8 wt advice

Would love to hear some opinions on purchasing a good 7:8 weight rod. I've historically used my 6 wt for casting bigger flies, but my casts end up being clunky with larger bass flies and streamers.

For whatever reason, I'm really tempted to go with a glass rod because I tend to hate really stiff rods. I'm guessing that will hurt my distance though.

Thanks all.

What a thought provoking post! Yes, slow and fast rods tend to have their own followings.
TFO, and some other manufacturers, make rods specially designed big, fat, high drag flies.
That being said, getting familiar with a fast rod, learning how to change up one's cast in order to be effective with stiff, fast-casting rods could broaden one's skillset.
I'm pretty sure that it's mostly a matter of timing.

You're right...it'll be tough to cast big, chunky bass flies on a 6 weight. It just doesn't have the backbone to get it out there.

So this is primarily for a bass rod? For larger bass flies and streamers, I'd get an 8 weight. You can use that on the coast in the salt for reds and trout too.

What is your budget? I like TFO, Sage, G Loomis and Scott rods.

You might check out the Yellowstone Angler 8 weight shootout...although this is more of a salt slant it's still good info: https://www.yellowstoneangler.com/gear-r...s-mystic-reaper

Main thing to stress is that all rods feel differently so go put them in your hands and do some casting before you purchase. You'll be able to immediately weed some out and whittle down the contenders that feel good to you and your casting style.

My 8 wt is an Allen Volant, which has a medium-fast action and may be to your liking. I am not an expert caster by any means but it casts bigger flies without issue and I have no had any problems with it.

Sometimes, I throw bigger flies in the salt for redfish. I use a 7/8 wt Cabelas fiberglass CGR and a 6-8wt TFO minimag.

If it's windy or I want to shoot a lot of line in a hurry, I like the minimag. If I'm just poking around and structure fishing, I like the CGR. I might lose a very little distance with the CGR, but it's sort of mindless casting it. You can be a little lazy and tired in your casting stroke. It's pretty accurate and has a lot of feel for short and medium distance casts at targets. But I can't penetrate the wind with it as well as I can with the minimag. Yesterday, I was fishing where I had to do a lot of casting quartering into the wind. It was much easier to do it with the minimag.

I do mainly inshore saltwater fishing here in Texas, but have done a little freshwater, both warm water and cold water types of fish. So far, I haven't ever fished in a place where I needed to make 90 + foot casts to get on the fish. I have a TFO BVK 8wt known to be a distance rod, but the only time I like this rod is when I'm wading in waist deep water where the extra foot of rod helps bigger flies stay clear of the water on the back casts. There must be places and fish that require super distance capable rods because there are so many on the market. I fish mainly where I can close well within casting range before getting into spooking the fish range. If the fish might spook at 30 feet, I have no problem with the 7'6" CGR or 8' minimag casting accurately well outside that spooking range. Maybe where you fish requires super long casts to be successful. If not, you might consider a shorter rod. They are nice for boat and stand up kayak fishing. They are nice in tight spots. The Sage BASS II rod is 7'11". G. Loomis makes a short stix line up at 7'6". Scott makes a Meridian 7 or 8 wt skiff model at 8'4". Just a little different perspective. Everyone has their own style of fishing and casting.

Another good thing about fiberglass is that it's tough and hard to break.

I've always considered myself an almost average caster. Several years ago, I picked up the original sage smallmouth rod. I was delighted to find that, even for a rank amateur, it casts like a rocket. Keep an eye on ebay. I bet you can score the whole outfit for $200.

If you already have a 6 wt, I'd lean toward an 8 wt instead of a 7 wt. An 8 wt paired with a 6 wt would cover a wider range of conditions than a 6 and a 7 would.

Generally, when I'm using a 7 or 8 wt rod, I'm either casting larger flies or fighting the wind. I like glass rods in the lighter wt's, but not for large flies and wind.

I have become a big fan of the TFO Mangrove series rods.

The weekend of March 12 at the "Texas Fly Fishing and Brew Festival" in Plano, you will be able to test cast any of TFO's rods. I'd recommend wait two weeks and go test as many rods as you can that weekend. Even if you don't choose a TFO rod, casting and comparing different rods and actions will help you decide for yourself what type of rod is right for you.

Good luck!

If you are looking for accuracy, fast action rods might not be the way to go. Look up Chris Korich and the US fly cast accuracy related team. They use older generation medium fast graphite rods in most situations because the deeper flexing allows for more feedback feel. The TFO Mangrove is slower than the BVK, which should make it potentially more accurate than the faster BVK. Most of the time, I'm trying to put the fly on target at middle to short distances and so many of the fast model rods struggle with that even in expert hands. It probably comes down to how and where you fish. I suppose some places need a fast distance cannon. i like having a deeper bend in the rod that slows down the stroke and keeps it loaded longer for tiny course corrections and adjustments during the cast. I'm not talking about a noodle, but something that bends into the mid-section. The main thing is try to match the rod to how you fish. I like a fast rod in the wind and one that has more feel on days where the wind isn't a factor.

I like the idea of the test casting all the TFO rods on one day. I have 3 of their rods and they all have a different feel. I believe you can adjust your stroke to cast any rod pretty well, but not all rods do the same things well.

Don't entirely dismiss a 9wt. If you're out on a bigger lakes with bigger fish, they often like bigger flies. A 9wt will throw them better than an 8wt, plus it handles the wind a tad better.

I have a 7 wgt and a 9 wgt and I decided to try an 8 wgt because I found a Cabelas RLS on closeout for fifty bucks. The RLS is a medium fast, I think leaning a little more to fast. I really like the 8 wgt. I can chunk a big bug in the wind almost as well as the 9 and its only slightly heavier than the 7. I fell in the well with the 8 wgt and bought two more, both fast actions. I am not skilled enough on the cast to tell if a medium fast is more accurate than a fast action but the RLS can't come close to the BVK and Helios 2 for distance and casting in the wind. You can go to Orvis and test out their rods, you can compare a medium fast clearwater to the recon or helios 2 fast actions.

I just graduated from a Cabelas RLS to a TFO BVK. Difference is night and day, RLS is a lot more moderate action, easy casting. BVK is a broomstick for short casts, which is exactly what I didn't want, I do a lot of river fishing where short accurate casts are important. The BVK only works on casts long enough to get the head out there a ways. I'm sure I"ll get used to it, but right now its tough. I also just picked up a 6wt BVK, haven't fished it yet but it seems to have more flex, looking forward to using that rod soon.

I have the TFO Mangrove 8wt. I like it. I'm an OK caster. But, as others have said try them first! At a show or at a shop, try a few models and see what you like thats in your budget.

Glitchmo, what's a budget. Is it something like visa?

Visa credit limit, yeah.

Good advice. As some of you may know, George Anderson is a nut, but he does know his stuff and I am told that his son Jamie is a very talented fisherman. His shootout is chock full of good data. I bought a St. Croix Legend Elite 8wt from Yellowstone Anglers based on his prior shootout. It still did very well in the 2016. Of course, you cannot beat the economics of a BVK, which I originally bought to back up my Legend Elite, but now not sure which I like best. My experience buying from YA was great and they seemed to really care about putting me into the best rod for my purposes, not oversell. And might I also add that the Galvan reels they turned me on to are a fantastic value - good USA family ownership story too. There is also a local DFW area company Allen Fly Fishing making reels, but I havent put my hands on any of their stuff yet and dont know much about them.

I have the Allen Kraken on my 8 wt and it is an awesome reel.

Great info. Thank you. I am very interested in their stuff. Really like that they are local.