I bought the St Croix Wild River WC80XHF for throwing the big baits, primarily the Huddleston and it's absolutely KILLER! They're MADE IN THE USA and have a LIFETIME WARRANTY. It's got more backbone than the 8' Loomis I tried out. It even works for throwing the 12" MS Slammers which are big & heavy. I just love it. It cost about $140 and I got it at at TAYLOR TACKLE in Canoga Park, 818-992-FISH. It may be a little stiff for halibut fishing, but for throwing heavy stuff it can't be beat. Go check it out, you won't regret it. They are also some of the nicest people at Taylor's and it sure beats giving your money to the big chains. Here's there website also:

http://www.taylortackle.com/