Sage 586-4 R8 Core

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   When lawn casting this model for the first time, I was transported to the bow of a drift boat, strafing the banks with a grasshopper. You couldn’t ask for a better all-purpose boat rod, with tight loop dry fly capabilities combined with plenty of butt section for streamers up to a size 8. The stability and line speed of the R8 856 would be hard to top, but it lacks the tip sensitivity I prefer for short distance wade fishing. Fish it on the Colorado, not the San Miguel. Cast with a Rio Gold, it charges to life at around 30 feet. Thanks partly to the rod’s length, it pairs best with a line that has a short-to-medium head. The Rio Gold, Perception or SA MPX are excellent choices, but the SA Infinity is too long in the head for easy shooting. The Airflo Ridge 2.0 Power Taper pairs savagely for dry dropper fishing. Thanks to excellent leverage and control, heavy fish come quickly to the net.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   8’ 6” 5wt rods can often times feel stiff and difficult to engage. The 586/4 R8 Core however is a wonderfully built fly rod. It is remarkably light in hand and is a rod you can throw all day without tiring. It forms a nice tight loop in close and holds its form at distance. This will be a great stick for the dedicated 5wt angler that spends their time on smaller water with bigger fish and limited casting room. This model wins “most improved” from the X series hands down. The 586/4 X was stiff and lacked feel, the R8 Core however is a very smooth caster and performs great with line on the water. I cast all of the usual contenders in terms of fly lines on this rod and found the SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity WF5F to be my favorite. It slows the rod down just a tad and you can feel where the rod flexes and engages.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)