Advice for possible purchase

I saw a Elbe 9wt rod the other day at a shop here in Bethlehem for around R400 which I am considering. I have done a fair amount of freshwater flyfishing and what to get into saltwater fly fishing, but I have no idea where to start. So I have a few questions I need advice on.

Will a 9wt rod be sufficient for fly fishing in the surf? What kind of quarry can I target with such a rod? Which flies do I need to get? What weight leader do I need to get, as well as line? Double taper? Shootinghead? WF line? Can I use Dacron backing or do I need to get a special kind of backing? Some opinions will be appreciated.

Izak 2 things, there was a previous thread about two lines down from yours thast chatted about what to get when starting out.....

Advice on what weight rod..... 9weight is a good start, dont go anything less than 8weight although some of the newer high end brands have fighting butts on rod weights down to a 6..... you will need that little extension when fighting a largish fish in surf conditions. Type of line, if you want a full line then a WF (weight forward) line is what you will want to go for, shooting heads are an advanced line and if you have not yet perfectly mastered the double haul cast then I would suggest you go rather for a WF line. Backing, generally 30lb bog standard backing will be fine, there are some other types you can use but then obviously your budget will determine what you will put on your reel.

In terms of lines buy the best you can, its the last 40feet you use to carry your fly to your fish!

The elbe rod sounds great, but rather go and test it and cast with it, you may find it not up to your casting ability etc, a fly rod is like buying a car, you need to test drive it before buying it, also consider the fact that some brands have warrantys and guarantees so just make sure you dont end up buying something that will break and then have to go and fork out more money to buy a new rod.......