When I head to Belize for the honeymoon I’ll have a few rods along. One of those rods will be the new TNT from Thomas & Thomas. I wanted to see how the rod stacked up against one of the oldies-but-goodies, the Sage RPL. So, I headed out to the park with a camera and did a little casting.
The TNT and the RPL, New meets Old.
First up was the RPL.
I was actually a bit surprised at how nice this rod cast. I was hitting 50′ pretty well and into a little wind. The rod didn’t feel as fast as I remember it being. It is a two piece rod so it won’t be making any salty journeys with me, but it is a solid rod and a good choice for carp and Lower Sacramento trout fishing, maybe even some steelhead if I ever find the time to chase the steel again.
Next up was the TNT.
This was a pretty nice rod. I liked it. I probably had another 5′ of control and maybe 15% more accuracy.
In short, I like the rod. It is a modern, saltwater rod in the same vein as the other top rods out in the market. If you like Thomas & Thomas, I’d look at this rod. My go-to 5 wt. is actually an old T&T Emerger (my second choice 5 is actually an old Sage RPL+, so it is funny that I got to do this comparison of 7 wt. rods).
A 7 wt. is a legit rod selection for bonefish, especially Belize Bones. I tend to think of an 8 as the ideal, but I forget that my first bonefish was caught on a 7 and it was fun. I’m looking forward to chasing bones with this rod. Sadly, I’ll have to return it when done.
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- Gear from Belize - The TNT from T&T (0.913)
Tags: fly fishing, RPL, Sage, Thomas & Thomas, TNT
What are you taking for tarpon? I recommend at least a 10 wt with a WF floating line and some red / grizzly and fox squirrel cockroach flies, and some all black flies. 80lb Jinkai for bite tippets. Oh, and learn the slim beauty knot for putting it all together.
Dude, first, congrats on the wedding and getting re-hitched. Saw this [TVMA – SERIOUS language] the other day and thought of my divorced friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bekvgMEcgqI. (which is most of my friends, actually). Thought you might enjoy now that you have perspective on everything.
Also, good luck down in Belize and insist on an upstairs room that faces the ocean. Best night’s sleep I ever had. Ever. Ocean breeze blowing across my head all night. Maaan. [sigh]
Finally, nice casting, man. Crisp, clean, strong. Good stuff… only thing I’d say (which I know I shouldn’t at all but can’t help myself ’cause I have a problem) is that during the casting stroke your elbow gradually rides higher and higher. Not a licensed professional here, but try keeping your elbow as low as possible. In fact, wherever you start your elbow, just keep it there.
Anyways, congrats again and best wishes, bro. You deserve this.
Also, the backcast is so effective because your haul is stronger that way — hands are moving apart faster, pulling on the line more and loading the rod deeper — and your elbow doesn’t change planes dramatically on the delivery (probably because you haven’t developed that habit on your backcast). Finally, your stop is really a stop. Watch your rod for those few seconds: completely stationary. Good stuff.
I love that Louis CK bit. Sooooo true. I heard that first right at the height of things and it was like the Divine was speaking through Louis CK. Damn funny man.
Thanks on the pointers on the casting. I find it very helpful to get my cast broken down by objective eyes. What you think you do and what you actually do are generally two different things. The video is really key to understanding what is going on. Really appreciate the insight on that and I think you are bang on. My cast has improved, a lot, since I started saltwater fishing, but I know I have a long way to go still.
Thanks for the well wishing. Appreciate it.