Choosing a salmon fly line

As before, we choose the line first, because this is determined on the size and weight of flies we need to cast, limited by the strength and ability of the caster. Larger and heavier flies are used in salmon fishing (than for trout) so heavier fly lines are needed to cast them, usually in the range AFTM 9 - 11.

I designed the first ever specialist Spey casting fly line back in 1992. It was effectively a shooting head modified with special tapers to optimise Spey casting. Since then, a host of new salmon lines have come onto the market based on a similar theme (imitation, the sincerest form of flattery, and all that). The choice is really about selecting the length of ‘belly’ (or casting head) that suits you and the rivers you fish. Experts will often rave about some marvellous line that suits them, forgetting that the average caster cannot cope with the length of head that they can. My ArrowHead Salmon Twin-Lines solve this problem: the extended rear taper allows you to choose the casting length that suits you, while the twin colouring system lets you do so repeatably. They’re designed to make casting a salmon line as simple as possible for anglers of all abilities. As one famous gillie delightfully put it in a review: “It’s embarrassing how far I can cast with these lines”.

Backing

Backing is like any insurance: you may not need it often, but when you do ...you need it badly! For salmon, you should have at least 100 metres of backing (minimum strength 30lb). For large salmon on big, swift rivers (Norway, Russia), you may need considerably more backing to be safe (>200m). Braided nylon monofil is easy to connect, but rather bulky. Braided Dacron, or one of the modern high strength super-braids are much finer for equivalent strength, so you can get more onto the spool.