Best Fly Rods for TARPON in 2024
The best fly rods for Tarpon in 2024 (also the most popular ones with customers) are the Sage Salt R8, the Scott Sector, the Thomas & Thomas Sextant, and the Winston Air 2 MAX. Orvis just released the new HELIOS series and they are also excellent but we have not tested them as much yet. These are the best fly rods overall and have the highest customer satisfaction. There are some other nice fly rods out there like Hardy or the G. Loomis NRX+ series, which we do not carry for various reasons not related to the quality of the rods themselves.
Larger rod sizes can help end fights sooner, tiring you and the fish out far less. I know a guide who can catch baby Tarpon (smaller than your arm) on a 6wt but it's not always a good idea to fish too light a rod for the larger Tarpon.
I have seen the trend shifting from 12wt to 11wt to 10wt over the years, and the best answer for most people, especially beginners, is still an 11wt just in case. Don't get me wrong, a 10wt is tons of fun for medium Tarpon but if you get into the really big ones you won't enjoy fighting them for 2+ hours in 100 degree heat. Trust me.
"Why are these the best saltwater fly rods for Tarpon?" Because they are the best saltwater fly rods on the market, period. That's why we carry them in our shop, and we fish with them too.
There really aren't that many options for really great saltwater fly rods on the market anyway, especially at the high end. For a great "less expensive" option, still $675, the Scott Wave and Sage Maverick are also great. For a little less than that, the TFO Blitz and Axiom-II X are the ones to get in the $400-$500 range.
As always, if you guys have any questions feel free to give us a call at 941-483-6847 or email us: info@saltflypro.com
1 comment
Purchased a ccfx2 Silver King the reel appears to be properly spooled. On the first fish the reel under pressure seems to have an issue with the bearings seem to grind a a specific position. It did that on the next two fish i caught. Is there something i can look at to fix?? Very smooth when not under pressure.