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NEED NEW 9WT

4K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  fishordie 
#1 ·
I AM LOOKING FOR A NEW 9WT FOR SALT WATER, EITHER A T&T HORIZON, OR A SCOTT S3S, LOOKING FOR ADVICE. THANKS JOHN:Eyecrazy:
 
#2 ·
John,
well you already made two of the best choices. these rods are both killer and will do anything you want them to. i would cast them both and see which you like better. that really will be all it comes down to. the scott has just a slightly softer tip and stiffer middle where the T&T has a more traditional action where the tip is a little stiffer. definitly try them both.
 
#6 ·
John,

How would you rate your casting skill, 1-10 and also what rods have you owned in the past that you really liked and cast well with?

I assume this 9wt is going to be used for stripers based on your location. What percentage boat verses shore fishing?

What line meets your fishing needs most?
 
#7 ·
This past offseason I tried just casting just about every rod on the market, including the scott and T&T you mentioned, and I have to say personally I went with the Sage Xi2. It was more suited to my needs, which include flats fishing, where I want a rod that has enough power to throw 70 feet without effort and flip a 20 foot sidearmed cast to a passing pod... In my book the feel of this rod was head and shoulders above the rest.

EDIT: I casted all 9 weights...
 
#9 ·
9 wt

juro said:
John,

How would you rate your casting skill, 1-10 and also what rods have you owned in the past that you really liked and cast well with?

I assume this 9wt is going to be used for stripers based on your location. What percentage boat verses shore fishing?

What line meets your fishing needs most?
my casting skill is about 5, I will be doing shore fishing, flats ect, i am going to try the sage Xi2. Thanks for the advice. JOHN
 
#10 · (Edited)
Xi2 is a disappointment

I may be in the minority here. I just ordered a Scott S3S. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Scott STS lover. I have a 9 weight STS and a 10 weight and love those rods and I can't for the life of me understand why they discontinued that great rod. I live on Cape Cod where you can always count on one thing; the ever-present wind. Last year, I got a Sage Xi2 because I heard they were great rods. I don't know why Sage and most web sites rate this as a fast action rod. Some even rate it a VERY fast rod. To me, the Xi2 is somewhat of a wimpy rod, at least when it comes to fishing here on the Cape, in the wind. The tip is just too darned soft. I may be jaded because the Scott STS is a very stiff rod with a progressive taper and never seems to collapse when you have 70 feet of line up in the air, a big Deceiver or Clouser tied on and a 15 knot wind blasting you in the face. The Xi2 in these conditions? Forget it. The 9 weight Xi2 just doesn't seem to have the punch to me. You want to throw a size 6 Crazy Charlie to a bonefish? I think the 8 weight Xi2 might be the ideal rod. They ARE very sensitive rods, with good feel. But if you're fishing seriously heavy flies and shooting heads or the Airflo 40 plus saltwater line in the surf, you can't beat a Scott rod in my opinion. Here is another tid bit. The fly shop dealer where I ordered my S3S told me the Xi2 is the Sage rod they return to Sage the most often..... for breakage. I've never broken a rod, because I know how to avoid it, but....Just FYI. I ordered the Scott S3S 909-3 without even casting it...I'm that confident in Scott rods. By the way, I DID land the biggest striper I've ever caught, a big shouldered 35 inch Lady, on the Xi2 and it handled the fish very well. OK.
 
#12 · (Edited)
slipangle said:
I may be in the minority here. I just ordered a Scott S3S. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Scott STS lover. I have a 9 weight STS and a 10 weight and love those rods and I can't for the life of me understand why they discontinued that great rod. I live on Cape Cod where you can always count on one thing; the ever-present wind. Last year, I got a Sage Xi2 because I heard they were great rods. I don't know why Sage and most web sites rate this as a fast action rod. Some even rate it a VERY fast rod. To me, the Xi2 is somewhat of a wimpy rod, at least when it comes to fishing here on the Cape, in the wind. The tip is just too darned soft. I may be jaded because the Scott STS is a very stiff rod with a progressive taper and never seems to collapse when you have 70 feet of line up in the air, a big Deceiver or Clouser tied on and a 15 knot wind blasting you in the face. The Xi2 in these conditions? Forget it. The 9 weight Xi2 just doesn't seem to have the punch to me. You want to throw a size 6 Crazy Charlie to a bonefish? I think the 8 weight Xi2 might be the ideal rod. They ARE very sensitive rods, with good feel. But if you're fishing seriously heavy flies and shooting heads or the Airflo 40 plus saltwater line in the surf, you can't beat a Scott rod in my opinion. Here is another tid bit. The fly shop dealer where I ordered my S3S told me the Xi2 is the Sage rod they return to Sage the most often..... for breakage. I've never broken a rod, because I know how to avoid it, but....Just FYI. I ordered the Scott S3S 909-3 without even casting it...I'm that confident in Scott rods. By the way, I DID land the biggest striper I've ever caught, a big shouldered 35 inch Lady, on the Xi2 and it handled the fish very well. OK.
Great post, Fast rods are fine with floating lines in the wind. But, the dirty little secret of the rodmaking world is fast is not always powerful. I owned and sold a Winston B II 9' 10 Wt. It was a great rod with floating lines but it folded with a big sinking head. And this criticism is from a person who LOVES green Rods. The old XTR feels much slower in the hand but is much more POWERFUL. And your right about the old Scott STS I own a 9' 8wt., That was one of the finest saltwater series ever.
 
#13 ·
slipangle said:
I may be in the minority here. I just ordered a Scott S3S. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Scott STS lover. I have a 9 weight STS and a 10 weight and love those rods and I can't for the life of me understand why they discontinued that great rod.
I sold one on eBay several years ago in a major thin-out-the-collection fit
and I can't figure out why I did. I've thought of trying to find a good used one.
 
#14 ·
For me the T&T Horizon II is the rod. It has changed my catch rate and is powerful rod. I used to be a Sage guy but after owning the T&T it's my go to rod. I agree with the review of the Winston BIIX . I own them both along with several Sage rods but the T&T wins hands down. Fly rods are like trucks. "My Chevy is better than your Ford" you get my message. FishHawk
 
#15 ·
Amen brother. Just stay away from the horizon if you lookin to sling alot of line. I've got an 8wt hII and a five love them both. Great in the wind. Never tried a scott or sage. Thought about the xi2 for big tarpon, but decided to stick with T&T. Have fun and try them all.
 
#16 ·
Don't forget the Helix!

I have Helix 9wt and Horizon II 8wt. They are both amazing rods with slightly different characters. The Helix is more forgiving to errors in casting strokes, etc than the Horizon, I think. Yet, it has just about all the butt power I need on a 9wt saltwater stick. It handles wind quite well also. To me, it seems a bit easier to cast with a wider loop with the Helix when I have to use heavily weighted flies on a floating line. The Horizon doesn't seem to do so well if I intentionally widen the loop. Don't get me wrong. I love the Horizon also and choose it over the Helix more than half of the time. But if I had to choose just one rod to do all of my saltwater fishing, from chasing bones on the flats to dredging a 30ft sinktip in deeper water, I would go with the Helix 9wt. Anyone else here uses the Helix?

Just another great rod for you to consider.
 
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