8wt rod recomendations

[Diehard]

I want to get into more salmon and steel fishing and I am going to need a heavier rod than my 6wt. I have been looking at a few different rods and I had a few questions. What is a good length for an 8wt? Is an 8wt going to be the right rod? My parents are probably going to get it for me for my christmas present and they are looking to spend less than $200. Any recomendations for rods in that range? Thanks!

[Joshw]

TFO Signature Series I - $99.00 with a lifetime warranty. The rod is a little on the slow side but for $99 I am not sure it can be beat! Couple that with an Okuma reel for $45 and Rio Versatip line for $110 and you have a nice setup for $254.00 that will handle all the steel and salmon you can throw at it!

Josh

[Old Man]

Well for a 8wt I would if I was you ask for a 9'6" or a 10' rod. Something about the extra 6" or more seems easier with that 8 wt to cast. As for price the more you pay the stiffer the rod. I use a St Croix 9'6" 8wt built on a Avid blank. Got it built for under $200.00.

But there are a lot of deals out there. All you need to do is look.

Jim

[Chris Stokesbary]

I just bought a TFO Professional 8wt for $149. It's burning a hole in the tube until Friday. I can't recommend it yet as I haven't used it, but I have the same model in a 4wt and love it.

[Surf_Candy]

Justin - I suggest at least a 4 piece rod, and prefer the 5 piece rods for toting around in backpacks, on planes, car trunks etc. For my casting style and amount of fishing I do, I see no difference between 2 and 4/5 piece rods.

Are you buying the reel and line?

Length: 9' is typically the "standard" 8wt length - although you can go 9'6 or 10' , but I have never felt the need.

Action: I prefer faster action rods for longer casts and greater backbone. Go play with some rods before you recommend a brand for Christmas.

The TFO Ticr series is their FAST action 4 piece - over $200, so you might kick in to the santa kitty or stick with the Professional series.

I have a few Redington Wayfarer 5 piece rods - $195 (5, 6, 8 and 10) and like them very much when considering their compact travel size versus action and cost. They are fast/med action, handle mulitip casting well, but tend to get a little mushy when using 10 wt 30 foot shooting heads.

Surf

[Randy Knapp]

At slightly over $200, I have to say I am quite pleased with my faster action 9' 4pc 8wt TFO TiCr. I have landed East Coast stripers, big dollies and local salmon and steelhead on it and their service is as good as anyone's. I broke the tip being stupid and had it back within a week of my mailing it back to them.

Randy

[Diehard]

This is all great info, thank you so much. Keep it coming.

[BigTrout]

For an affordable, lifetime warranty rod I highly recommend Redington or St. Croix. I use a Redington 10-foot, 8 weight RedFly model with an Okuma Integrity reel and love it. This rod runs for $99 and the reel is around $50-60. Great warranty on the rod...my friend stepped on the tip last week and broke it. I sent it in on Thursday, and had a brand new rod in plastic to my office Monday (advantages of their Bainbridge Island location)! I've brought in some very large chum on this rod/reel combo up in BC and have never had a problem.

[Sinktip]

Hi guys, go easy on me its my first post.
This is the same question I had last winter after catching my first salmon on my 6wt. It didn't take long to figure out that I needed more stick. I ended up with a sage DS2 8 wt. 9'6" 4pc. Exellent rod for big fish and heavy flies cost me around $225 I think?? This fall I broke that rod on a king salmon and was still able to land the fish and get my rod parts back.
Next question was, what to buy now so I could keep fishing and not go broke while I was waiting for my sage to get fixed. I ended up getting a TFO TiCr 10' 9wt. and man does it cast sinktip with heavy flies sweet.Well as sweet as I cast anyway.

Go big or stay home.
Monty

[Luv2flyfish]

9'6" and 10' will show their advantages when you start migrating to bigger rivers and mending more line throwing tips. you'd be suprised at what an extra foot of rod will do when your throwing tips all day for winter steelhead....

[Big K1]

A good rod length for a 8 weight is 13' 14'.

[mike doughty]

For 8wt.'s i would either get a 9'6" or 10' although the 10' will most likely be at least a 3 piece. i have been looking for 10'er myself to build but only can't seem to find them in 2 pieces.

[Luv2flyfish]

with Big K1! May as well just go 15ft while your at it!

[Sageman]

This used to be a slam dunk answer, St. Croix, but now they are upping their prices and aren't the value they once were. Still a very serviceable rod for the money, but the prices have come up to where you pretty much pay for what you get. My backup 8 wt is a Reddington Wayfarer and it has been a great rod for me. I made a mistake and only got a 9' rod, but I still like it, and they are great about returns. I think it is a better rod than the St. Croix, but that is just a personal preference. I have both rods.

[Denny]

RODS: Hands down, if you're trying to stay under $200, a 9' 8 wt. Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Series 1 at $99.95 is the THE deal. Casts like a champ (is not a slow rod, it's a medium fast action rod), and has a lifetime warranty.
Though it's a nice stic, the comparable St. Croix rod has a 5 year warranty, and doesn't cast as nicely. If you can swing the extra $50, move up to the TFO Professional series. A nicer rod overall, a little stouter, and a 4 piece.

Redington rods used to be (past tense) the value in bargain rods. The Wayfarer is a pretty good rod, but it's a 5 piece (can't break it down in a 2 piece rod/reel case and treat it like a 2 piece when not travelling like you can a 4 piece). Five piece rods are useful if a person travels a lot (I have a Sage 690-5SP, and had (past tense) a SAge 890-5SP; cool rods, except for the 5 piece). And, at $195, it's not nearly (in my opinion) as good as value as the TFO rods. Doesn't cast as nicely, more expensive, 5 piece; nope.

Another rod to consider that is a sleeper is the Cortland CL series. It's around $100, nicely made, a moderate action, comfortable casting rod, has an unconditional lifetime warranty, and is made in the US, too, I believe.

A rod, or rods, for you to consider are the now discontinued (recently) Sage LE and Discovery (DS2) rods. Pacific Flyfishers down in the Midway/Kent/Federal Way area has them discounted right now. You just can't go wrong with a Sage, IMHO. There have been a whole lot of fishies caught on DS2's over years; it was a Sage Discovery 690 that was my first premium rod I cast and sent me on this incredible fly gear accumulation journey (my wife rues that day). Ah, almost like my first kiss, but better, but I digress . . .

ROD LENGTH: I would highly recommend a 9' rod. I know, I know, you're getting all of these other guys recommending that you get a longer rod. However, though the longer rod helps with mending and line control on big rivers (emphasis on that, more later), the longer rod lacks the versatility of the 9' rod.

One of the cool things with an 8 weight rod is its versatility. It's a good all-around weapon to fish steelies and salmon with it in both rivers and salt; it's the go-to weight for bonefishing; it's probably the best overall weight for bass fishing; it's a good rod for stripers; it works great for throwing big sink tips to big trout in rivers, whether its Montana or South America.

It wasn't that long ago that 8' rods were standard. A few years ago Bob Clouser designed a specialty rod, with his name on it, for St. Croix, and the rod length was 8'9". One of the best bonefish rods Sage has arguably produced is an 8'6" RPLX. The shorter (relatively) rods are quicker action, considered more accurate, and more easy to control. In bass fishing, or fishing from a float tube, an 8'6" to 9' rod is preferred and more controllable.

I fished in Puerto Vallara, and my fishing partner had a 10' rod that he used for big rivers, and I had my 9' rod. At the end of the day he decided he was going to get rid of the 10' rod and buy a quicker, easier to handle and maneuver 9' rod.

If you are going to fish bigger rivers, and need a longer rod, step up to the 10'. It will give you more line control, bit to me it's more of a specialty rod. If you want that 8 weight to be an all-around rod, and use it in a float tube, in smaller rivers, take it bonefishing (hopefully!)

REELS: Personally, at this point I would rather see you spend less on the reel and more on the fly lines. You'll want to upgrade your reels in no time, trust me, but the lines will endure for you. The lines are huge part of your fishing success, and great lines can make an OK rod cast well, and crummy lines will make a great rod cast not so well.

And, I would buy a Pflueger Medalist before the Okuma Integrity. (Insert a picture of me here dodging arrows and beer cans from Board participants). Been there, done that, with each of these reels. The Okuma is sexier looking, but each has a large arbor (the Medalist doesn't have the donut-hole style arbor, but take a look at spool; the arbor be big, well, in a relative sense), but the Medalist is simpler, tougher, and cheaper.

FLY LINES: Spend money on those lines, not the reel (at this point). I don't know that I would recommend one of the multi-tip lines for you at this point. Full standard lines will be easier for you to cast and use at this poitn in your fly fishing life cycle. You can ask for the multi-tip line for your birthday or next Christmas. For a little less money I would recommend that you buy a full floating lines, something like a Scientific Anglers Mastery Headstart (something like $40) and a full sink tip line (something like a Cortland 333HT). THe Headstart is called a beginner line, because the line is "only" 80' long and the head portion of the line is slightly heavier to help load the rod easier and faster. Heck, first, there aren't a whole lot of guys who consider themselves experts/experienced that can cast all 80' and the leader, and I'm guessing 80% of most fly fishers would like a line that loads faster and easier. The second line would be a sink tip, and I would recommend a Type 3 15' sink tip as a great all-around line.


Awesome, and yet like going to a Chinese restaurant and trying to decide if you'll order #23 or #58, a pain in the rear to have so many great choices!