Divemaster,

I regularly use an 8'6" 4wt blank that is converted to a spin rod. Thats been my go to rod all fall for steelhead.

Hell, I probably put well over 100 steelhead on the bank using a 7'9" 3wt conversion with straight 4lb this past spring in ohio. I pull hard too, as anyone who fishes with me can tell you.

8wt is way overkill for Great Lakes steelhead. 10' 6wt is plenty of rod.

Smallsac

Divemaster

KJH807

Divemaster

I thought about going for a 10' 7wt, but a 6wt is just to light in my experience. Maybe it's just the individual rod, but my 9' 8wt doesn't have much stopping power when a big fish wants to run for a while. I've lost more than one Steelhead in the Manchester hole because one hits and tears a** downstream towards the fast water under the bridge. I try to put the brakes on the fish but ultimately about 50% of the fish I catch that run downstream like that break me off using 7-8# tippet. If you think that the extra 12" of rod will compensate for moving down a weight then maybe I'll try it, but it not I'm sticking to an 8wt, which is also helpful for fishing the NY Tribs for even larger Chromers and Browns.

 - a heavier wt rod will have less "tippet protection"

That's good to know, I always figured that drag and rod action were the most responsible for tippet protection, but I suppose the overal weight of the rod should have a lot to do with it as well.

Okay then, think I'll go for a 10' 7wt. Anyone have recommendations for a sturdy model that can tame those silver bullets without snapping the tippet to often? Was thinking another large arbor reel for this setup like I have for my 8wt now. My price range is about $400-600 for the rod and reel, something that'll last a few years and not snap randomly a year later on a back cast (my friend has done that with certain mid range and cheaper rods haha).

Orvis Clearwater II, picked up my 10' 7wt, second hand online for $110.00.  Really like the rod, hate the company...

I was looking at Orvis recons the other day but forgot about the clear waters. How does it handle compared to other fly rods you've used? A 10' 7wt Clearwater rod paired with either a sage 4280 or Orvis hydros sl-IV sounds like a pretty good combo to me for steelhead and inland streamer fishing.

And why don't you like the company? Is it the customer service or just the snob attitude often associated with them? haha.

I have a 10' 7wt Orvis Clearwater as well.  It's an ok rod for the money but it feels really heavy when compared to the next step up money wise in rods, regardless of maker. But I rarely steelbow fish anymore, so it's a decent set up for me.

Divemaster

Smallsac

Divemaster

KJH807

Divemaster

I thought about going for a 10' 7wt, but a 6wt is just to light in my experience. Maybe it's just the individual rod, but my 9' 8wt doesn't have much stopping power when a big fish wants to run for a while. I've lost more than one Steelhead in the Manchester hole because one hits and tears a** downstream towards the fast water under the bridge. I try to put the brakes on the fish but ultimately about 50% of the fish I catch that run downstream like that break me off using 7-8# tippet. If you think that the extra 12" of rod will compensate for moving down a weight then maybe I'll try it, but it not I'm sticking to an 8wt, which is also helpful for fishing the NY Tribs for even larger Chromers and Browns.

 - a heavier wt rod will have less "tippet protection"

That's good to know, I always figured that drag and rod action were the most responsible for tippet protection, but I suppose the overal weight of the rod should have a lot to do with it as well.

Okay then, think I'll go for a 10' 7wt. Anyone have recommendations for a sturdy model that can tame those silver bullets without snapping the tippet to often? Was thinking another large arbor reel for this setup like I have for my 8wt now. My price range is about $400-600 for the rod and reel, something that'll last a few years and not snap randomly a year later on a back cast (my friend has done that with certain mid range and cheaper rods haha).

Orvis Clearwater II, picked up my 10' 7wt, second hand online for $110.00.  Really like the rod, hate the company...

I was looking at Orvis recons the other day but forgot about the clear waters. How does it handle compared to other fly rods you've used? A 10' 7wt Clearwater rod paired with either a sage 4280 or Orvis hydros sl-IV sounds like a pretty good combo to me for steelhead and inland streamer fishing.

And why don't you like the company? Is it the customer service or just the snob attitude often associated with them? haha.

I actually liked the CW2 a lot, but shattered section on a fish two years ago on 16 mile and that's when problems started; Called customer service and offered Helios2 upgrade for an upcharge, which I agreed.  Couple days later I see charge reversed on my bank account and call Cust Service asking whats up.  Said dealer forgot to ship & would have rod overnight.  Then somehow they had two coming overnight and later in the day they discovered the original dealer store didn't forget to send; I now had three H2 rods coming and guess what, next day had three charges hitting my bank account & each charge was for more than the upgrade charge I was quoted in writing (email). They were able to stop 2 rods mid shipment, but couldn't fix the 2 incorrect charges for well over a week.  When I was finally able to speak with a supervisor, gave me the snobby attitude and said the rep I dealt with gave me bad info and would not honor the lower upgrade price originally provided.  Told him I'd never buy from again and would be getting rid of the gear I had; he said that was fine with him...*sshole!   I used the H2 for about a month and didn't like it at all; actually thought the Clearwater2 better.  Sold the H2 after a month and found a second hand CW2.  But the whole process left a sour taste, I sold the 5 remaining Orvis rods & other Orvis gear I had & will never buy from the company again.  Your right about the snob attitude, their customer service was a lot better years ago; now they are just adding extra cost for stigma of the name.  Reputation earned years ago for quality & customer service, went down the toilet.  
 
I think a 10' 7wt is probably the perfect size choice for Great Lake tribs (both PA & Ny).  The CW2 is a very good rod; just wouldn't buy one brand new (*hint, Orvis rods aren't serial numbered so don't have worry about original owner lifetime warranty, *hint). 
If your looking at a higher end rods; look into Winston, Scott, Thomas/Thomas or Sage.  Quality product, great customer service..without the elitist attitude.   With that said I catch just as many on rods I built (and get more satisfaction from) or rods I bought at much lower price; their just a tool & don't catch fish by themselves, don't overthink it..

I have a TLr as well, and like it. 11ft 6wt. As with any switch rod it's not ideal for single hand casting and may tire your arm out a little more, but if your main purpose is to fish it like a single hand rod.....you'd use a single hand rod. I do really enjoy the extra length for controlling your drift, and the ability to efficiently roll cast farther distances with no backcast room, which is essentially the reason behind two-handed rods. 
 
I like it for larger waters of course, but I'll use it for drifting on Elk from time to time when there's more flow. Definitely not a rod you need for waters like Elk, but it's another tool to have, and I find it useful for my fishing. I've never once felt undergunned with it. Like fishrmn said, a 6wt is plenty of rod for our fish. With proper rod angles throughout the fight you can land nice fish with surprisingly light gear. I've seen people fight fish for way too long with an 8wt because they kept the rod at the same position the whole time and didn't know when to get the upper hand on the battle. I was the same way starting out.....spent a lot of time chasing fish that didn't really need chased. Though when a fish REALLY wants to run there's really not a whole lot you can do other than apply the breaks and try to steer the fish from cover. Just have to take advantage of the times the fish isn't running, and know when to gain line and control the direction of the fish's head.