Atlantic Salmon

General Info: Atlantic Salmon were once prevalent up and down the East Coast of the US. There are still some isolated and growing populations in Maine, but most of the quality Atlantic Salmon fishing happens in Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Greenland, Iceland, Russia and Norway. High quality lodges and guides are across the countries where quality Atlantic salmon runs are found.

In the US, landlocked Atlantic Salmon are found in a few lakes across the country and provide anglers with a challenging fishery when available.

Preferred Gear

Rods: Two-handed rods were developed for Atlantic Salmon fishing and are still prevalent today. A 7wt to 9wt rod is typically used, but can vary between rivers and seasons. Somewhat like winter and summer Pacific steelhead, there are times when larger fish are found and times when smaller fish are in the rivers, and anglers can bring an appropriate rod for the season. While west coast steelhead anglers prefer rods from 11-13 feet, Atlantic salmon rods tend to reach into the 15 foot range, although an 11 foot switch rod for steelhead would be fine in most situations concerning Atlantic Salmon

Favorites: Beulah G2 Spey, Echo King, Orvis Mission

Reels: Large arbor, sized and weighted properly to balance longer rods. Spey specific reels are a nice bonus.

Favorites: Orvis SSR Spey Reel, Big Y General, Lamson CenterFire

Lines: Scandi Style heads or Traditional Mid to Long Belly Spey lines

Favorites: RIO Scandi, RIO Scandi Short, Airflo Rage Compact