I am going to Costa Rica on a vacation with my wife in a few months. We are going to be on the southern Carribean side. I thought maybe I would make up a 4 peice 9' 8wt to take with me and through into the surf a little bit. I know what I like with trout rods which is a rod on the faster side normally overlined for my Pa trout streams. I do have some heavier rods I take to the Erie tribs for steelhead but none in that size or 4 peice. Most newer rods are fast or extra fast I see made for the salt but that would limit my use of the rod as I don't like that fast of a rod for our steelhead as you need to use lighter tippets. Would a med-fast rod work ok to launch a shooting head? or should I stick with a faster rod?

thanks,
Bob

It's personal preference. A medium-fast rod will be fine, although a faster action allows you a bit more leeway in the casting weight and range that you can get from the same line.

And don't mistake action for power - the proper line for the distance range you're casting has to match the power, not necessarily the action, of the rod.

.............

You will not need to worry about light tippet from the beach. Here in New England I use a two piece leader 30# butt into a 17# "tip" for a total of about 8 feet. The heavier tippet will help turn flies over better especially if it is windy. I use medium-fast, fast and extra fast and honestly I don't see a huge difference in my casting distance. My current favorite salt rod (blank) is a Batson RX8+ in 7wt which I tend to overline with an 8 wt because I can use the 8wt line/reel with my 7 or 8 or 9wt rod depending on what I am doing. There are so many good choices in blanks these days. I think it comes down to how much you want to spend. I have Tiger Eye, St Croix, RX7 and RX8+ rods, all of which I use use frequently and like. Huge price differences..... Save some money for a good line or two. It might make a bigger difference than the rod.

Quinn

Quinn,
I wasn't worried about the light tippets for the salt, but for when I want to use it for 6-10lb steelhead. I was looking at the batson rx8, mudhole mhx and some tl johnsons.

Thanks,
Bob

I've built recently on the 8 wt MHx and Batson RX8 blanks. Both are very nice, but the RX8 is made to be overlined. Tons of power, and likely too stiff for some tastes. I like it. I don't get to fish the salt water, but I would guess it's the one you want in the salt.

Don't get me wrong, the MHx blanks are great, and cast extremely well. They are more of an all around fast action rod like a Z-Axis, where as the RX8 is a powerhouse, and perfect for long casts into the wind.

I also built an 8wt RX8+ and last week got to fish Kenai Sockeyes with it-fantastic rod, and my favorite, but no longer available from Batson. The St Croix SCV is equivalent, but more expensive. Still, my next "keeper' rod will be an SC V, so look at those if budget allows.

Drew

Drew -

In your opinion, do you need to over line the SC V? I just bought a 9 weight for throwing big streamers for Northern Pike in Canada (and Muskies, should I be on such a body of water).

Thanks,

Tony