Interesting recommendation...
That recommendation is interesting. Finding the right line to load such a long rod would be a challenge unless you had a word with the maker. DT salmon lines are usually around 120’ long, with longer tapered tips compared to a DT trout line. A salmon DT could have a body 100’+ long. I use a set of DT salmon lines, from 8 thru 12, on my Sharpe cane rods. For bigger water I use a lower line weight...more line needed to load the rod. For fifty foot casts on my wee home river I use the big rope. You don’t shoot much line when you are casting a DT. Grandfather would have said “none, laddie.” I would start with a DT 10 salmon taper. There is a source of inexpensive lines like these ($20.00 US range) in the UK and I would be pleased to give you the contact information via PM. I have cast DTs for over sixty years, and it can be real work. Difficult to change direction. Overhead casting is a breeze, just like trout fishing but with a bigger stick. Spey casting with a DT is not easy. Modern Spey lines are variations of WF tapers for a reason...far easier to Spey cast an Airflo Delta. I poked around the UK boards a bit and found this post from 2007: *Harry is Harry Jamieson, the Clan rod builder.
"Gordon, I agree with you about *Harry's long rods. I still use a 17' "Reverse Taper" rod which he made for me in the late '80s, where the taper in the butt section ( which is longer than normal) is thinner at the bottom end. Although this rod was rated as a 9/10 it will actually cast an 8 very happily, whilst still coping with a DT10F. It has a beautiful slow 'lazy' action, but I have landed 3 fish over 20lbs on it without taking any longer than with other stiffer rods. It is also, despite it's length, an excellent rod for grilse in low water in larger rivers, allowing one to fish fine and far off but with sufficient flexibility to deal with a lightly hooked fish."
That recommendation is interesting. Finding the right line to load such a long rod would be a challenge unless you had a word with the maker. DT salmon lines are usually around 120’ long, with longer tapered tips compared to a DT trout line. A salmon DT could have a body 100’+ long. I use a set of DT salmon lines, from 8 thru 12, on my Sharpe cane rods. For bigger water I use a lower line weight...more line needed to load the rod. For fifty foot casts on my wee home river I use the big rope. You don’t shoot much line when you are casting a DT. Grandfather would have said “none, laddie.” I would start with a DT 10 salmon taper. There is a source of inexpensive lines like these ($20.00 US range) in the UK and I would be pleased to give you the contact information via PM. I have cast DTs for over sixty years, and it can be real work. Difficult to change direction. Overhead casting is a breeze, just like trout fishing but with a bigger stick. Spey casting with a DT is not easy. Modern Spey lines are variations of WF tapers for a reason...far easier to Spey cast an Airflo Delta. I poked around the UK boards a bit and found this post from 2007: *Harry is Harry Jamieson, the Clan rod builder.
"Gordon, I agree with you about *Harry's long rods. I still use a 17' "Reverse Taper" rod which he made for me in the late '80s, where the taper in the butt section ( which is longer than normal) is thinner at the bottom end. Although this rod was rated as a 9/10 it will actually cast an 8 very happily, whilst still coping with a DT10F. It has a beautiful slow 'lazy' action, but I have landed 3 fish over 20lbs on it without taking any longer than with other stiffer rods. It is also, despite it's length, an excellent rod for grilse in low water in larger rivers, allowing one to fish fine and far off but with sufficient flexibility to deal with a lightly hooked fish."
