recommendations for the spey rod

[milanmax]

Hello, my name is Max. I fish on the fly last 25 years, but I never tried spey flyfishing. I intend to fish big salmon like fish on the river Drina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. That fish is the same as the Mongolian Taimen, and weight ranges from 7 to 50 pounds and more, the most common examples are from 20 pounds.
I have a questions. Which class of spey rod I should get, how long should be. Drina river, in average, is 100 meters wide, it is fast, the rapids are 1 to 3 meters depth. Is it 9/10 class rod enough, or 10/11? 14 feet or 15 feet? I wish to put big streamers down to the bottom, what kind of line I should get?
Thanks in advance

 

[Editor]

Is it 9/10 class rod enough, or 10/11? 14 feet or 15 feet? I wish to put big streamers down to the bottom, what kind of line I should get?

This answer to this question is really more complex than you might think! - as there are so many alternatives.

The question of rod strength - is really down to weight of fly to be thrown. Big streamers could be tied on light plastic tubes and fished on fast sinking lines or tied on heavy brass tubes which would need a heavy line to carry them and a strong rod to cast that.

The rod length for me comes down to wading - if you need to wade deep go for a longer rod even up to 17ft as that gives more height to create the Spey loop and helps pick the line out of the water.

I have three rods: 17ft / 15ft / 13ft (ideal for smaller flies and/or smaller rivers)

The rod I use most if the 15ft. In fact the 'standard' salmon outfit, in the UK anyway, is 15ft #10/11 which is pretty well a good all-purpose outfit. If you are going for one rod then I suggest you go for this.

I also use two lines: 50ft Spey floating #11 and 45ft Spey fast sinking #11 and multiple 10 foot poly leaders of all sorts of varying sink rates. I can usually get the combination I need out of this! I almost never use a fly anything heavier than a 2cm brass bottle tube. I would much rather fish a fast sinking line and light fly any day.

In your situation, I would not hesitate to take my 17ft rod and fast sinking Spey line with fast sinking leaders, short tippet (18 inches) and big but light streamer fly.

Hope this helps - but there are many ways to fish (thank goodness)

Sounds very interesting fishing nonetheless!

Regards

Colin

 

[milanmax]

Thank you for your recommendations and advice, you have helped me a lot. Fishing season here starts in early June, and then I will try this way of fishing. In the meantime, I will complete my flyfishing accessories and wait for the start of the season. All my further impressions I will post on this forum. In any case, I want to say, this forum is excellent.
Thanks again
Best Regards

 

[zekafly]

I ja bih to rekao,Max.

I also have some plans to fish DH at Drina.Maybe for salmon,but mostly for big rainbows.I took 13' 8/9 wt rod from Guideline,fast action ,to fish,or better,to cast underhand.Will inform U here as Max promised,my best results.

Chears

 

[milanmax]

Hello zekafly, we have not met, but I think I saw you on the Drina river last summer. I talked with a friends, how I saw a guy that throws the line just perfect, and one friend of my told me, probably it was Zeka. I hope that we will met this summer. In season I spend at least three days a week on the Drina. I fish for the grayling most of the time, also fish for the trout at the beginning of the season, when it allows the water level, mostly on the dry fly. Sometimes I throw the nymphs, but I think, that I will have more success with DH rods. I decided to get longer and stronger rod for a start, I think it will be easier to learn. And of course, because the salmons (mladica, hucho hucho, taimen) and big rainbows.

Regards
Max