What is the smallest fly size you can get away with for salmon fishing?

It really depends on the conditions. Cold water, high water or very coloured water will mean you need to use a larger fly. In low clear water during the summer I have caught a few salmon on size 16 flies.

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Same for me ,I have some micro tubes on 16's.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

There have been several times, when salmon fishing, I have started to hit fish when I have taken the salmon flies off and put on small trout flies.

I think we fish to big for salmon a lot of the time.

I saw a salmon taken on the River Drowse many years ago in February, on a size 12 Garry Dog fished on a floating line.

In low, clear water, a silver stoat or black pennel in size 12 or 14 works well.

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What prompted this question was an impulse purchase of some size 18 flies the other day. They're such delicate, wee things I can't imagine them holding an upset, thrashing salmon.

When my old salmon mentor was alive, we fished together each Friday on the Eden, where he found a place for me on the beat he'd fished for over 40 years. As a thankyou, I tied flies for him occasionally, although he once owned a tackle shop in town. He coudn't find a supply of Parker tube flies, as his favs.were tiny. I dressed some on plastic tubes, the insulation off fine circuit wire, and he armed them with size 16 trebles. He may even have use 18s, I'm not sure. The tubes were 1/4 inch long, very sparse dressing, about 1/2 inch total.
Back in October, while grayling fishing, I had a salmon take my foam beetle indicator. After a bit of thrashing about on the far side of the river, things felt all wrong. Eventually, I landed it, and found it had rolled over the cast, and was foul-hooked on a size 16 nymph -- one made by edenangler. That 16 held it for the longest part of the encounter, which was about 30 mins.
I've heard of a few believed to have been caught on trout wet flies.
TC

It never happened to me, but i knew an angler who fished the Derwent, and said he would usually take about 4 salmon a season on size 12s.

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So, is the consensus that fishing a size 18 fly for salmon is nigh on an exercise in futility?

Tiny flys have taken big salmon ,lee wulff used to fish tiny singles for double figure fish ,I need to have a look in one of his books !

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!