, the belief that Atlantic salmon do not feed during their upstream migration to spawn.
Nonsense.
Atlantic salmon have mesmerized me since I hooked my first 25-pounder on a big, fluffy White Wulff dry fly at age 10. I can still recall the fish emerging from its bottom cover to inhale my offering. Since then, I have hooked, lost and landed thousands more — and I feel strongly that the theory about upstream feeding is incorrect. They may also take flies for other reasons, but feeding should not be ruled out.
My first inkling about the truth came 60 years ago, when an uncle took me with his familyUncle Woody. I saw a teenage boy with a spinning rod and a can of worms in a fly-fishing-only spot. He glowered at us, then baited the hook and lobbed it out into the river. Within 10 minutes, he’d hooked and landed a salmon of about 7 or 8 pounds. He told us to keep our mouths shut or he’d pound the #%@&! out of us. I didn’t care; I was envious of his catch.
