8 wt questions and recommendations?

[jt23]

Im on the market for my first 8 wt. Im going on a trip to belize this summer and am wanting to get the 8 wt for bonefish. Im wanting a rod that wont be a workout to cast all day but also has power to punch into the wind. My budget is under 300. So far Ive been looking at the TFO BVK, TFO Mangrove, Echo Edge, and Redington Predator. The TFO BVK has tons of great reviews but also seems to have a breakage issue which worries me if I get all the way down there for my trip and my rod breaks and I have to use a cheap backup or something. The mangrove seems to be tougher but also a slower action which makes me think it wont be able to punch into the wind as well. The predator has decent reviews but don't know a whole lot about it. Same with the Echo edge not very familiar with it. If anyone has any of these id love to hear your experiences, or knows of anything else I should be looking at.
Thanks

 

[rockthief]

Have a look at J P Ross Onyx rods. Right up your alley.
ONYX Fly Rod by JP Ross Fly Rods & Co.

also, any Sage rod with xi as part of the model designation

 

[baseman1]

I would look at a tip flex Orvis Clearwater in that price range. I love mine and throw some good sized flies into the wind without issue. They are strong as can be as well.

 

[biggie_robs]

My BVK worked just fine hunting bonefish in Ascension Bay last summer. I also fished a St Croix Legend Elite. Both 9' 8wt 4pc rods worked very well.

The BVK is hard to beat for 250 [pause] bones.

 

[stl_geoff]

Theres also a Sage Flight 8wt in the classified on here for 215. That's a stellar rod, I wish it could be mine.

 

[itchmesir]

Predator is an amazing rod... Very fast... Heavier... But matched with a heavier reel to balance and it becomes a non issue... Owned one in a 9wt... Half weight heavy lines work well... I used gpx on mine and I could cast the whole line on a good day

 

[moucheur2003]

I think the best value for the money available in an 8 wt right now is probably the private label GL-H2O sold by The Fly Shop in Redding, CA, for $149. I have the 6 and 7 wt versions and they are both sensitive and powerful. The 8 should be ideal for bonefishing, and it even comes with an extra tip just in case you do have an accident in the middle of nowhere.

https://catalog.theflyshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=6511

These are closeouts of the same rods that they now call the Signature H2O and offer for $269. According to the clerk at the store who sold me mine, they changed the "GL" designation to "Signature" because Loomis was concerned that the name, aesthetics and performance of the rods were too similar to Loomis's own GLX models. I don't know if that was just sales hooey, but I do like the way mine cast and fish.

 

[labradorguy]

The BVK is a good rod, but take a spare. My buddy broke his when we were fishing for snook and another friend snapped his when he hooked a jack. I was there when both broke and we could not figure out what they did to break them. Something bent just right I guess. ?? I've always been a Loomis and St. Croix fan. If I broke a St. Croix rod, I knew immediately what I did to make that happen. I've never broke a Loomis. (I caught an 8' sand shark on my 8wt. a few years ago.) On the contrary, the BVK just snapped for no reason after a relatively mild hookset. We both just stopped fishing and looked at it with puzzled expressions...

A fast rod will let you drill shots way back under tight mangroves. That's a huge plus on bright, clear days. It's a lot harder for me to do that with a med.

 

[jt23]

Yeah thats exactly the reason I am worried about the bvk Im leaning towards a redington predator or tfo mangrove despite all the great reviews of the bvk. I don't want a rod that breaks on me for no reason. The mangrove has some good reviews but also ranked second to last in the 8 wt shootout with bad reviews there so I don't know

 

[coolhand]

The new Redington Vapen is another possibility to consider. The Echo rods are great bets, either the Echo Edge or the Echo3 Saltwater, seem to have good durabilty for relatively inexpensive rods.

 

[labradorguy]

Yeah thats exactly the reason I am worried about the bvk Im leaning towards a redington predator or tfo mangrove despite all the great reviews of the bvk. I don't want a rod that breaks on me for no reason. The mangrove has some good reviews but also ranked second to last in the 8 wt shootout with bad reviews there so I don't know

It can be a bummer, especially if you are in the middle of nowhere. I know from what I saw that I wouldn't trust a BVK, especially if it wasn't in the budget to have a top notch backup on hand....

 

[jt23]

Have narrowed it down a little to the tfo mangrove, redington predator, now interested in the redington link but cant find too much info on it. Did see one review in this forum which was helpful, and still looking at the echo edge. The thing that worries me about the predator is if it is too fast, and the mangrove sounds really slow. I don't have any fly shops near me so I have to order then test so id rather order something I have a good idea will be right for my casting.

 

[bigtone1411]

I have heard that the link is basically a vapen without the red grip. I have handled a Vapen and it seems like a very powerful rod. The Links are being closed out and can be had for a very good price. Looks like they come in that cool carbon tube also. I've been tempted to snatch a Link but I can't justify any new rods. Between Christmas and my birthday, I have picked up a lot of new stuff.unk:

 

[thechroniclesofmasi]

Check this site out, they do the best rod review, however not many under 300$

Montana Fly Fishing in Montana's Paradise Valley, fly fishing tackle, bookings with Outfitters and Guides and guides - Yellowstone Angler

 

[sweetandsalt]

TFO BVK is a lot of rod for the price but is a thin walled rod. My wife has yet to break hers but plenty of other folks have. For a few $ more you should consider the ECHO3. It is a much tougher and better casting better built rod. Of course with bonefish not being a primary target in Belize (one fishes Belize primarily for permit and tarpon) you are going to have a 9 and 10 weight with you as well I assume so your 9 will back up your 8 and vice versa. The cost of going to Belize so far outweighs the tackle you'll bring that I think going for better quality gear is a no brainer. Last time I fished there my wife and I had 7 rods in the boat at all times but we were sharing the #10 and 12-weight.

 

[mrfzx]

Yeah thats exactly the reason I am worried about the bvk Im leaning towards a redington predator or tfo mangrove despite all the great reviews of the bvk. I don't want a rod that breaks on me for no reason. The mangrove has some good reviews but also ranked second to last in the 8 wt shootout with bad reviews there so I don't know

The Mangrove is a rod designed for very specific purpose by Flip Palot. Its designed to fan-cast 50 feet of line, such as is often necessary for bones, redfish, and other shallow water schooling fish. It is not meant to be a bomber that shoots 100 feet of line. It has a very strong butt section and a flexible end third to load quickly and pull hard to get the fish out of the mangrove roots. Yep, its not the lightest rod out there, but it is amazingly powerful, very similar to TFO's TiCrX model that has all the lifting power you can get in a fly rod. The Mangrove is a niche rod, not meant to be a "do it all" rod.

IMHO, for the money, the BVK is an awesome stick. Mine has made it through 4 trips to Louisiana for Redfish up to 17 pounds in shallow water areas, and through countless Lake Ontario Fall run browns and steelhead. So far so good. Yep, I had one break 5 years ago, and at first we were stymied by its breaking. After thinking it through, I remembered a blown cast in heavy wind with a Clouser where the fly hit the rod on the forward cast. Some manufacturers have a reputation for extreme toughness (G Loomis comes to mind), but reality is that most graphite rods do not take "accidents" well....especially impacts like I mentioned.

We outfit trips to Costa Rica and Alaska. Do we outfit with BVK's? No and Yes. Our standard guide rods are the TFO TiCrX in Costa Rica, and TFO BVK models for Alaska. Why? Best warranty in the business, and they are great performers, and if one goes over the side of a boat (yes, especially in CR) they don't break the bank.

 

[runningfish]

I agree on the Predator and the Vapen as I previously owned their little brothers in the 6wt. However, the Zenith will offer everything that you want and more from 8 weight. You can fish it as a cannon or you can fish it like your sidearm.
I know the price is over $300 but they worth it.

I read many claims about the TFO BVK breakage as well, and a lot of people saying that basically TFO is selling their "no fault warranty" instead of selling a good BVK rods. I don't know if that is true or not since I never owned a TFO.

---------- Post added at 01:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 PM ----------

hey,
there is one for sale used

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/f...io-outbound-short-orvis-stripping-basket.html

 

[dar]

I throw a St Croix Legend Elite in an 8wt. Have never boned fished with it, but it has served me well on trips to the FL Panhandle.

I don't think you could go too wrong with a TFO Predator. On the other hand I have also heard good things about the Orvis Clearwater. Which, is the rod that Tom Rosenbauer uses for bonefish. Which surprised me since he can use and rod in the Orvis stable.

Good luck!

 

[44runner]

I own the Redington Predator and it is a really great rod. I would highly recommend it.

 

[jt23]

I casted the Clearwater at orvis yesterday and really liked that. Im going to cast a predator soon. Im down to the Clearwater, predator, and the link. Does anyone know what the difference is between the predator and the link? The link used to cost more but now is on clearance and is about the same price as the redington predator. They are both fast action I think, too. also a side note for the reel im between a lamson guru or an allen kraken if anyone has an expriences with these.
Thanks