7 Best Fly Rods For Salmon: 2025 Review
I’ve been salmon fishing for over 30 years, and guiding for salmon in rivers for 20 years. I have also owned a fishing store, so I have had the opportunity to test out dozens of rods for salmon.
At one time, I had over 20 fly rods for salmon.
The right salmon fly rod can make the difference between catching and not catching.
It can also be the difference between breaking a rod and not breaking a rod.
In this article, I will tell you my current favorite fly rods for salmon, as well as why. I’ll discuss the best lengths and weights for different types of salmon, and different areas, such as East Coast, the West Coast, and the Great Lakes.
What Length Is Best For Salmon Fly Fishing Rods
The average length of a single-hand fly rod used by salmon anglers ranges from 9 to 10 feet, but my preferred length is 10 feet, especially if I am nymphing or running egg patterns.
If I am throwing and retrieving streamers, I prefer a 9 or 9’6″ rod.
Best Weight for Salmon Fly Fishing Rods
Fly rods for salmon fishing vary based on the area and type of salmon. Fly fishing gear for salmon depends on specific conditions like depth, cast distance, size of fly, and size of fish.
Weight For King Salmon
When you fly fish for king salmon, I suggest you pack 9 to 10-weight rods, especially if you fish large or fast rivers, and most West Coast rivers.
I have caught plenty of big kings around the Great Lakes on an 8-weight rod.
It’s essential to have a rod that has the capability of casting larger flies on a floating or heavy sink-tip line.
I recommend anglers choose a reel with a strong drag that features a full line plus an additional 200 yards of fly line backing (30 lbs). Check out my article on the Best Fly Reels For Salmon.
Weight For Coho Salmon: Silver Salmon
Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon and although smaller than kings, they fight damn hard. The majority of salmon anglers prefer to use a single-handle rod, 7 to 9-weight rods, 8 or 9 weights are ideal for the West Coast and large fast rivers. A 7 or 8 weight is good for most Great Lakes coho.
I recommend a 9.6-inch to 10-foot graphite rod to have the best cast and presentation for a 7 to 9wt fly line.
Weight Fly For Sockeye and Pink Salmon
Sockeye and Pink salmon demand a durable fly rod that has the ability to withstand lots of big fish battles throughout the day.
For salmon fishing, anglers use a rugged reel and a 7 or 8-weight fly rod that is 9 to 10 feet.
A 7wt will suffice, but I recommend the 8wt.
Weight Fly Rod For Chum Salmon
For Chum salmon, you should pick an 8 or 9wt. Personally, I like the 9-weight rod because of the durable design for this beast of a fish.
Pro-Tip: Chum salmon are known to be fly rod breakers thanks to their beautifully wild nature, so a strong fly rod weight is essential!
Weight For Atlantic Salmon
My recommendation for Atlantic salmon is a 6 or 7wt line with a 9.5 to 10-foot rod. For larger rivers that require a longer cast, a 9 or 10wt line is sufficient.
Oftentimes, bigger rivers create the perfect environment for bigger fish to swim! For this reason, I always suggest the most durable fly fishing gear.
Single-Handed Rods VS Spey Rods For Salmon
A single-handed rod for salmon is shorter and lighter in length, usually ranging between 9 and 10 feet. In my experience, I prefer a single-hand rod to salmon in small streams, creeks, and rivers, especially when nymphing with indicators or throwing streamers.
Whereas spey rods were once specific for catching Atlantic salmon, however, many anglers are now using two-handed spey rods for all species of salmon with good results.
Developed in Scotland, Spey rods are long rods meant for two-handed casting and swinging flies.
On average, Spey rods are 12 to 134 feet or more. The Spey rod features upper and lower grips for two-handed casts with limited room for backcasting.
Designed out of necessity, the rod is named after the Spey River where it originated.
If you are not sure of the ideal method that you should be using to catch salmon in your area, be sure to check out my article Fly Fishing For Salmon: Tactics Used By Guides For More Salmon
Overall Best Salmon Fly Rod: G. Loomis IMX-PRO V2 Fly Rod
I’ve been guiding with the G. Loomis IMX-PRO V2 Fly Rod for salmon on the Great Lakes and on the big salmon rivers of the West Coast, and I can honestly say, after testing this rod, it has earned its place in my lineup as the best overall salmon fly rod.
It’s built to cover a wide range of freshwater situations, and I’ve put it through just about everything from casting and swinging streamers for salmon and steelhead to running nymph rigs and indicators for fresh run chromers.
The 9-foot models are perfectly tuned for streamers.
When I’m working bigger rivers or need extra reach when nymphing, the 10-foot versions of the 7-weight and 8-weight are the best for the job.
What impressed me most was the balance between strength and weight. G. Loomis used their Conduit Core and GL7 resin system to give this rod the backbone it needs to turn huge salmon without making it heavy in the hand.
That’s huge when you’re guiding long days and making hundreds of casts. It’s strong enough to handle the power of fresh salmon but light and responsive enough to keep fishing fun.
The build quality is right where it should be—chrome single-foot guides, chrome stripper guides, and it comes with a tube and cloth rod bag.
It’s not their top-end price point, which I like, but it performs like a workhorse you can rely on every day.
If you’re looking for a mid-priced fly rod for salmon, this is it.
Best Mid-Price Salmon Fly Rod: Echo Ion XL Fly Rod
The best Mid-Price Salmon Rod is the Echo Ion XL Fly Rod. The 9-foot, 9wt, or 10wt, or the 10-foot versions for nymphing.
The versatility of this rod is ideal for nymphing, or casting in freshwater or saltwater shore fishing.
It comes in at just under $240.00. Click the link for details and current price.
Best Budget Salmon Fly Rod: Okuma SLV Fly Rod
Here’s the deal. Salmon break rods.
So, this would be the cheapest rod I’d use for salmon while still having confidence that it won’t break and that it can handle salmon.
This rod comes in 9’6″ length in an 8-weight that will handle most salmon methods.
Based on my fly fishing experience with this rod, and seeing it used by other anglers around the Great Lakes, for the price, it is a well-engineered fly rod and is the best for a price under $120. So, if you are fishing for big salmon on a budget, this is the best choice!
Best Salmon Rod For The Money: St. Croix ImperialFly Rod
Features: Durable cork grip and lightweight design.
Weight: 9wt and 10wt
Length: Comes in 9-foot for streamers and general purpose, and 10-foot for indicator fishing and big water mending.
I use the imperial rods from St.Croix for trout and steelhead, but when it comes to salmon, I think this is the best rod for the money. It’s not too expensive and is built strong, with 9 and 10-foot lengths from 7 to 9 weight.
Best Great Lakes Salmon Fly Rod: Echo Indicator Fly Rod
When it comes to great lakes salmon, one of the most effective ways to catch them in the small to mid-sized streams is to indicator fish for them.
The 10-foot-seven-weight Echo Indicator Fly Rod is perfect for these small streams.
Although many anglers say a 7-weight is too light to turn some big salmon, the honest truth is that when using the lighter leaders required to get the salmon to bite in the smaller, slower current streams, you can’t use the full power of an 8-weight or 9-weight anyway, otherwise you snap leaders and bend hooks.
Therefore, a 7-weight is usually the perfect tool for the job.
For this reason, I’ve caught thousands of great lakes king salmon up to 40 pounds on 7-weight fly rods.
Best Two-Handed Rod For Salmon: Sage Sonic Spey Fly Rod
I’ve put the Sage Sonic Spey and Switch rods through their paces guiding and fishing for salmon on the Great Lakes and on the West Coast.
These rods have that perfect balance of power and feel that you want in a two-hander, whether I’m swinging flies for Great Lakes steelhead, chasing Atlantic salmon on the St Mary’s River, or working heavy tips out west.
Even the 13-footers are surprisingly light in the hand, and generate plenty of line speed without wearing you out after a long day of casting. Actually, they are really nice and fun to cast.
For my guiding work, I’ve used both the Switch and Spey models depending on the river and season:
- Sonic Switch 7116-4: 11’6” 7-weight – smooth for Scandi lines and sink tips, a great rod for summer and winter runs.
- Sonic Switch 8116-4: 11’6” 8-weight – versatile and powerful, my go-to for salmon and steelhead, and even overhead casting off the beach.
- Sonic Spey 7136-4: 13’6” 7-weight – a true all-arounder for steelhead and salmon.
- Sonic Spey 7136-6: 13’6” 7-weight, 6-piece – same versatility, but breaks down for easy travel.
- Sonic Spey 8136-4: 13’6” 8-weight – a workhorse for bigger fish and larger flies.
- Sonic Spey 9140-6: 14’ 9-weight, 6-piece – serious reach and backbone, built with Atlantic salmon in mind.
If you want a reliable, versatile two-hander for salmon and steelhead fishing, the Sonic series won’t let you down.
Best Switch Rod For Salmon: Redington Dually II Switch
The Redington Dually II Switch is the best switch rod for salmon. The quality of this well-engineered rod design is an excellent choice for the cost.
Salmon anglers prefer the medium-fast action and the versatile rod weight and lengths for fly fishing in any body of water. The versatile features are available for trout spey, switch and Spey.
Features: A simple two-handed rod with a lightweight design.
Weight: 11’ 6wt and 8wt.
What we like: The lifetime warranty and versatility.
Best Salmon Rod and Reel Combo: Redington Field Kit Salmon Fly Outfit
I’ve been running the Redington Field Kit Salmon Fly Outfit for the last couple of seasons, guiding on Great Lakes salmon and chasing the heavy hitters on the West Coast, and I can say it’s a solid, well-balanced setup that gets the job done.
The 9-foot, medium-fast 8-weight rod has enough punch to turn over big streamers and handle heavy rigs, but it’s still smooth enough that long days casting don’t wear you down.
Paired with the Redington RUN 7/8 reel and RIO Grand 8-weight line, the kit gives you the stopping power you need when a fresh Chinook or Coho decides to take you for a ride.
I’ve leaned into this setup on everything from Atlantics in the Great Lakes to Chums and Sockeye in big coastal rivers, and it’s proven itself every time.
Redington did a good job rounding out the kit too—it comes with RIO’s 9-foot, 20-pound Salmon/Steelhead tapered leader and a Cordura case that makes traveling easy. And the lifetime warranty means it’s backed for the long haul.
For anyone looking for a salmon-ready outfit right out of the gate, this one covers it all.
The only downside is that for nymphing with indicators, I prefer a 10-footer, but this only comes in a 9-foot version, which is a good multi-purpose length.
That wraps this up.
Tight Lines,
Graham
