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Gary casts on the River Wharfe at
Bolton Abbey as Jim observes the flex
of the rod and the loop of the fly-line.
Which 14-footer?
Gary Champion and Jim Curry test a selection of shorter double-handed salmon rods
Advances in rod and fly-line
design have made the
14 ft double-handed rod an
increasingly viable option
for fishing on all but the biggest
salmon rivers.
Modern rods are generally lighter and
their carbon-fibre blanks are stronger and
more responsive than rods even ten years
ago, while among fly-lines spey tapers
have become shorter and easier to
manage and compact shooting heads and
their tips more adaptable. as a result,
many competent fishers can achieve
ample distance and control with a 14 ft
rod, and have no need of a15-footer.
The shorter option is also lighter, which
matters over the course of a long fishing
week, and sometimes – but not always –
breaks down into a more compact tube,
which if it fits in your holdall can save
considerable money in airline fees. That
said, the 15 ft rod has more power to roll
up sunk lines, will form a bigger d-loop
and cast further in the right hands, and
will more easily mend a fly-line.
To mark the start of the salmon-fishing
season, we invited major rod makers to
enter their latest 14 ft rods (or one nearest
to that length). Perhaps a reflection of a
contraction in the tackle business, only
five new rods for 2012 were forthcoming.
We have pitted these against some old
favourites, our benchmark blanks, as well
as a few rods that were new in 2011 that
we had not previously cast. (it is worth
noting that new sage and G. Loomis rods
will be for sale in the UK later this year
and we’ll aim to put them through their
paces as soon as they become available.)
We are aware that this lack of new rods
may cause a few fishers to breathe a sigh
of relief. The increasing number of new
models every year is such that it becomes
hard to keep up – and it can be irksome to
discover that your new purchase, and
considerable investment, is out of date
within the space of two years. But
technology does move on and, by and
large, rods are getting better and better.
To view past T&S tests of double-handed
salmon rods, including previous winners,
please visit www.gofishing.co.uk/
salmonrodtests
This is the third year that T&S has asked
Jim curry and Gary champion to test
double-handed rods. These highly
qualified casting instructors have an
uncanny ability to remember the action of
almost all the rods they have previously
tested. Partly this is because they teach so
many anglers and are in the fortunate
position of using many different rods
on a day-to-day basis.
The test took place in mid-February on a
sheltered stretch of the river Wharfe
above Bolton abbey, near skipton, with the
kind permission of the Bolton abbey
estate. a third opinion on each rod’s
performance was offered by estate keeper
Mark Whitehead, a highly competent
caster. The temperature was 8 deg c with
alternating heavy rain and bright
sunshine but little wind.
during this test Jim and Gary cast with
long and short strokes, in the spey and
overhead styles. They have different
speycasting techniques. Jim has a slower,
longer stroke; Gary’s is more explosive
and flatter – although both are able to
adapt to get the best out of a rod and line.
a couple of thoughts on the terms used
in the test. a progressive action means
that the rod flexes more evenly
76 April 2012 www.trout-and-salmon.co.uk

Gary Champion
Cornwall-based Gary
has fly-fished for 40
years and became a
casting instructor
13 years ago. He
holds the AAPGAI
Master qualification
in all disciplines and
is part of the AAPGAI
assessment team.
He also holds the
American FFF Master
instructor qualification
and fishes for salmon
in the UK, Ireland,
Canada, Iceland,
Spain and America.
Jim Curry
Jim is a fly-fishing
instructor from Ilkley,
Yorkshire and partner
in the Halstead and
Bolton Sporting
Agency. He has
taught fly-casting for
more than 20 years
and is an AAPGAI
Master instructor
and part of the
AAPGAI assessment
team. Jim fishes for
salmon and sea-trout
throughout the UK,
plus Iceland, Norway
and Argentina.
Airflo Airlite
Nan-Tec
£289.99
A three-piece 9/10-weight rod
with overfit joints. Natural
carbon blank and black
whippings. Two stripping
rings, nine snake intermediate
rings and a hayfork tip ring.
23 in cork/composite cork
handle. Downlocking screw
reel fitting with two locking
nuts. Keeper ring. Cloth bag
and cloth-covered tube with
handle and carrying strap.
Guideline Exceed
(13 ft 7 in)
£289.99
A four-piece 9/10-weight rod
with overfit joints. Olive blank
and whippings. Two stripping
rings, nine snake intermediate
rings and a hayfork tip ring.
21 in cork/EVA handle.
Downlocking screw reel fitting
with two locking nuts. No
keeper ring. Cloth bag and
cloth-covered tube with
carrying strap.
throughout its length, gradually
bending into the butt section as force is
increasingly applied. A tip action means
that most of the flex occurs in the rod’s tip
and the lower section doesn’t flex easily.
Generally, the progressive action is
favoured as it is most likely to be able to
cast lines of all types: from short
shooting head to full sinker.
With the proliferation of salmon
fly-lines in recent years (shootings heads,
skagits, multi-tips and spey tapers of
many different lengths), our testers
believe, in common with many other rod
designers and casting experts, that AFTM
line-weight ratings have limited use when
matching the correct line to a doublehanded
rod. There is simply far too
much variation in the casting weights
of different lines that share the same
AFTM line rating.
A more accurate rod rating, they
argue, is for fly-line head weights to be
measured in grams or grains, which
though more elaborate, ensures a better
match – surely desirable given the
cost of modern lines.
The lines used in this test were:
speylines – Carron Jetstream 65 ft
10 wt and 65 ft 9 wt; shooting heads –
Rio AFS 38 gram, MacKenzie DTX 42
gram, and Guideline Shortcut DC hover/
intermediate 36 gram, each with Airflo
Ridge Extreme 30 lb running line;
sinking line – Snowbee Scandinavian
Spey ultra fast sink, 40 gram.
To be a true all-rounder and alternative
to the 15-footer, the 14 ft rods must be able
to roll up a full sinking line.
GAry’s comments
This rod has a progressive action. It is
perhaps a little stiff for my taste
but flexes deeply down the
blank and recovers quickly.
It coped with all the lines we tried,
whether shorter, gentler casts or more
aggressive strokes. It feels nice in the
hand; balanced. A nice cork handle and
matt-black finish. There’s only one
drawback: it’s a three-piece rod and
therefore less portable.
Jim’s comments
I would be very happy to fish with this. It
is very user-friendly, comfortable to cast
and I would recommend it to my clients.
You don’t have to work hard or fight it like
you do with some rods. I can create nice
tight loops and I can be accurate and
precise in the delivery. It is good with all
the lines, although may lack just a little
power with the sinker.
I like the slim handle.
Airflo
tel: 0871-911-7045;
web: www.airflofishing.com
GAry’s comments
The Exceed is not as tippy as previous
Guideline rods. It’s a nice rod but I get on
best with it when I lengthen and slow
down my stroke. I don’t like it as much as
Jim does, although with it I can still cast
a good long line with nice loops. When I
try a shorter stroke normally associated
with a shooting head I get a bit of bounce
in the tip section. It is very good with the
sinking line, probably because the longer
stroke required smoothes things out.
RECOMMENDED
Jim’s comments
This rod fits me like a glove. I liked it
instantly. It suits my longer stroke.
Accelerate smoothly and don’t push it too
hard. It’s responsive and offers plenty of
feel. I was able to create nice loops with
the spey lines and it was equally good
with the shooting heads. Rolling up the
sinker was effortless.
Guideline
tel: 0780-2508-483;
web: www.guideline.no.en
www.trout-and-salmon.co.uk April 2012 77