I've found over the past few seasons that in a few instances, I might like to have a 10' 8wt. These situations are primarily when I'm wading deep in one particular river in northern Canada casting big streamers or mice (mostly with floating lines, occasionally sink tip) for big (15-25lb) lake trout, and on one particular Atlantic salmon river pool where I've had to wade in deep to reach a holding run that can't be reached any other way.

I'm sure that my casting could use some fine tuning (I end up hitting the water on the back-cast on my longer casts when I'm chest deep), but I think that the 10' might help me out, and it'll make mending a little easier too.

I'm not fond of really fast or stiff rods. I'm a slim guy, and I just can't generate the grunt required to work stiff, fast rods in the heavier weights. On the other hand, I hate noodles too. I like something that has a good flex in the tip but doesn't turn into a broomstick after the first two feet down the blank. I like sorta med-fast rods with "feeling" if that makes sense.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Troy

Troy,
A Dan Craft FT1008-4 would do you right!
For your purpose, I would use a seat with interchangeable fighting butts, and have both a 2" and a 5" (Like the Pac Bay Channel Lock 7, + F2 and F5 butts)
With distance casting, weighted lines and longer rods, that little extra bit of leverage you get from a longer fighting butt helps.

Brainstorming.....
In one of the past issues of rodmaker (at work, cant remember which 2005 issue), Tom had the recepie for a long(er) fly grip. Think of full wells cork with an added foregrip.
Similar to mating a full wells with a reverse half wells. That would be a sweet application for those laker-lunkers! You'd have the option to do some double handed work, fatigue less, and stay on the water longer.

RB

I have built and fish two Dan Craft rods that fit your needs. One is the FT that Robert Box recommends. I built mine as a switch rod, and used it for steelhead fishing. It is very powerful and will cast a very long line, even though the action is on the moderate side of moderate-fast. It is a 4 piece, which is convenient for travel in a rod of that length, too. The other blank to consier is a Dan Craft Signature V blank, which is 3 piece. The action is moderate-fast, and the blank is somewhat lighter that the FT, although not as rugged. The assembled rod will measure more like 9' 10". The Sig V 7 weight will cast an 8 weight vas well, and the 8 will cast a 9.

I built a Sig V 10' 8 weight for my closest fishing buddy, and it is one of his favorites for steelhead and salmon in Kodiak. He uses floating lines, sink-tips and Teeny T-300 lines. He prefers a 9 weight line on it for closer distances.