Westin W8 Seabass Rod 8'8" 9-36G Review Part 1 Unboxing.
My Review of the Westin W8 Seabass 8'8" 9-36G Part 1 Unboxing.
TACKLE REVIEWS.
Steven Northey.
3/18/20263 min read
Westin W8 Seabass Rod 8'8" 9-36G.
Why i have chosen the Westin W8 for 2026.
At the start of 2026, I got to thinking about the year ahead, what kind of methods of fishing I want to explore for the bass season ahead. One method I didn’t get the chance to try was surf/beach fishing. I saw a Westin W2 Seabass 9'6" 12-42g on offer and took a chance on it; for £85, I thought, why not? A beautiful-looking rod for the price, and it will hopefully come in handy when I do some coastal fishing later on.
It got me thinking back to when I got to hold a Westin W8 and how nice it felt in my hand. Now I have four different rods: an Apia Art Magic, a Black Swan, and another rod I had for an all-round setup, plus my W2 for shore fishing. Why not sell the three others and buy a nice all-round rod that can do most of my fishing? So that’s what I have done. I sold the Art Magic and my other setup, and the Black Swan is for sale at the time of writing this.
So I got a Westin W8 that was discounted, and here is the first part of my review: the unboxing of it.
On removal of the rod from the tube it is protected by a nice thick neoprene bag. With the model W8, length, action and casting weight on the outside of the case.
Conclusion...
The Westin W8 comes in a black triangular tube with the Westin Gold writing on the outside. One end opens to give you access to the rod; the tube is very sturdy and can be used to transport the rod to your fishing sessions if need be, as shown in the images above.
The image above shows the cork sections integrated into the handle of the rod, along with the reel seat, which has a different design. This seems to benefit me as I have small hands and allows me to grip the rods more effectively. Every rod comes with its own individual number, mine being 85.
The image above shows the beautiful, almost camouflage color of the blank golden/black color, and the tangle-free Fuji® SIC guides.
The specifications of the Westin W8 Seabass are: Reel seat: Fuji® T2C carbon, Guides: Tangle-free Fuji® SIC guides, Blank: Toray® Torayca® T1100GC & M40JB, Blank colour: FE2O3 iron oxide, Hood: 360° custom-designed screw-down carbon hood, Hook-keeper: Seaguide® arc hook 2.5, Delivered in recyclable triangular cardboard box and neoprene rod bag, Unique serial number on each rod.
Saltwater bass fishing can be extremely challenging and requires a rod to be versatile enough to cast both hard and soft lures into the surf. Thanks to the exceptional Torayca® T1100GC carbon used in the blank, these rods are tough and powerful, yet retain the responsiveness and sensitivity demanded by bass anglers. The moderate-fast action has been optimized for long-distance casting with today's modern bass lures. Combined with a 3000 to 4000 spinning reel, these rods are the ultimate choice for the discerning seabass angler.
I bought my Westin W8 on the recommendation of a few anglers who use it, and I received very positive feedback from them. However, having very limited time, I haven't had the opportunity to try it out at the time of writing; hopefully, in the next few days, I will be fishing again and landing my first of many bass with it this year. Then I will be able to write part 2 of my review on how it performs, so watch out for this at a later date.
So, my first impression of the rod is very high; it feels good in the hand and balances well with both my Vanford 3000 and Stradic 4000 reels, so I have two options to use with it. As for the RRP price at £479.99 (I did get mine a lot cheaper), it’s a lot for some people, but for me, it’s hopefully one rod to do it all, rather than having 2 or 3 other rods sitting here doing nothing. Here is the link to the Westin site for the W8.
Thanks for reading my Unboxing review Tightlines Steve @ Kernow Bass.
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