Yeah all the "hot shots" say that....I'll put me throwing an 8ft against anyone and their 9 or 10ft
You lose that one all day long....sorry
Besides alot of the distance also comes from the reel, the line and the type of jig you are throwing and the confidence you have throwing a jig but it sounds like you have the confidence part down
8 ft rods are hybrids......they can double as bait sticks or throwing the iron but make no mistake about it.......a good Harnell, 90J or Ulua and others in the 9-10 ft range are
true jig sticks.
I also use a 765 ( 6'6" ) for throwing jigs and bombs for wahoo and of course a 610 or 610H (7') for wahoo as they were and still are some of the best wahoo rods arounds
That being said.....I love using my OC Rods 8 ft for throwing jigs......loads up great and has good balance
Let us know how it turns out with the Phenix rod.....I'm always open to something new