Thomas & Thomas Exocett 88 8WT (250gr)
In Stock • Bozeman, MT
- 4-piece 8'8" multi-modulus blank in signature “T&T Blue” Semi-Gloss Finish
- Titanium frame stripping guides with ceramic inserts
- Recoil titanium alloy snake guides
- Flor-grade 7" full wells grip with composite nose
- Matte gunmetal, saltwater anodized aluminum reel seat
Description
The new Exocett™ 88 is built to handle a wide variety of fishing situations with precision and ease. With its easy-loading, progressive action, it’s designed to adapt seamlessly—whether you’re lifting and aerializing heavy sinking lines or delivering accurate floating line presentations.
At 8'8" with a steep taper, the Exocett™ 88 offers ultra-fast recovery, enabling effortless long-distance casting.
Designed to minimize fatigue, it’s perfect for all-day fishing. Built with proprietary multi-modulus carbon and S-Glass layups, the 88 has significantly more strength than previous composites, giving it superior hoop strength and reducing swing weight. This design provides excellent tracking, precision, and accuracy, along with extreme lifting power when you need it most.
Thomas & Thomas Exocett 88
.png?v=1772032222032)
Q: What specific fishing scenarios did you design this rod for, and where do you feel it truly excels in performance? A: This is our versatile rod series, for casting large streamers, sinking lines, and taming large fish. This is a progressive action rod series, allowing the Exocett 88 to pick up a lot of line at distance, or aerialize a sinking line quickly for minimal false casts. The 88 fights fish quickly with plenty of power and control, and can handle lifting very large fish especially in boatside scenarios. The carbon and S-glass layups used in this rod give it excellent strength when it counts. With the proper line pairings, this rod can handle many different fishing situations.
Q: What fly line would you recommend pairing with this rod? A: SA Amplitude Smooth Bonefish or SA Amplitude Grand Slam
| empty | Short | Medium | Long | FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caster 1 | 7 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 22.2 |
| Caster 2 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 23.8 |
| Caster 3 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 22.6 |
| Combined | 22.3 | 23.1 | 23.2 | 68.6 |
- When you fine tune a rod at 30’ (250 grains) it will struggle at distance. The rod does well in close, but has a dead spot at distance.
- Really smooth short. This is one of the better fly rods I have casted in close. Fairly smooth at mid-range. Low effort to cast.
- Really liked how this rod felt at 30’ (short) target. Easy, not clunky. I didn’t have to overthink. Not a lot of ‘figuring out’ at 40’ (medium) . . . a lot of fun to cast! Picks up from 40’ (medium) and goes smoothly to the 60’ range. Very smooth progression. My favorite Exocett 88 rod I have casted.
The Thomas & Thomas Exocett 88 (8wt) proved to be a close-range standout with a distinctly smooth, intuitive feel. At 30 feet, it was one of the better rods in the entire test — easy, fluid, and free of clunk. Multiple casters noted how little thought it required. You simply pick it up and cast. With 250 grains in close, it feels finely tuned and highly enjoyable.
Through the mid-range, the rod maintained that smooth progression. It transitions cleanly from 40 to 60 feet with low effort and without requiring much adjustment. For one caster, this was their favorite Exocett 88 model to date.
There was, however, a clear trade-off noted. When a rod is finely tuned for 30 feet, it can give something up at distance — and that showed here. While it performs well in close and remains smooth through mid-range, a dead spot emerges as you push it farther.
