[Kevin McPherson]

Hi folks , wee bit of advice please , I am primarily a trout fisher but I  do do the odd day on the salmon rod which is an old whisker 15 ft Spey rod , Looking at Xmas and preparing for next year , I was thinking of perhaps a shorter 2 hander which I am sure would be a bit lighter , has anyone any suggestions of  length of rod line weight etc or should I stick with the 15 ft , sorry should have said it will be the Don  at Inverurie burgh water and K @ A beats , any advice much appreciated
Kev

[James Laraway]

I too am a 'single hander' person and only pick up a double hander a few times a year.

I got rid of my expensive double hander and went for a shakespere oracle scandi  - 14ft rated for a #10 paired with a Airflo Rage compact head.

It's sooooo easy to cast even a muppet like me can put out a good line. Experienced casters who have tried it have been amazed at the performance....and for < £150 !!

[Gavin Stevenson]

I have a 13ft vision onki, it has been adequate for both Dee and Don

[Graham Ritchie]

I would agree, a 13ft rod is more than enough to cover the Don in low or medium water heights. The 15ft rod is still useful for high water or in the early part of the season, when you may need to cast heavy tube flies. Rather than a head, I would personally opt for an integrated floating line with a head length in the 35 to 40ft range and a selection of 5 and 10ft polyleaders in a range of densities, that should cover most conditions on the Don. The Shakespeare Oracle is a very good rod for the money, especially the Skandi model.

[Kevin McPherson]

Thanks all for the reply’s 🤙

[Terry Coging]

I don't salmon fish these days but a few years ago a pro with a big name rod company tried my 14' #9 Oracle and reluctantly admitted that it was a bloody good rod 'at any price'!
I use a double hander for most of my trout fishing; mostly from the boat but recently from the bank as well.
Just returned from a trip to the Assynt region where it was blowing a Hooly for 2 days and our group had  to fish from the bank. I used the 15' wafter with a trout #4 spey line. This worked better than the single handers especially with a gale force on right or left shoulder. Turned teams of three over nicely without tangles. It is surprising why D/H rods are not used more for trout. Putting a line out and controlling retrieves is so easy.  Incidentally I tried a #3 Smallstream from the bank using my lighter 15' wafting rod; it was a pleasure to use.

[Rob Brownfield]

I used to fish the Don with a 14' 9 weight. I then went down to a 13' 8/9 weight. I still found it a bit to long and heavy for the beats I fish, and so I am now using a 12'4" 7 weight.

I have REALLY enjoyed my salmon fishing this year with it. Super light, a pleasure to cast and finally I have found out that it's a lovely rod to play fish on too.

In the spring I thought it would struggle, but I switched to a Skagit line and it throws a decent sized fly with a T11 tip to get down. In the summer and into autumn it excellent with a 7 weight Scandi line and looooong leader of 18 feet.

The bigger rods have sat in the shed all year, I love the shorter rod that much.

Havng said that, I am building myself a 10' 7 weight for a couple of particular pools that even the 12 footer is a bit too much for.

I mostly fish Alford and above by the way.