Luckily I live within sight of a good salmon river. I have a lot of rods but only use and keep two or three of them within easy reach for my frequent jaunts to the water. In springtime first rod in line for duty is my T&T DNA 1510 Spey rod. My home river is quite large, certainly large enough for 120ft casts. In the normally high and cold waters of springtime it pays to fish with a bit of depth so here I often use a type 3 sinking shooting head or 650gr Skagit line with up to a 14ft T14 tip. Tube flies are favourite, they swim attractively and can be used in combination with any type of hook. For Atlantic salmon there are few better colour combinations than black orange, and yellow "boy" flies I call them, made from dyed bucktail with usually, black and silver, silver or gold bodies. With these and my DNA 1510 I am comfortable and confident.
T&T DNA 1510 with Atlantic salmon
Spey casting is essential, many pools have little or no space behind due to trees, steep banks and rocks and this rod has a lovely feel making it easy to predict timing precisely and cast the line effortlessly over the rushing water. Its what I call an "easy rod" but don't confuse that with a lazy or soft spineless rod because its certainly neither of these. Nor is it one of those horrible tippy sticks that are on the market, satisfactory as they are for some casts but impractical for playing and landing decent fish.
Efficient is how I must describe the DNA 1510 great all round performance, a rhythmic rod that seems to cast all by itself, enjoyable to the extent that it seems a pity to have to break the rhythm to play fish! I don't suppose that remark makes much sense but there are times when I've felt that way.
I've used this rod for three years now, its stood the test of freezing weather, hot weather, fast sinking lines, Skagit line with tips, long belly Spey lines in fact it is, as I said before a good all rounder. Mostly I use lines rated #10/11 but in low water conditions for that extra bit of subtlety
it will perform with lighter lines such as #9/10. If you want a Spey rod that you will instinctively reach for as you pack for a fishing trip you have found it - the T&T DNA 1501!
