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I am thinking of taking my 8wt with me to the FL panhandle this October. I have been looking at a couple of saltwater fly lines. One is the Wulff TT and the other is a Rio Main stream. The other line I was considering is Orvis Silver Label saltwater line. All three of these are priced within my budget.
I currently have an SA Mastery saltwater line on my 9wt.
Dave
I have been using some Rio Mainstream Saltwater lines for seven years now from freshwater and saltwater under conditions ranging from winter in San Diego (55 deg. air and water) to the topics (100 deg air and 80deg water). The line needs a bit of stretching in the colder conditions, but not too much. Its taper is similar to the Clouser taper line so I find it works great as a bass bug line too.
Fly lines, like rods, are very personal; what works well for one may not work so well for someone else. But of the lines you mentioned, I can state that the Orvis Silver Label saltwater line works well for me. I have used it for some time on my Scott Heliply 9-wt, and it works great. Another line I've recently liked (although it may not be in your budget) is the Airflo Ridge Bonefish taper - great line!
I second the Air Flo line! Great line....
Any of the three you mentioned should work well with the 8wt. You should not need a tropical fly line in October for the Florida panhandle. It should not be that hot.
I've used the Rio Mainstream all this year and have really liked it.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am in the pro purchase programs of both SA and Rajeff Sports (Airflo). I am a huge fan of the Airflo tropical saltwater lines and a fan of the SA Redfish line (especially for what you will be doing in the FL panhandle with an 8wt). But I must say that I am also a big fan of the Wulff Bermuda Triangle fly lines. They perform much more like the Airflo lines, but even afford a more delicate landing. Now...I will say this...if you have been using SA saltwater lines and you go to the Wulff Bermuda Triangle, you will have to adjust a bit to the different taper to make smooth, long casts. But once you play with it for a bit and adjust, it's a fantastic line with less wind resistance, more responsiveness, a lighter swing weight for the same amount of aerialized line, and a softer landing. You will need to control it with your line hand and rod tip and slow it down a bit when you reach the desired distance to keep it from bouncing back a bit near the tip if you have a tendency to over-power your casts. I see this a LOT with all saltwater lines, but the BT's triangle taper magnifies the effect. That's also why it will land a fly softer, which is very desirable when fishing to tailing fish in clear, shallow water - especially bone fish and permit (which you won't find in the FL Panhandle).