Tarpon Rods

[SpexnReds]

I am in the market for a new 11 wt travel set up. I already purchased a nice red Nautilus 12 CCF (absolutely fantastic reels) and am looking for a nice rod to put it on. I have a couple Scott s3s and x2s and like them alot. However, I hear Loomis makes a solid 4 piece GLX Crosscurrent, but the general consensus on the finest tarpon rods made seems to lie with the Thomas and Thomas Horizon series (both I and II). How do Thomas and Thomas and Loomis measure up to an s3s as far as durability and butt strength go when fighting a good sized fish? I know both cast great, but I am looking for some input of people who have caught fish on them.

[Capt. John]

Have never casted the T&T tarpon rods... I have always been a big loomis fan, CC are great rods but I actually prefer the old standard GLX over anything else. One of the best rods "ever" made. Just my 2 cents.....

[Quicksilver]

The "old standard GLX", there goes the durability criteria out the window.

[Tarpon41]

I have seen but a few T&T in the keys or northwest FLA the guides who are not committed to sponsor I've seen the one piece loomis in both 10 and 12 as for four piece sage loomis scott...I use an 11wt two piece rplx, a 10 wt TCR, a 11 wt three piece xtr winston and a 12 wt three piece xtr have never broken any fly rod on a tarpon fishing 12-16-20...in fact I was using the guide's 12wt one piece loomis with 50 lb straight line for filming jumps...horsing the fish up...if I lived where I fished it would be the one piece loomis...IMO if you want a killer 11wt get an old sage rplx...if you have an experienced guide and you are familar with fighting tarpon in hand Stu Apte style a rod with guts in the butt is necessary...see some of the recent articles by Andy Mill

[joshr]

Spex--

Check your PMs.

--Josh

[sue m]

The "old standard GLX", there goes the durability criteria out the window.

When did Loomis make a 11 weight 'old' Glx? I didn't know they had that model. (I know they had a mega 10-11 Glx though).

I do know about the 9 wt 'old' GLX - it is a very durable rod. I have several of them. One of mine is 10 years old and has been through the ringer - really used and fished and I can't kill it. I have a 10 weight that's excellent too. The version prior to the GLX, the IMX was somewhat fragile and did blow up. Of course they'll all break if you high stick or if they've caught too many clousers etc.

As far as 11 weights go, the discontinued Sage RPLXi is an interesting rod. The tip is so limber that it practically folds down when fighting a large fish. Its a real nice rod to 'catch' fish with. They only come 2 and 3 piece though and aren't a current model.

Good luck finding the right rod.

[Tarpon41]

Specs

As I said before I have regularly caught tarpon on my 11 and 12 three piece XTR winstons; however, I just cast a new four piece 12 wt II MX winston it was a light feel in casting...did not feel like the usual 12 wts...that said if I only had one saltwater rod to have...it would be the old three piece XTR 11 wt why?? because it works for me when fishing and not just lawn casting...I would try the new 12 wt BII MX. ...Here's the test I use when trying rods...replicate what happens on the casting platform of the flats boat when the guide says cast at 70 feet and closing...fly in hand maybe 10 feet of flyline out the tip...50-55 feet coiled on the deck or in a fiskars leaf bucket...now which one feels the best and does the best in distance and accuracy in 2 complete cycles and in 3 complete cycles

[wendell]

To date the 10wt HorizonI is the finest rod I've ever fished. So nice that I gave my 10wt GLX away(I really don't like the GLX). While I've yet to land a tarpon on the T&T(I'll try again this year), it's back bone, power and dampening make it my go to rod for challenging striper fishing, e.g. infront of bridges, BIG rips/currents, crusty rocks, pilings... That and the fit, finish and attension to detail is world class. It's impressive that T&T is even remotely comparative $ wise to the Loomis.

For the record when not fishing the T&T, I fish a 9wt S3S. The finest 9wt blank I've ever fished coupled with the worst build quality/ attension to detail I've ever see. Nothings perfect.

[SpexnReds]

What are you referring to when you say the s3s has the worst build/quality? I own 2 and I can't really complain. They seem to cast beautifully and I have yet to experience any breakages or rod failure in general. Ill admit that as far as the look of the rod, it isn't stunning and looks like a run of the mill fly rod, but I really am a fan of the performance.

[wendell]

I love the performance of my S3S. It casts like a dream but after buying it new in April... the reel seat is loose, the tip top fell off, one male internal ferrel wasn't installed right (I should have inspected it better before buying but still) hence the female is cracked, a second male ferrel is either cracked or was made wrong (loose graphite splinters) and the wraps on the lower guides show signs of lifting from the blank.

Despite this list of problems, I STILL love the rod. It casts like a dream, shoots a couple of rod lengths of backing at will and loads quick enough for short shots. It handled a 20#+ blue fish in a massive outflow current Saturday.

Great fishing rod. If I send it in I hope Scott will sort out the short comings in the off season.

[Flyboy@AK]

On our recent trip, three of my buddies broke a T&T, Sage Xi2, and TFO TiXR 10wts, all on the second day, on Tarpon. My Beulah 10/11 Bluewater was the bomb, what a rod. I can really work those fish to tire them once on the hook and the jumping ceased. And it casts like a rocket making those other rods look weak. Fine rod and value in my book. As Beulah's website says "this is a rod you will keep for a long time, and take to special places around the world". I agree after fishing it in high winds for ten days on big fish.

[sweet+salt]

Well, SpexnReds, you asked for tarpon rod advice and you got it. Read between the lines (and the brand loyalty) and you see lots of experienced folks like older, discontinued rods for poons. There is a reason for this: many of the older rods like the Sage RPLX and the Stu Apte Diamondback (two undisputed great tarpon sticks) feature thicker walled (fiberglass scrimed), larger diameter blanks that can take the abuse of hooking and fighting this out-sized fly rod king. Many of the new rods which employ carbon fiber scrim and higher modulus graphite, cast better but are more pron to catastrophic failure...which is not to say that the Scott S3s and Heliply (if you can find one) and Loomis GLX (both 'cassic' and CC) are not terrific rods.

Just to keep this fun thread brewing, I'll add another rod into the recommended list: Albright's #10, 11 & 12 'XX'. This big-game series of modestly priced rods, though high-tech, harken back to the great rods referred to above with thick walled, large diameter construction but retain the smooth enjoyable casting stroke of some of the new light weight models. Have any of you other tarpon folks had any experience with this rod?

[Strat]

I have a HSII 12-weight. It is a great casting rod and the fit and finish are exceptional. I have not done any tarpon, but have put it to the test on a 60# bluefin and multiple 50# amberjacks in very deep water using heavy tippet. It held up nicely although there were a few moments when I could have snapped it on the tuna...might be a different deal in shallow water...don't know.