Will be going salmon fishing in early summer in the west country and am putting together a cheapish set-up. Was wondering if anyone could give some advice on an all round length of rod and line weight? I was thinking 13 foot and line weight 8/9 or am I way off? Have not fished for salmon before...
Will probably get something from Glasgow angling as they have some good deals on salmon rods at the mo.
any advice gratefully received
Alex

Rod and line combination seem just fine, don't overlook Daiwa rods they can be very good as are some of the Airflo depending on your budget of course. Try a multi tip line, again the Airflo ones work, the Rio are good but more expensive. Good cheap reels are the scierra slv series.

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Good advice from stealth fox, you will not be far away from what you suggest, all I would really add is if you are a novice it will be worth while to get at least a couple of hours tuition before you buy your outfit.
You would want a rod that suits your style of casting you may well need a forgiving rod to help a bit with your casting, being a novice I would steer clear of fast action tip rods, your timing of the cast has to be pretty good to use these.
Hope this helps, good luck
Bobby

Alex don't be tempted to buy an "outfit". They're frequently made up of gear they can't get rid of. The Shakespeare "Oracle 4" is as good as any and is available for about £75 and matched with a "Trion"reel for about the same cost you won't go far wrong. Don't get caught up in the "what tackle" syndrome. The two best fishermen I know use tackle which if I described it as "ordinary" would be doing them a favour!

What river are you fishing? Some of the overgrown rivers in the south west won't take a double hander...

Are there any rivers in England which need a double hander?

If you want to fish big flies on a fast sinking tip/line it is downright dangerous to overhead cast, so spey casting is a must and with that sort of setup you need a double hander, even if it is short. I fish 14 or 15 footers on the Ribble (medium sized river), even though I could get away with a shorter rod simply because it is easier to control the line...