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The "Corked bat" Hardy Proaxis 1 pc winner.
In the wake of our 5-weight shootout, there were high expectations for the new Hardy Proaxis Saltwater rods. The four-piece version of their 9 foot #8 Proaxis was somewhat disappointing, but I am happy to say that the Hardy Proaxis new 8 foot 10 inch one-piece rods are exceptional! Their 8-weight one-piece was dramatically better in almost every way than the 4-piece version. They are far lighter than the 4-piece models and even stronger. This rod makes you want to go out and buy a new car with enough room that you can fit a one-piece rod inside for all of your fishing ventures. Although we are really comparing apples to oranges with this rod, I found this to be the best performing rod in our tests. If you are in an area where traveling with this rod from location to location is not an issue, or if you can keep it in your boat or skiff, this is my choice for the best 8-weight rod you can buy!
#1 Sage Xi3 9' #8, 4-pc. $725.00
It was difficult for me to pick a winner between this rod and the Loomis NRX. The Xi3 just felt more comfortable for me. It seemed to balance perfectly with the Tibor Everglades and SA WF-8-F Bonefish Line we used in our test. Throwing tight accurate loops at short distances was unprecedented, whether the wind was blowing in all directions or if the weather was calm. At mid-range this rod was extremely smooth and really had what I felt was the perfect feel. It was even great with a moderate amount of wind. This rod was a cannon at long distance, and I could throw 100’ with only 3 false casts from the point of having the yarn in my hand. For 4-piece rods this is the top runner in my eyes.
#2 G. Loomis NRX 9 foot #8, 4-pc. $760.00
Another outstanding rod from G. Loomis that has been billed as the best fly rod ever built. I am hesitant to make it my number one, but it was almost a toss up between the Xi3 and the NRX. This rod felt extremely light in my hand. In close, I found it performed as well as anything we tested, and it would put a size 6 Gotcha in the money at 35 feet. At 60 feet this rod doesn’t seem to have the character and feel that the Xi3 does. In the distance contest, It is right up there with Xi3 but to me, lacks just a hint of accuracy. This is a great rod in almost every respect, a rod anybody would find a joy to use, and I felt that it finished a very close second to the Sage Xi3.
#3 St. Croix Legend Elite Saltwater 9'#8, $470.00
At $470 this rod is $250 less that our top two rods, but seems definitely in the same league as the top two. It was a surprise to everyone that Legend Elite performed so well. This rod is built with the same nano resin technology as the NRX and Hardy rods, but at a substantially more affordable price. It seems this rod is a little heavier in hand than the NRX or Xi3 but not significantly, and I wouldn't let the tiny difference in weight scare me away since the rod performed so well. At 60’ this rod has a perfectly smooth action that seems very close to that of the Xi3. It is surprisingly strong at longer distances and has the ability to drop a fly in a three-foot diameter hula hoop at 100 feet.
#4 G. Loomis CrossCurrent GLX 9' #8, 4-pc, $680.00
The older G-Loomis CrossCurrent GLX, that won our first 8-weight shootout is still a great rod, even when thrown up against all of these other new high tech performance rods. Although this rod is a little heavier than the NRX, I think I preferred it up close. At longer distances I still prefer the NRX over this rod. I really like the aesthetics on this rod compared to the NRX as well. This is still a great rod, if I had to pick only one Loomis rod to fish, there is no question it would be the NRX.
#5 Temple Fork Outfitters BVK 9'#8, 4-pc. $249.95
This rod is as steal at two hundred and fifty dollars! It is great up close and can really deliver a nice, light delicate presentation. It has tons of power though, and you can still throw 100’ of line fairly easily. It has a lot of punch and gets the line out quickly with a lot of velocity. This rod also seems far lighter in hand than the other rods under $350.00. TFO rods have always been a guide favorite because they build a tough, high performance rod at a great price. They also have the best warranty in the business.
#6 Scott S4s 9' #8, 4-pc. $725.00
For the majority of my situations in saltwater flats fishing, casting accurately at distances of less than 50 feet is far more important than launching missiles over 80 feet! This rod really shines at casting those short distances with smaller bonefish flies. Even up to 60’ this rod is still stimulating. However, when I try to reach out for longer distances, this rod can’t get the job done as well as the stronger rods. If you want a good light bonefish rod for skittish fish on shallow flats, this may be the rod for you.
#7 Loomis NativeRun GLX 9' #8, 4-pc. $685.00
I’ve been fishing Loomis rods for years and have always been pleased with their performance. The native run series has been around for a long time and it may be time for Loomis to discontinue these and focus on their other top rods. To its credit, this rod has a nice smooth stroke, and is very accurate at close distances. At mid distances the line feels heavier than the other top end rods. At longer distances this rod is not very useful and won't handle the wind that we are so accustomed to when fishing 8-weights. If you are dead set on an 8-weight Loomis rod, put your money toward the Crosscurrent or NRX.
#8 Hardy Proaxis 9' #8, 4-pc. $695.00
This is a brand new rod surrounded by lots of hype from Hardy. After the performance of Hardy's 5-weight Hardy Zenith, winning our latest 5-weight shootout, I was excited to see the saltwater models. Unfortunately this rod did not live up to my expectations. It is heavy in the hand and at the most common flats distances I couldn’t feel the rod work much. This lack of feel also resulted in a lack of accurate presentations. At long distance this rod is quite nice. I would definitely up size to a nine-weight line for this rod for extreme wind and big heavy flies.
#9 Orvis Access Tip Flex 9' #8, 4-pc. $375.00
I think the Orvis Access, at less than half the price, is better than the Orvis Helios! The rod has a nice flex that makes for a light delivery in close. It still has good power, but not as much as some of the higher priced rods. I think this rod is a great bargain buy for someone looking for a good rod at a mid-level price.
#10 Orvis Helios Tip-Flex 9' #8, 4-pc. $795.00
Orvis rods have always been attractive to look at, but they never seem to perform as well for me as I have expected. I think there are much better rods listed above that offer better performance, at far smaller price. I could buy three TFO BVK rods for the same amount of money and still have some money left over for flies! From my prospective, I just didn’t have a bond with this rod.
11. Winston BIIMX 9'#8, 4-pc. $685.00
Winston really needs to do some work to give us a high quality, strong 8-weight rod in their line up - especially one that can be used in saltwater. The BII MX we tested seemed to be lagging behind all of the other high end rods in this department. It is so disappointing because they make the most beautiful, high performance trout rods in existence.
#12 Redington CPX 9' #8, 4-pc. $329.00
Redington has been known for making a quality product as a good price. I know many tackle dealers in the Midwest who sell a ton of these rods. To me, when casting this rod heads up with the other 8-weights, it just doesn’t measure up. My first impression was this rod is heavy. Our specs. confirm that. On longer casts I couldn’t hold very much line in the air unless I used a lot of effort. I really think one could do better in choosing a rod like the Orvis Access at a similar price.
13. St. Croix Imperial 9' #8, 4-pc. $210.00
I really had expected the Imperial to have performed better, but it just wasn’t there for me. All the other rods feel smoother and this rod feels both stiff and heavy. I think this series of Imperial rods needs to be revamped with the new high tech materials and resins, and then reintroduced in coming years.
#14 Sage VXP 9' #8, 4-pc. $525.00
There had to be a loser and it’s sad to see the supposed ‘good old XP’ be the one. I have been fishing the original Sage XP all spring lake fishing here in Montana and there is just something missing in this new series. The company advertises that this is the same rod as the original XP but I don't buy it. Perhaps it is just nostalgic thinking, but to me, this rod is not even close to the original.
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