Do I need a 10 wt for lings?

Caught a lot of rockfish but no lingcod with my 8 wt.  I don't seem to have too much of a problem casting the big ling flies and my full sinking line yet, but only going for maybe 30 ft casts if even that far.  Fishing in maybe 40 ft of water...don't know since my FF is not working although using the old 'snag' the bottom approach.
If I do need a 10 wt...is there a rod that I could also use for Permit if I one day can actually do a tropical get away?
Thanks for input...

Interesting question…  I use a 9wt saltwater rod for rockfish and lingcod but often wish it was an 8wt, so I wouldn't say you need a 10wt for lingcod, but then you tossed-in a question about permit fishing which I don't do, and never will.

Most 8wt rods have the lifting power to bring even a large lingcod to the surface, so that shouldn't be an issue - personally, I wouldn't hesitate to use a 6wt saltwater rod - but I'd have to be darned quick with the net when the lingcod reaches the surface.  Don't ask me how I learned that; it's a tale of triumph followed by heartbreak. 

An 8wt should be capable of casting the larger, heavier saltwater flies much farther than 30 feet, even if casting directly into a 10kt wind... perhaps your fly line isn't well matched to your rod?  Last year I learned I need to overline my 9wt with an 11wt full sinking line to get it to match the way I cast.

Trolling around on Google, I see that most guides recommend an 8wt rod as the "perfect" rod for bonefish and permit, but from what little I know about flats fishing, one needs to cast a fly two or three times further than 30 feet, and unless casting from a kayak is the limiting factor to how far you can cast your 8wt, I'd think you might want to solve that problem first before investing in a heavier rod.

Perhaps surf12foot and Nobaddays will chime in with their own answers, but in my opinion, your 8wt should do both jobs - lingcod and permit - quite nicely.

I would say an 8 wt. for lings will get it done as long as it has a backbone(I used my 8wt. for years off the jetties here in Oregon- all I had) Some times you will be under gunned. Start throwing heavy weighted flies in the 10- 14 inch range and starting to look like a dead chicken or a baby greenling into the wind your going to have to work at your casting. An 8wt. will do for small permit (under 10lbs.) and baby tarpon. I would go with a 9wt.fast action, it's your flats work horse- bonefish, permit(remember these fish get 30 plus pounds), tarpon(30- 40lbs.), barracuda and snook. The wind is going to be your biggest problem and for permit your going to need cast heavy lead eyed crab flies that are some what wind resistance 65 +feet into a spot the size of 2 ft. or less while fighting a good stiff wind. If you get that very rare day on the flats with no wind your looking at a cast of at least 80 foot as not to spook the permit (the most spookish fish on the flats). Remember this fly fishing in the ocean your matching up with the wind more than you are the fish.

Thanks for info guys.  I may have found another lingcod spot with only 50 ft of depth.  I really haven't needed to cast further than maybe 40 ft as I simply drift close to the target area and then cast about how deep I think it is then let it sink...then do small strips once I think the fly is at depth.  I still haven't caught one yet, so not sure if doing correctly.
I'll wait on purchasing a 10wt until my 8 wt gets outmatched...that would be fun though!

I'll wait on purchasing a 10wt until my 8 wt gets outmatched...that would be fun though!

Take my word for it, it's only a so-so experience... 

Just curious, what do you consider to be a lingcod spot?

I don't know if this is going to help you since we don't know if a 50 or 60 foot cast is tough for you, but I have to overline my 9wt to roughly an 11.5wt line (I don't use integrated lines, I use shooting lines and sink tips) to get the distance I expect when casting from a seated position.  Well, that plus I'm looking for a theoretical sink rate of 12 inches/second - just because I'm that impatient.

I've been told by a couple other kayakers of lingcod off one of the jetties and maybe even a better spot where they used a bunch of sunken cars and barges to make a jetty for another yacht club.  I was told my 8 wt might not be able to keep the fish out of the cars if I let it gain ground on me once it's hooked.  Pretty easy kayaking as long as I'm somewhat conscious of the tides.  The pedal drive helps me keep a consistent drift from the jetties as I'm fishing.  If I strike out with the fly rod, I might try gear just to verify lings are actually there.

My experience using a 9wt is it isn't the rod's fault if you can't stop a big lingcod - a big one will tow your kayak as far as it wants, anywhere it wants to go, and then dive down into the rocks and sit there until you try tugging at it and break your leader and start crying. 

My experience using a 9wt is it isn't the rod's fault if you can't stop a big lingcod - a big one will tow your kayak as far as it wants, anywhere it wants to go, and then dive down into the rocks and sit there until you try tugging at it and break your leader and start crying. 

been there, done that (but with a spinning rod/reel).     

Ha!  Here I was trying to show restraint and not purchase another rod.  Luckily for me, I'm pretty satisfied with the less expensive rods like TFO BVK's.  I guess I get to go out and get a 9 wt.  Getting towed around is the greatest...losing it in the end would suck!  Sounds like a BVK is still satisfactory for a flats trip.  I found some guys that use it as a backup rod.
I saw a thread about lining up for lings a while ago.  Have either of you had good success with a specific line?  One of the guys mentioned doubling over 3 ft of 14T (maybe it was 20T?).  I'm not sure I'll ever be fishing in that kind of tide with a fly rod.  I'd probably pull out a gear rod if the current is that strong. I'm usually fishing the puget sound and will give a try out of La Push once I get more experience.  I'll be fishing Neah Bay and Sekiu also.  Maybe 60-100ft of depth.  I can probably use it up in Alaska for chinook too.  (my imagination can find justification anywhere)

My experience using a 9wt is it isn't the rod's fault if you can't stop a big lingcod - a big one will tow your kayak as far as it wants, anywhere it wants to go, and then dive down into the rocks and sit there until you try tugging at it and break your leader and start crying. 

been there, done that (but with a spinning rod/reel).     

Thank you!  Reading this, I feel a bit better about myself.

I don't use a lot of different lines for saltwater fishing.

The way I set things up, it doesn't matter to me what line I'm using because the sink tip is doing all the work.  Scientific Anglers and Airflo lines seem to last longer than RIO lines when dragged across rocks, but a RIO line would work just as well if your experience with their lifespan is different than mine.

My favorite setup is a SA Freshwater/Saltwater Intermediate Shooting line (https://www.scientificanglers.com/product/freshwater-saltwater-intermediate-sinking-shooting-line/) with 15-20 feet of T-18 or T-20.  It's a cheap way to get deep quickly.

I also use an 8wt SA SONAR Titan WF Full Intermediate line (https://www.scientificanglers.com/product/sonar-titan-full-intermediate/) with 22-28 feet of T-18 (doubled over) and that both gets down darned quickly and is just a bit easier to cast that longer/heavier sink tip for distance.

Lately I've been using a Wulff Intermediate line (http://royalwulff.com/products/saltwater-tt-intermediate-fly-line/) in lakes and rivers and like it enough that I may get one for my 9wt.

I'm not using long/heavy sink tips to battle currents in saltwater; I'm looking for a theoretical sink rate of 11-12 inches per second so I'm not waiting around for a minute or more to get down 30 feet.  That said, fishing around the rocks, or the jetties and breakwaters, there's always a strong current somewhere beneath me, so when the fly lands here but ends up way over there, I either move or I change the target I'm casting to so the current will carry the fly where I want it to go.

Now about that lingcod: after I'd stopped sobbing and dried my tears, the guy I was fishing with that day paddled over to tell me that if I'd just sat still and waited, the lingcod would have come out of the rocks and given me another shot at landing it.  Good stuff to know... five minutes earlier. 

Thanks for great info.
About waiting...the owner of the fly shop I frequent who told me about the sunken car reef...he mentioned about just giving the fish time to swim back out from under the cars.  Thought he was kidding at the time.

Try to find Nobaddays and ask about lines.  He mostly uses integrated sinking and floating lines.

On your permit question, a 9wt is standard fare. A ten would be for tarpon. Look for a rod with a fairly stiff butt section, of course salt water grade.