Spey Equipment

Spey Rods

Spey rods, or double handed rods, come in a range of lengths and weights. There is a wide selection of spey rods depending on the intended species and where they are caught. 

These rods range from about 11 feet to 15+ feet. With rods 11-13 feet generally being the sweet spot for Atlantic Canada Salmon Fishing. The larger rods are usually only suitable for the largest of fish, on the largest stretches of river. 

The same rods can come in weights from 3-5 line weight designation, generally reserved for trout fishing, often called 'trout spey' rods. Rods in the 6-9 weight designation are for larger species, such as salmon, with the sweet spot being about 7 or 8 weight for Atlantic Canada.

Togeather, I can suggest rods in the 11-13 foot range, 7-8 weight, are generally best for Atlantic Canada salmon fishing. 

Rods on the shorter end of the spectrum are generally 11 feet, and are often called 'Switch Rods'. Switch rods, in my opinion are not meant to be switched interchangabely with a single handed cast approach, rather, they are simply shorter double handed rods, meant to be cast with two hands.

Loop Trak Switch	G-Loomis NRX+ Fly Switch

 

11 foot rods do have an important place in the quiver of the Atlantic Canadian salmon fisherman. There are many smaller rivers in Atlantic Canada, where an 11 foot rod is perfectly at home, where you might not have sufficient room to sweep a longer rod and shooting head. 11 foot rods can cast scandi and skagit heads alike.

Rods 12 feet and longer are better suited to the larger rivers of Atlantic Canada, think Margaree, Miramichi, most of Quebecs rivers, and the larger rivers in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The longer rods have no issue casting scandi, skagit, and can easily throw longer belly lines as well. 

Redington Claymore Two-Handed	NAM G.W.T. Spey

 

Reels

Spey reels are sometimes overlooked as a part of the spey set up.

Perhaps most importantly, spey reels should balance the longer spey rod in the hand. A switch rod might pair to a lighter reel than a longer spey rod would. A spey reel loaded with line, mounted to the rod, with the head outside the rod tip, should feel balanced in the top hand, or perhaps even slightly heavier on the bottom end, tip slightly up.

Spey reels should also have increased capacity, and a reasonable drag system. We usually target larger anadromous fish with spey set ups, and thus the reel should have an increased capacity for fly line and backing, with a sufficient drag system to quickly tame angry fish. 

Finally, proper spey reels are fully caged, where there is no gap between the spool and housing. This eliminates the chance of thin diameter running line getting caught in this gap between the reel and the spool when casting and fighting fish.

Here is a selection of spey reels we recommend at Fishing Fever.

Loop Q Series Reel

Lamson Arx II

Einarsson Invictus

 

The Lines

Spey lines can be broadly broken down into three categories, scandi, skagit, and long belly. All of these lines are applicable to Atlantic Salmon fishing in Eastern Canada.

Spey heads can be integrated with running line, or they can be purchased separately. 

The advantage of integrated lines is that the line is smooth along the transition between the head and the running line. This allows the angler to strip the line in beyond the head, useful on smaller rivers, such as those on the North Shore of Nova Scotia. 

 

The advantage of purchasing spey heads and running line separately is versatility, where an angler can quickly and easily swap a shooting head for another without having to spool off the entire fly line. This allows the angler to fish different styles with a single reel. 

Rio Elite Scandi Launch Shooting Head

Hazumi Flat Running Line 60m

 

Generally speaking, scandi heads are most applicable for summer salmon fishing, smaller flies, and delicate presentation.

Skagit heads are most applicable to deliver sink tips and larger flies, in the spring and fall.

Elite Skagit Max Launch

OPST Commando Heads

 

Long belly lines are a little more niche amongst the salmon community, but shine on larger rivers, with longer rods, with less stripping required in between casts.

Bridge Tributary Spey Line

Bridge Mainstem Spey Line

The right fly line for you depends on the rivers you typically fish, the season you fish, and how comfortable you are with each spey style. Read more about spey styles here.

 

Running Lines

Running lines are designed to be slick and shoot easily through the guides of your spey rod. There are different types of running lines on the market these days, Mono lines and coated lines being the two major different types.

Mono running lines are thin diameter and extremely slick, made for maximum shootability. The trade off is in the 'feel' of the running for the angler. Mono is harder to grasp, especially in the cold, and takes a bit of getting used to for anglers used to coasted lines. A good compromise is to use mono lines which are heavier in strength/larger in size. 50 or 60lb mono lines are easier to grip than 20 or 30lb.

Here are some examples of mono running lines that we highly recommend.

Hazumi Flat Running Line 60m

OPST Lazerline

Guideline Compline Pro Running Line (100m)

Coated running lines are much more familiar feeling to the angler, especially the angler which is used to single hand lines, all of which have coated running lines. These are not quite as slick as mono, but have better feel in hand, easier to use in the cold. 

 

Spey Leaders and Tips

Spey leaders and tips are an extremely important part of the spey set up, and should not be overlooked.

Leader/tip selection depends the spey style used, the season, and the fishing conditions.

 

Scandi and Long Belly

If you are using a scandi or long belly set up, a long, tapered, monofilament leader is usually sufficient to act as the anchor for touch-and-go style scandi casting. Tapered leaders should be at least 1.0-1.5x the rod length, for leader length. Floating or intermediate poly leaders can also be used. Sinking polyleaders and sink tips should be reserved for skagit style set up.

The astute angler may want to make their own tapered mono leader using different length of mono leader, knotted togeather with a blood knot or surgeons knot. This allows the angler to dial in the length and leader taper they want.

 

Other anglers might prefer to just purchase a tapered leader, and perhaps add some tippet to the end.

Floating - intermediate poly leaders can also used for scandi and long belly set ups.

 

Skagit

Skagit leaders and tips are almost always of the sinking variety. The sinking tip is important for the sustained anchor style of casting. The length and sink rate of the tip will determine the 'stick' you have to load against when making forming the D loop.

Switch rods may do well with a 10 or 12 foot sinking polyleader or sink tip, where a longer spey rod usually works better with a 14 foot polyleader or 15 foot sink tip. There are no rules for this, and the angler may adjust length as they see fit.

Airflo Polyleader Salmon/Steelhead - 14 Foot

Rio MDC Sink Tips - 12 Foot

Rio Classic Sink Tips 15 Feet

The tippet on the end of these sinktips is usually very simple, a level piece of mono or fluro in the 2-4 foot range, 8-15lb is usually all thats required.

 

If you need any help in matching the components for your spey set up, do not hesitate to reach out to us at Fishing Fever.