I have a SX mounted on a 8' Pro Sabre Stroker and want to move to a better rod. Any recommendations? I fish out of CISCOs in Oxnard for rock fish, calicos and YTs.
The little SX is best suited for use at 15-30# max - with appropriate drag settings. So, the right bend will be produced on a rod made for that line range. So, I'm going to suggest checking a few rods, tops would be the United Composite RCE Mag, possibly the Mega. Daiwa's Proteus offer very good performance and save a few bucks, with appropriate rods at 8 feet and 7'6" (noting what you've been running the UC's mentioned are also 8 footers).
The standard series (non Raptor or new GS Series) SX & MX series reels produce up to 10 lbs of drag measured at strike. That makes them very appropriate for fishing up to 30# lines at appropriate drag settings of 25-30% of the line test. For different applications, certainly different test lines can be used, for instance heavier leader for abrasion resistance. But the reel is best suited to run lines which are consistent with the available drag level.
