He is talking true albacore tuna, not the little tunny or false albacore of the east coast. I would not want to tangle with a 30 or 40lb albacore with a 9 or 10 wt., much less a 50 or 60lb speciman and 9 and 10wt rods just don't have the backbone to lift an albie that has sounded a couple hundred feet down. A 12wt is normally considered the minimal for albies and many anglers use 13 or 14wt rods. Weight of the rod is not a consideration since you usually do not make many casts during a day of albacore fishing.