Scarlet Pimpernel wrote:

Last fall was my first season salmon fishing on the rivers here in the
Lower Mainland (Vancouver BC), drift fishing with my old surf rod and
penn reel, landing chinook of up to 30 lbs.

This year I'd like to try fly fishing for pink salmon, but fear that my
5/6 weight trout kit isn't up to the job. So I need some heavier-duty
fly kit for the bigger fish (10-25 lbs). But I have no clear idea how
much heavier its got to be...

Would an 9ft 8-weight be ridiculously inadequate? Or do I have to be
looking at a double-handed rod?

Quite a general question, I know, but all advice and experience is
appreciated.

/S


You can do OK with a 5-6 for pinks. But if there is a possibility of
getting into chums (often running around the same time as pinks) or
other species, then you should use at least a 7wt with a preference for
heavier equipment. A 9' 8wt is OK. My preference is for a rod with a
very stiff butt, regardless of whether its a 5-6 or 8 wt. To me, that
is more important. 8wt is OK for chinook if it has a stiff butt.

As a suggestion, consider a reel with a good drag. If you're fishing
large or swift water, have plenty of backing. If you're in smaller creeks.

I've never met a leader-shy salmon. You can use a heavier leader with a
stiff-butt rod to land the fish a little more quickly. For leader, we
use 13 - 18# Maxima mono.