[Gone Fishin']

I am trying to get into spey fishing and i was wondering what is a good Rod and Line to start with? I live in the NW BC and the Copper, Lakelse, Kalum and Kitimat alot, so i was thinking a 7 to 9 wt rod in the 13"6 to 15 foot length for steelhead and smaller salmon. As a single hand Fly caster i prefer a fast action rod, sage's style being my favoriate. I have a Ross big game reel size 5 and 6 for the line. For lines i was looking into the SA or RIO bc of the rep that i have heard about their cast ability. I dont have the option of trying rods up here so i have to go completely on word of mouth. I am hopeing to find something that i can learn fairly easy on but wont soon hold me back as my casting skill improve. Cost is not a big issue, but i do want the best for my few bucks. Thank u for reading this post and i apperciate any help.

Sincerely
Fishin'

 

[FLGator]

Gone Fishin',
Welcome to the spey community and a lifelong pursuit. It truly is a blast. You live in a great part of the world as well...

IF I had it to do all over again I'd start by learning to spey cast BEFORE I bought anything. Both Kush and Dana are in your neck of the woods and give lessons and/or your local fly shop may have a spey pro that gives lessons as well. You're off to a good start having found this site because many guys here are willing to help and it is packed with information. Also, the video clips on the site are an excellent source of information. However, time on the water with a quality instructor teaching you a solid foundation of spey basics is what I recommend. You'll hear everyone say "try the rod/line before you buy" well, if you don't know how to spey cast how are you supposed to know what "feels" right? So, invest in some lessons to build the foundation and go from there.

Spey claves are a great opportuntity to learn from others and get to try a myriad of rod/line combinations. I recommend you check out the Sandy River Spey Clave and the Clearwater Clave next year. Both will be well worth the travel time and expense to attend.

A rod recommendation is not so easy on the surface. Depends on what style of delivery you're going to use (traditional, underhand, Skagit, Scando, etc), the types of lines (Skagit, Scando, short, medium, long belly, etc), the size of the fish, size of the flies, size of the waters, etc, etc, etc. All of the above will factor into the "best" rod choice for you. Sure, you will find rods that will be able to do it all but I think it would be better to figure out what is best for your application and go from there. You're probably right on in your quest for something in the 7-9 wt in the 13'6"-15' range. I personally would favor something in the 13'6" 7wt category to start.

Welcome!

Chris

 

[Mike Beliveau]

Learing Spay Casting

Spend the money on A SPAY LESSON first ,you will timesave money. I did It backwards by buying DVD and Spay books spent $200 .Itook A spay lesson at the Salmon River clave this August cost me $150 JURO strighen me out in 30 minutes and its been down from there

 

[Gone Fishin']

Great ideas

Thanks for the insight guys and i probably will get in touch with Dana for some lessons. I guess u have to crawl before u walk, right? Thanks again.

G. Fishin'

 

[FLGator]

Excellent decision! It is a wise investment and will build a solid foundation that will allow everything else to fall into place.
Chris