The best all-around 8 weight Rod?
- This topic has 29 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated Feb 28, 2010 at 6:01 am by
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Bob,
First of all, I wish you all the best in your search for your new 8wt. I agree with everyone who has already said that you need to “cast as many rods as you can”. One rod may work great for me, may not work great for you.
Couple things to think about.It’s hard to buy a bad 8wt, all the rods listed are great.
The line is what tosses the fly, not the rod. The rod only helps in determining the shape of the loop. A fast rod will not toss a bigger fly any better than a slower rod. Note a fast rod may help in achieving a more narrow loop that cuts into the wind more efficiently. This is not to say that a slow rod can’t be cast with a tight loop.
You would not go hunting for Bear with a .22, so make sure you’re using the correct rod for the fishing. My Xi-2 8wt is overkill for bones in most places other than the keys and Andros. I use a 6wt everywhere else.
Casting Salt rods is different than casting trout rods. I have practice, a lot, and can now cast 12wts without any issues, however at first, it was painful …. Literally.
Most Keys guides will tell that if you can cast over 60feet, your chances of success go up exponentially.
The smart keys guides will tell you it’s even more important to put your fly close the fish in less than 2 false cast
I ended up buying a sage XI-2. A rod that is very versatile, because a very good keys guide told me that “when you actually use it in the salt, you’ll love it, and be glad you had it”. I have had lots of time to practice with the rod, and hardly fish it in the fresh water (its overkill). I also hate hate casting this rod for practice, however when I am on deck, with the wind blowing, and fishing the rod in the salt (which is what I bought it for) I actually love love the rod. The guide was correct. I love slow trout rods. But for the salt, I want a rod that loads very fast and can punch our 70feet without a thought. I use a Bruce Chard 8wt (Jim Teeny) on my Xi-2, and it loads great. I hate the rod if I am not using that line.
Good luck with your search and have fun.
~wesThe trick with the Xi2, imo, is the soft tip. I really like it for redfishing, most of the sight casts are sudden short casts with very little line out of the rod. It has all the lifting power you need and the extra “gear” to punch out a long line. But it won’t be as smooth since the tip and butt section have such different feels. It doesn’t cast as smoothly as others, and is not my best parking lot rod by any means.
Testing rods is good, and you will end up with a rod you can have confidence in – and that is the key in my opinion.
Food for thought – in your parking lot test, are you trying different lines? Maybe, but probably not.
My vote would go to the Scott S4s – this rod does everything, including throwing big poppers or long casts into the wind.
A close second is the Scott X2s – I bought this rod before I joined Scott, and chose it over and above most of the top line rods available in its day which I also owned (I had a thing for #8 weights… :-[).
The best thing you can do is go cast a bunch, have a break then think of the rod you’d pick up first to go fishing.
Best Regards,
Beechy
If you don’t want to break the bank, and want a very nice rod that’s not a pool cue and delivers big, wind-resistant flies with punch, check out the Loomis GL3s.
From what Jarrad said, I reckon I am blessed. I have an 8 wt. TiCrX that is fantastic. It shoots line like a catapult and comes to an almost dead stop at the end of the casting stroke. I wonder if they changed something in their production. I have heard folks say what Jarrad said, and then I have heard others with my experience.
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