Hi.
I've just branched out into salmon fishing. I have purchased a reel and i want to get an idea from the AN gurus what to load it with. Is forking out for the multi tip spey line the way to go. The one off cost with most of the line options covered makes economical sense, but is it as good or better performance-wise to buy seperate lines and the spools to put them on?

So does performance outweigh economics, or is there nothing in it?
Cheers

If your just starting why don't you try some millends first (5 for under£20).
Spey lines are good , but you have to be able to use them. They will not make a bad caster any better,
(no offence). You can also chop them up and make them the same profile as a spey line .
Some people get confused , an ordinary WF line is not the same as a spey although it may something similar on the box .
I hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs, but I see quite a lot of it going on i.e. people buying kits and there is an ordinary WF line and they struggle.

I've got a multitip line, but don't really use it these days - I've gone back to proper sinking lines where conditions demand. If you need to get your fly down to fish, multitips aren't nearly as effective as a proper sinking line, particularly in fast flowing water. I saw some interesting research from the US a few months ago that confirmed this, though now can't find it I'm afraid.

Although it depends a bit on where you fish, I'd suggest that you'd do better to buy a floating line, a slow or medium sinker and some polyleaders (or you can make these from old sinking trout lines if you have any). With some flies of different weights (especially tubes, in brass and aluminium) you can ring the changes quite effectively to cover most eventualities.

This does mean buying a spare spool, but the cost of the two lines plus polyleaders probably won't be much more than a single multitip line, and in the long term you can buy an intermediate and a fast sinker to add to the armoury when or if you find you need them.

Thanks Guys. I've got another question. Watch the board.