I can see why you want to try some of the heavy-line-weight glass. The System 8, 9, or 10 would be up there on the try list. Maybe some of the Fenwicks as well. On the other hand, there is something to be said for "dance with the one that brung ya."

Another vote for the BAG. If you want to go down the rabbit hole of rod building, the Proof 8wt would probably do what you want it to in a fairly cost effective manner. I fish it with a RIO OBS 8wt and it's easily an all day casting rod. Much more powerful than the CGR, which I also have.

Wasn't so much for your benefit Paul, as trying to explain to others what we're talking about.

I'm going after big specs down in the Texas tropics a week from tomorrow.
Lower Laguna Madre is hypersaline (no freshwater inlets), and the big sows are staking out their winter breeding turf, plus herding reds, schooling specs (20"), black drum, flounder, and sheepshead on the flats (they really want to get back to deep water).
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11303.shtml (except for the intercoastal, everything blue on this chart is <2' turtle grass -
- ok, the grass line is halfway to Padre island and from there it's bare hard-pack to the island, but the wind is not going to let us paddle that far east).
We're renting a cabin on Arroyo Colorado and kayaking.
It looks so crazy good on paper. low 70, high 85, SSE prevailing wind, partly cloudy, Low tides 7am, high tides 7pm, and we have a lighted pier at the cabin.

The Arroyo was the Rio Grande thousands of years ago before the channel moved south. Now it's a tide slough they keep dredged for shipping to Harlingen.

This is a November schoolie at South Padre


The same November week, we were running a power boat up the grassline and watching for feeding pelicans over the bare sand. Turn the boat out and around upwind and beach, and wade the hard sand to the lone sows, which looked like speeding gators with their backs out of the water.
I got a spec over 25" every day that week

Well I had mentioned something to my wife about buying another saltwater fly rod and her response was "don't buy anything yet it's almost Christmas, Santa might bring you something." So we will see what happens. She also has asked me to teach her to fly fish so she can fish with me more and picked up a brochure about a bonefish trip to Belize all on her own. I think she may have hit her head...

I find the Fenwick Ferralites until 8'6" "very light" between the Vintage Glass rods and even between the newest ones ; and they have a lot of backbone

i usualy like my 8'6" 8weight Ferralite with a 6weight line on the Bass in little water, but one time i try a #9 line on this Ferralite #8 and it was the only time and the only rod that allowed me to cast all the line until the backing, soi think you could take a look to the vintage Ferralites

If you can get to a state where your wife wants to plan vacations around bonefish, you should proceed on this in whatever way you think will get to that result.

JACKPOT WINNER!!!

On a side note, have you been talked out of a new rod, or "are ya thirsty for more?" Always loved that movie line.

As promised I'm back and am now the new owner of a RPLX 1090-2 and a Jim Teeny TST400 line. Not glass but I'm sure this thing will bomb it out there even with some of the big striper and musky flies in my box.

Nice to see Santa came through! You must have been a good boy!

Yes it should be able to reach out there when I need it. Probably give it a whirl on the local musky stream Saturday

I have not tried a modern 10 weight glass, but many years ago i borrowed an old one to use with large bass hair bugs. I remember after a couple of hours, I was ready to swap it for a lighter telephone pole. I hope the new glass is better, but anything over 8 weight these days is graphite for me.

I use a few larger vintage Hardys. Fine for me but I'm not fishing salt in the rain,wind and snow. I know a guy who built himself a Steffen 8/9wt. He swears by it. From what he's said and add Ron's opinion... I'd consider a Steffen. Another avenue is a T&T Paradigm. They're third generation graphite rods that were designed to fish salt without killing your rotator cuff in the process. They're not too fast but can generate line speed better than glass.