If your are going to fish the Delta mostly for stripers a 9' 9wt is the best all around choice. This will handle any fish you are going to find there and most anglers find it a better choice for casting the heavy 27 to 30' LC13 or T14 shooting heads or 350-400 grain integrated sinking lines that are used there. A few anglers with lots of experience with heavy sinking lines opt for an 8wt line sometimes.

If you think you might do more LMB than striper fishing, including LMB in local lakes, then the 8wt would be just fine.

Most delta stripers are less than 20lbs, actually less than 10, and an 8wt will easily handle those fish. You might wish you had a heavier rod if you were lucky enough to hook up with a 25 or 30 lb fish, but with good technique and some luck you can still handle the bigger fish with an 8wt.


If you want to get two rods, get one of each.

When I go up their to fish I usually carry a couple of 8 wts and a couple of 9wts.