Hello,

First, I have been a lurker for a while and I have really enjoyed this site.

I will be going to the Bahamas soon and need to bring some spin rods for my non-flyfishing buddy. We will be wading the flats looking for bonefish.

I was thinking a 2 piece 8' spin rod would do the trick. So far, I have only been able to find the Rainshadow IP964F but wanted to see if anybody else had some recommendations.

Thanks,
Chris

The Graphite USA B78L (7'8") or the B83L (8'3") fall near the 8' mark and are great blanks. You can get them in two piece but GUSA typically takes a long time to get them to you and if you're leaving soon it would probably not be ready in time.

Good luck in the Bahamas. The new regulations are a joke, max. 20lbs of grouper per day when the typical grouper can be upwards of 30lbs.

I'd drop one power rating tro the IP 963 on the popping blank, another I'd look at would be the Rainshadow IST993F steelhead blank. I always thought it would a dandy bonefish rod.

3S86MF2 - St Croix SCIII, 8'6", 6-12#, Fast Action. Even a travel case is available - part #RC54.

Do you think the 10-17lb rods are too heavy for bonefish? I was almost concerned that it wasn't enough.

Also, I should mention that I regularly fish for redfish on the flats and I would like to se these rods for that after the trip.

Thanks for all of the help,

Chris

i agree with jim st croix blanks are killin it...i have a 7' light 6-12lb class scII that i catch overslot snook on regularly and each time the tip touches the butt haha and ive been using it like that for about 6 months without a problem ;)

Most Bahamiam bones are rather small 2-5#, 6-10class will do the job. Make sure reel has at least 200yds of line.

Like Ray said, the bones are smaller, but more plentiful in the Bahamas, that's why I thought the IST 993 would work so well, light fast tip to throw bait or whatever with nice backbone.

Thank you to everyone for the advice. I hope to one day post a picture of the a bonefish with my fod next to it!!!


Thanks,
Chris

Rainshadow IST993F-M is a great choice, you will have alot of fun with that rod. Make sure to match it with Batson / Forecast SS316 guides, this way you will not need to worry about any SW damage.