The message
from "Dave P" contains these words:

I have been reading this thread with interest as I have just purchased my
first salmon rod and line.

I imagine you were sold a floating line with your rod, given the time of
year. It's a good line to start with, far better than a sunk line which,
depending upon the rate that it sinks, can be difficult for a beginner
to cast with.

As a complete beginner with a double handed rod its been a real maze to try
and get some kit. I originally wanted to get to a shop and borrow some rods
and see which I preferred. Reality is as a complete novice with no casting
experience or style developed that I couldn't have chosen the right rod for
me anyway! In the end I decided to get a cheap rod, cheap reel and a cheap
line. All are of reasonable makes just discounted on the web somewhere and
the whole lot came to under a £100.

I have seen some very good rod/reel combinations at bargain prices.
There's nothing wrong with budget tackle, just as long as everything is
balanced correctly and working in harmony. As you say, it would have
been useful for you to try out some different combinations, but it would
be even better with the guidance of an experienced salmon fisherman to
nudge you in the right direction. As a self-confessed novice, to do so
alone may just have complicated matters for you. However, if you made
your purchase from a reliable source, as I'm sure you did, chances are
you now own a perfectly serviceable salmon rod, reel and line.

Plan now is some casting lessons, some practice and some fishing. When
I get
to the point that I know what I want in a rod/line combination I'll
make the
move.

Roughly speaking, salmon fishing is divided into spring and
summer/autumn fishing. Spring fishing requires a 14ft plus rod to handle
heavy sunk lines and brass-bodied tube flies. The same rod and reel can
be used for low water summer fishing, but most salmon anglers use a
lighter rod when fishing for summer grisle and sea-trout. Personally, I
prefer a 15ft rod as I believe the fly can be controlled and worked much
better.

Time or money invested in casting lessons would probably be of great
benefit to you. Bad habits are easily picked up and are very difficult
to break once they become established.

An hour or two spent with a qualified instructor or someone experienced
enough to give you the required advice can make a world of difference.
Casting with a salmon rod isn't difficult; but it is a skill that has to
be learned. Better by far to be taught by someone who knows what they're
talking about.

Anyway, best of luck.

And just as an aside, for those that are interested, Airflo's Delta Spey
is quite a nice line. It took me a wee while to get used to the extra
long belly, but I quite like it now. There was a short spell when I was
becoming very unhappy with it as casting distance was suddenly
dramatically reduced. No matter what cast I used, the line kept hanging
up on the rings of the rod.

It turned out to be a manufacturing residue on the line. Far from being
the super slick coating it was advertised to be, I found it picked up
every bit of microscopic crap floating in the river, eventually
impairing and reducing casting distance by almost a third

I cleaned the line using Le Chameau's cleaning spray for natural rubber
boots and the difference was unbelievable. Now smooth and shiny, it
casts even better than when it was brand new. However, the line does
have a fault. As floaters go, it's a poor one, hanging well under the
surface in choppy, broken water. This makes mending when required much
more difficult, particularly at a distance.

But so far it's proved to be lucky line for me, with four fish banked
last week, and three in one day. :-)



--
Kim Sawyer
Sutherland
Scotland