Sage Salt R8 1586-4

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   I cast this rod with a Rio Leviathan 600 grain sink and a 9″ billfish tube fly and found the whole outfit to be easy to handle.  On dry land, there is enough weight in the line to load the fly rod and execute a cast.  In a real fishing situation, I would be trailing the head of the line and fly behind a moving boat, adding significantly to the rod load at the moment of the shot.  The rod is obviously very stiff, but it casts naturally in my hands and swings nice and light.  This feels like the right tool for billfish.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   I want to fish this rod in a bad way, mainly due to the fact that anything you need a 15-weight for promises to be all the fight you want with a fly rod. The Sage Salt R8 1586 is a remarkably built big game rod. While fly casting is admittedly the afterthought with bluewater rods meant to handle fish sporting triple digit poundage, the 1586 casts predictably and controlled with the proper setup and little practice. I rigged the Salt R8 1586 to practice as close to the way you play, minus the Sportfisher. I cast two line setups on the rod, each with a 12” banger head billfish tube fly and proper billfish leader, bimini break section and all. The first line was a Rio Elite Leviathan 14-16wt at 600 grains. This is an integrated line with a 26’ sink 9-ish head and intermediate running line. The Leviathan line performed best when I started the backcast with about 18 inches of the yellow running line outside of the tip top. A strong backcast and a measured stop loaded the rod and delivered the cast evenly with good control. The integrated line allows for an easier second shot and is a great choice for the Mag Bay style of run-and-gun to the billfish busting bait. The thicker intermediate running line pulled on the head in the air a bit, but it gives you more purchase on the strip set and feels and fishes more like a traditional fly line.

   The second line system was a Rio Billfish Shooting Head with heavy mono running line. The shooting head is 31’ at 550 grains and the line features a bright orange section in the rear. Simply put the tip top on the orange section and you’re ready to go. This setup surprised me at how predictably it cast. The whole setup felt finely tuned and tailor made to deliver a fly quickly and accurately. The shooting head got the long fly into the air a bit easier, gave me a bit more load recognition and delivered the fly with a sharper loop and more energy. The thinner mono follows the head without any resistance and allows the line to fly truer to the target. For billfish, I recommend the shooting head system and I felt like the rod was tuned a little more towards this line set up.

   For the hardware, you get four titanium Fuji K stripping guides, a longer cork an eva foam fighting butt and an extended grip that does not feel clumsy while casting. The Salt R8 1586 has an extra fast action and strong taper. When compared to other 15-weights, the Salt R8 1586 is noticeably lighter in the hand and stiffer along its length. Most importantly, it still feels like a rod that a fly reel belongs on and you can cast it. For the specialized bluewater fly fisherman, there may be no equal in a 15-weight and I bet this rod will help to send some release flags up the outrigger on the run in.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)