Below some useful salmon fly patterns for the river Eden, (or any other river come to that).

Although most pattern's will work for salmon fishing most of the time, there are a few factor's to consider when you are at the waterside. (A rough guide)

First one is the rate of flow, we have to match the size of the fly to look right, heavy flow's need bigger flies than slower flow's, the fly has to look like it can just manage to swim against the current (vulnerable).

The second is the temperature, how deep and how slow to fish the fly around (choice of fly-line, floater, sink-tip or full sinker plus mending/stripping). Cooler water temperature's require the fly to fish deep and slow where the fish are, the fish are less inclined to rise up in the water column or chase a fast moving fly.

Warmer water the fishes metabolism is higher and they will raise up and chase a fly, now we are looking for a silhouette near the surface (all flies look black against a bright background) using floating lines or a sink-tip if the flow is fast to stop the fly from skating.

The last is colour of the water, if the water is clear something drab and small that matches the flow rate is fine. Coloured water a fly need's a bit of impact (bright colour and a size or two bigger than the flow dictates) will be about right.

North Country Spiders.

Spider patterns have been around for well over two hundred years, and in that time they must of accounted for the downfall of millions of trout and grayling. They consist of very few natural materials, usually silks and soft hackled feathers, and are very simple to tie, they are as effective today as they were back then. They were tied to imitate the regional variations of insect life that occur from month to month on the rivers, but are as equally effective on stillwaters too. Spiders can be fished either dead drift upstream style or across and down, it all depends on what you are trying to imitate. These flies are dressed sparsely, and when in the water the soft hackles come alive and look like the insects that are either crippled or struggling to emerge. When these flies are swimming, the hackle folds over the body and it takes on a nice nymph shape profile. They can be fished single or in teams of three or more, and different combinations of pattern and sizes can be used to find the effective formula. Finding the right depth at times can be very crucial, by adding a weighted nymph to the point and adjusting leader length, the water column from top to bottom can be explored with just a floating line.

When fishing Spiders, it is very important that the rod is held at around forty five degrees so there is a drooping loop in the fly line.