In article , colona
wrote:
What action does a spey casting rod need? Is it necessary to buy an
expensive salmon rod to achieve the performance needed? It is probable that
the chance to fish for salmon will occur only occasionally.

You can spey cast with just about any fly rod though it's not easy with a #4
6' brook rod. It's just another way of shifting the line.

Unless you are in constant practice you won't do justice to specialist
spey-casting kit. Any double handed salmon rod will cover all but the
largest waters and also allow you to cast overhead or however you like in
less constrained situations.

The only real proviso is that the rod must be strong enough as a powerful
spey cast does give it a fair old whack. (I see you are in the fens. Spey
casting is quite useful if you don't want a very big pike fly whizzing about
behind you.)

I have a feeling that spey casting is a little like beachcasting or modern
carp fishing. It's a technique that is sometimes -but-not-often- essential
to reach the fish. Very often there are fish closer that could have been
caught instead if the process had not scared them...

....but it is a very pleasant way to cover the water and worth learning as
long as it's not used slavishly as a substitute for watercraft.

Cheerio,

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