Here it goes again. I must have done something wrong the first time. My son is getting married this spring and is going to spend his honeymoon in the Bahamas. His wife to-be likes fly fishing too. He has hinted that a nice wedding present would be a 4pc fly rod to take with them. I'm seeking your help on recomendations. Is a 9' 4pc good or would I consider a 9'6"? Is 8wt sufficient or should I consider a 7 or 9 wt? What about guide size out to the tip top. Would they need to be larger than normal, stripper etc? How about the salt water affect on them? I have looked at the Batson advertising of the RX8+,RX7+. How good are they and do they warrant the exztra cost? What about less costly blanks that would be good? Thanks for all your input as I trust your opinions and advise! Lon Nalder

Lon,
On average the Bonefish in the Bahamas and Mexico are smaller than those found in The Florida Keys. A 7wt. would be sufficient for most of the fish you'll encounter in the Bahamas ,however you'll need to take into consideration the wind you'll be dealing with as well. So, if it were me, I'd step up to an 8wt. If he ever plans on fishing in the Keys, a 9wt is certainly not overkill, and really a better choice because of the opportunity at a shot for a Permit or Tarpon. Stay with the 9' length, and stay away from the 9'6" The extra 6" really makes casting in a wind that much harder, AND since most of your shots will be from 60 feet and in, you won't need the extra 6" anyway. Tell your son to concentrate on being able to put a fly in a hula hoop with 2 false casts or less in varying wind conditions. All that junk in the magazines about casting 100 feet to tailing bonefish is just Madison Avenue bragging....it's not reality. 90% of your fish will be 60 feet and in, and 90% of those will be 40 feet and in, and you have to be quick and accurate. I have had a lot of anglers in my boat sightfishing for Redfish, which is very similiar to Bonefish (but not quite as hard) who claim to be good casters...and I am sure they are on a Trout Stream, but this is a whole different ball game. You have to be very quick and accurate. The biggest mistake is too many false casts because they can't deal with the wind.
I have a good friend who holds an IGFA record on the AllStar Austin 9wt. and many consider this to be the finest BoneFish rod in the keys.....however you don't ever hear about it because SAGE gets most of the press. However, the Austin's have been discontinued, and it sounds like you are on somewhat of a hunt for a low price. Unfortunately I don't have anymore 8wt 4pc. Austins.....that is truly a beautiful all around BoneFish/Redfish Rod. I would take a look at the Dan Craft blanks as they seem to be very cost effective, and are good blanks. I do have a CTS 8wt 4pc. in stock, if you want the creme de' la creme...it's a beautiful blank.

As for guides, I'd go 16 (V Frame) 12 (V Frame) 10(single foot) 8sf and 6sf on out to the tip...all Fuji Titanium SIC if you can afford it. If not I'd stay with the same setup and use REC recoils for everything except the 2 strippers and the tip-top.

Good luck with the "Ghost of the Flats" they are not TOO tough in the Bahamas, but if you ever make it to the Keys, they will have no mercy on you....they are really hard!


Andy Dear
Lamar Mfg.

Take a look at the Sage Xi2 890-4. Super sweet saltwater blank.

Andy Snedden

Ditto, Andy's recommendation. I fished for Bones with a pal in Belize where they are everywhere but also on the smaller size. 7 wt's would have been nice for the size of the fish but with the constant wind, 8 wt's rules the week.

Tight Lines,

Tim

Lon

Andy's recommendations are right on for most folks.

If absolute best performance is objective go with SAGE TCR, 8 weight, 9 foot & use Fuji Gold Cermet guides, Dbl ft 16, dbl ft 12, sgl ft 10, sgl ft 8, 6 ea sgl ft 7's plus tamer if desired.
next best is SAGE Xi 2 with Fuji titanium SIC's

Gil

The Sage TCR is a mean casting machine but my preference is for the Xi2. If you like a very fast rod and are a very good caster (as I wish I was) the TCR will punch a mile of line into a gale.
We sell a lot of Sage blanks for saltwater fishing here in the NW (salmon mostly) and to 'snowbirds' going south to fish away the winter. The Xi2 is the all around saltwater favorite by far.
You might consider the American Tackle Titan guides, these have also been very well received.

Andy Snedden

If I was a SAGE man...which I am not, the XP is in my opinion the only model worth considering. The other two mentioned are much MUCH too stiff for 20-40 foot presentations with the recomended line wt. for the average caster, or first time BoneFishermen. Lon's son will have enought to worry about when he gets in front of those fish...namely the wind, and the last thing he needs is a rod that fights the caster at 30 feet.

Gil, what you're failing to tell these folks is the company you keep.....you see, Gil hangs out with Rick Hartman, who is by all accounts one of the finest distance catsers in the US. Rick regularly launches 120+ feet with a 5wt TCR, and makes it look like an everyday occurence. Check out his video clip[s on the sexyloops website if you're interested.

I still say for the money, the Dan Craft is a great choice (and I don't even sell those, so there's no bias here)....the SAGE will set you back several hundred $$$, and you won't gain all that much in performance. You may perhaps lose some performance if your casting skills aren't such that they can take advantage of such a stiff blank.
I went through this the first time I Bonefished in the keys. I had a St. Croix 8wt. which CC'd out more like a 10 wt. The dog-gone thing thing absolutely would not load at 30 feet...with an 8wt. line, it was miserable because MOST fish are at 30-50 feet. The CTS does a phenomenal job of loading close in, and still has the punch to reach out to about 110 if you really push it...but again if you're on a budget, neither the CTS or SAGE are the right choice.


Andy Dear
Lamar Mfg.

Lon,

I'm an idiot.....I just remembered I have a Burkheimer 3pc. 7/8wt Saltwater model. in stock that would be perfect for this application. It's on Clearence as well....beautiful blank.

Call me if you're interested,

Andy Dear
Lamar Mfg
210-845-7456

Thanks everyone for the information. I hope to take it and decide which one to build upon

PS. I would like to look at information on the Dan Craft rods but don't know where to go for this information. Can you help me out ? Thanks again! Lon

Lon
Andy is correct with his evalueation of the rods that I recommended & my casting preferences.
SAGE TCR's & Xi 2's do not load well with their rated line at under 30 to 40 feet.
They are expensive as stated
However, it has been my experience that the wind always blows & bonefish are just beyond casting range.
A fast powerful (stiff) rod can always be overlined for close up casting & while you are learning casting skills.
The blanks mentioned load very well overlined 1 or even 2 weights & can cast a mile with the rated line.
You actually have 2 rods for the price of 1. A extra spool & line will cover almost all conditions.
Gil

Gil....you and I are good friends, and you're a fellow Texan, but I am gonna dis-agree....well sort of.

ALL rods will load well with a line 1 or 2 ratings heavier and or 1 or 2 line ratings lighter. And all rods have the potential to cast a mile depending on how you line them. That's the key...depending on how you line them. Overline it and they load better in close, underline it and it'll carry more line for more distannce.

The SAGE is a great rod, actually a fantastic rod no doubt, but in terms of being a "2 in one" I don't think that's anything unique. If anything ALL rods are a "3 in 1" Powell used to rate theirs for 2 line wt's.
Burkheimer rates his rods for 3 line wt's, which if you think about it, he is the only one...and it really makes a lot of sense, because depending on the conditions you can change lines and opt for different types of performance.


ANdy