Catch Salmon BC

Product Review - Airflow Forty Plus - Two Hand Beach Line Intermediate

This Airflow Spey line is intended for saltwater beach fishing and specifically for over head casts. With a roughly 40 foot head as well as 110 running line behind, they bill this as an extreme distance line with slickness added by being a ‘ridged’ line.

This line does as Airflow says: it is well put together to do an overhead cast of 100 plus feet. That said, with a 40 foot head, that means using a very large stripping basket or managing stripped in line putting loops over ones fingers to keep the line out of the algae often associated with salt beaches.

With a bit of kick of the rod to form a D loop - I used my 9 wt, 13′ Loop Grey rod and this was an 11-12 line - the line sets up well for a double Spey cast, too. This is a full sink intermediate line, both running and clear head. For Van Isle beaches which are fairly flat and with little tidal movement, this line has too much sink, so it is better adapted to deeper water and faster moving tides. On the other hand rivers of medium fast current and six feet deep this line has good application. In addition, I think it shows great advantage for coho fishing as it will easily plumb the deepest part of the soft water where they like to hold in rivers.

Now the ridge line feature. The line, the running line, has about a half dozen ridges around the line and running the length of the line, with the line recessed between ridges, the purpose being to make less line contact rod guides and result in more shot line. It crossed my mind that this format may make the line gather dirt and grit sooner and be harder to clean, making the line not last as long. I talked with another caster who confirmed this outcome on his line.

The other thing about the ridge line feature is that is is very sharp. I use a spandex finger ‘glove’ on my index finger of my rod hand, ie., the stripping finger. My third finger was cut and bleeding by the end of the first day of use of this line. It may be a good idea to get a glove for your entire hand if you want to use this line. I put a bandaid on my third finger so solve this issue.

At $80, this is an inexpensive, dedicated purpose Spey line.

I have some hot new patterns of bait heads from Rhys Davis and O’ki. I have wire-rigged them for use and will send one along when you order a book. This lets you fish the best bait way on the ocean and on big freshwater. A great value combo!

GIT YER ORDER IN PRONTO!!!

I have been getting lots of positive comments on my new fishing guide for Vancouver Island, freshwater and saltwater, gear and fly. In particular purchasers have told me that they like that each specific section is dealt with in one place so they can flip to it and fish. Each section has the hot tackle for the area and people like this feature, too.

This book covers all the main rivers and many stocked lakes, along with all the saltwater destinations of choice where millions of salmon swim by each season.

You will find the hardcore fishing tackle and fishing methods very valuable for fishing the biggest island on the west coast from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. There are 123 watershed on Van Isle and it can take you a lifetime to become familiar with them all.

There is a lot of other info such as local hotels, guides, marinas and tackle shops to make your trip more interesting.

Get yours right now for $29.95. Now available here with Paypal if you just have to have this book right now!

Maximum Salmon has won a medal in the Shimano National Communications Awards, sponsored by Shimano, the fishing/bicycle mfgr, for 2008. The awards are presented at the Outdoor Writers of Canada AGM each year. Maximum Salmon took bronze for 2008.

The annual awards are administered by the Outdoor Writers of Canada, an organization of professional writers, broadcasters, photographers and authors who specialize in stories about outdoors activities and concerns. The awards are designed to encourage excellence in outdoors reporting.

It’s time to get your copy of this award-winning book and start catching more salmon.

Some big changes are coming to Catchsalmonbc.com in the next couple of months.

Much more text to access.

New and different services.

A good place to get information without affiliation, or hype on fishing the BC coast.

Okay, I just can’t say enough about those Snowbee boot socks. Hype does not begin to get close to how good these socks are.

I don’t usually rave about products that I buy, but these socks are one of the few products that I picked up this year that have far exceeded my expectations.

These are warm, snuggly, comfortable, wick water away and have an anti-bacterial component that works like a hot dam.

If you haven’t got a pair, you should give them a try. They are simply spectacular. I got one pair, then another, then bought another six pairs. Now I’m buying them to give to family and friends.