Review: Sage R8 Core 9' 4# - The PERFECT All Round Trout Fly Rod? 

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Great review Andy, expertly assessed and great opinion. Tight lines and hopefully see you on the Dove this year.

Iain Fraser Hi Andy, it is always a pleasure to view your posts and I think you have given a very honest review and I have enjoyed reading the many comments. I have one Sage rod but never found it that much better in performance to rods a quarter of the price and less. As you rightly say you are on the water so much that you could justify the expenditure but as an instructor I am not personally fishing that much and would not like to put a novice in charge of a rod of that price even if I can get replacement sections. Keep up the articles and tight lines.

Hi Andy enjoyed your review I have the Sage R8 9foot 6inch for a 6 weight and love it ,i also have other sage rods and cannot see passed them ,that are superb pieces of kit and yes expensive but if it’s your passion and can afford them get them as we say here in Scotland there are no pockets in shrouds , you can’t take your money with you to the other side so enjoy it while you can . Awra best to you and IB.😊

Good review, Andy. I am not someone to splash out top dollars for a rod as I do believe that more moderately priced rods perform just as well. Many years ago I was at a show in Québec, Canada and was demonstrating tying flies to the punters. While on a break I visited the Orvis stand where they were showcasing their latest and greatest rods. The Trident was the gem of the lot with MVR skin in the handle, etc, etc. They also had their entry level rod, The Clearwater. One rod cost nearly $700 while the entry level rod cost less than half the price. I was informed by someone in the trade that both of those rods were built on the very same blank. You were paying so much extra just for cosmetics and some vibration reducing material in the handle. Sage rods are indeed exquisite and I do own one...the DS...again an entry level rod. Would love to own the R8 Core but just wouldn't part with the money for it. Horses for courses I guess.

Hi Andy. Great review - I really enjoy the gear reviews you post. They are always practical and objective. Of course, not all costly rods are "great" rods - certainly in my experience - and the line choice can make a huge difference to how a rod feels and works in practice. Just a view.

Thank you for a honest review look forward to your next video

Good honest review Andy, I bought a Sage LL last year and its certainly a dream to use on medium to small rivers.

Excellent review. Thanks Andy

I make the same argument on the other end. I don't fish as much as I'd like due to work, so when I do I really love using the best, most exciting and enjoyable gear so I have the most fun possible. I don't mind spending the money, I'm very fortunate that I have a great job that enables me to have nice stuff that I enjoy.

I have the Sage R8 in a 10’ 6 wt and a 10’ 4wt rods. The 6 wt is an awesome lake rod. It’s a fast action in this model and it is capable of over lining a bit. The 4 wt is working out great as a long distance dry fly rod in the lakes. I put the Sage Arbor xl’s on both. I put the 6/7/8 on the 6 wt and the 4/5/6 on the 4 wt. I like how they fish. They are expensive but here in my area, folks spend $25 k plus on side by side wheelers. I guess it just depends on what you want to spend your money on. Thanks for the video!!!!

Good honest review thanks Andy. I have the R8 486-4 and its not as stiff as that one. With a Creek? I go down one to WF3 and the rod really sings 😁

Cracking review! I've recently purchased one of the lower end Sage rods on a 6# for sea trout fishing. As you mentioned my first impression was of a rather stiff blank. I haven't yet fished with it but watching this had me thinking that maybe my opinion will change once I get to fish it.

Hi, Nice review. If you're up for trying an excellent rod at 1/2 the price of the Sage, try the Lamson Purist 904-2. The thought of dealing with a 2-piece rod might be a turn-off, but the rod has tons of feel and is very accurate. I bought one on a lark last year and I'm addicted to how it fishes.

I've had the Sage SLT 486-4 from new, this cost about £600 back then, that was a lot of money at the time. But over 15 years later its still my favourite small to medium river dry fly rod. Last year i had to get the handle replaced as the cork started to come apart, i sent it to Sportfish and they fitted a Sage half walls handle to it. So hopefully i will get another 15 years out of it. Love this rod

Andy I have tried to like Sage fly rods. I remember I wanted the XP that went for $1000 Canadian but then I tried one. No thank you. I have fished for 52 years with every make I could afford. There was one Safe Rod I fell in love with. It was the Sage DSL I think was the designation. It was the only Travel Rod they made in the early 80's. My ex bought it for my birthday. It was $385 back then. I cast that rod in the 5wt it came in, for twenty -five years and then it was the victim of a smash and grab and I was forced to stop casting in the past.😭 I miss that rod, my largest fish was an 8lb Dolly Carden out of the Peace River on my last day in BC before I moved to Mordor. Do you remember Gary Borger? I always wanted to use a fly rod as well as him. It was like an extension of his arm. That little Safe was that to me. Since then I've been pretty fickle when it comes to fly rods. I have a custom made 2wt on a Pac Bay blank, I have a 4 wt Reddington "Vapen," with the synthetic grip, beautiful rod I picked up at an end of season sale in Jasper National Park. I have a Reddington #7 11' spey rod and a 10' #3 I use for nymphing. I bought it from China and actually paid almost $400 for it. I took a gamble and I found the perfect rod from China. I went that way because of you actually. You did that review on a cheap Combo and I wanted to see what you could get for more money. The rod is gorgeous, the tube is well made. TFO is another rod that is amazing, Echo is another. What I am getting at is sometimes the name on the rod can boost the price. The only Save I would still buy today is another Travel Rod. I don't think they make them anymore. If you buy the lesser Saved you get them in baby poop brown, so everybody knows you didn't buy the really good Sage!! It is nice to see you and IB back again. On your Sage Demo I noticed her casting skills have gotten even better! WOW IB!!

Hi Andy. I've got a Sage X in the same length and weight rating. I've been falling in and out of love with this rod since I first had it. My feeling was very similar to yours with the R8, in that it doesn't feel as though the blank will protect a light tippet. I haven't been broken off due to it but have on the rare occasion let a fish bully me to the extent that it takes far to long to land or throws the hook. I have combated this by not fishing lighter than 6X (4.75lbs) and I'm in love again. My rod is custom built with oversized recoil guides and casts and handles beautifully. I think that there will be some rod builders that may question why Sage don't use recoil guides on such expensive rods; I'd rather spend on these than the handle and real seat. I've got rods built on Sage Z-AXIS and DART blanks, which are also worth loving. Glad to see you back and have a great year.

Great review! Much appreciated down under in NZ. Fishing a 5-weight Scott Centric at present which is ideal for bigger fish in some heavy water. Will probably go to the R8 6 weight next season as I will be on bigger water with a lot of fish over 5lbs. Regards.

Great review Andy! I fish with the earlier ‘X’ model in a 5wt and love it, although you’re right that a 4wt is the better weight for the UK rivers. Will check out the LL - nobody tell my girlfriend what they cost…

Great review. Just ordered mine….8’6” 4wt.

Great review. I will be ordering one.

Lot of money, saying that i had a Loop 7X, i then fancied a custom built AtomSix, had a play with one and sold my 7X to help fund 2 AtomSix's, the AtomSix blew my Loop out of the water, i bought a 9ft #5 and 10ft #7, mainly used the 9ft #5 and absolutely love it.

I have a R8 4-796 for UK stillwaters and it’s blown me away and reminded me why I love fly fishing at distance in a reservoir. The powerful yet mellow action is superb - why buy 2 suboptimal rods when you can invest in one that is the dogs kajones?? Nice review Andy, see you on the bank soon

The G Loomis Asquith has been priced at over 1k US for a few years now. It was and remains to be the most expensive single handed fly rod on the market.

The nine five I have is a medium fast good all around rod. I don’t classify it as stiff at all. It has the best torsional stiffness of any rod I have owned which translates into good energy transfer and helps guide your cast. However, if you like playing off the tip of the rod to manipulate casts in different directions this rod does not easily comply with those inputs. For that reason I don’t think it’s a good small stream rod. For tailwaters and drift boats it is a wonderful rod. I also like the way it looks but think that the wood insert is low quality as it seems to be accumulating wear and tear quicker than I am accustomed to. Just for note I like softer lighter weight rods and euro rods for the majority of my fishing but would recommend the nine foot five weight when its called for.

If I won the euromillions that would be my first purchase but for now I'll enjoy watching you use it. It looks and sounds like a brilliant rod. Great review looking forward to more

Love that rod, work of art. Pleasure to fish with 🤤

I have brought, swapped and changed many of the premium trout rods out there over the past half a dozen years looking for the perfect rod for me….sage method, sage igniter, sage x, Orvis Helios 3d, hardy zephrus, hardy hbx, hardy ultralite x and always found something in these rods that just wasn’t perfect for me and compelled me to whack them on eBay and Continue my search (This is a mugs game as you lose half the purchase price) I am defo someone who should have gone to a shop to try these rods out first. I have been using the sage r8 5wt since last summer and I’m still blown away by the rod every time I use it … with the rio gold line it really is something else….. does it make me a better angler than anyone else? Of course not but it gives me pleasure so I don’t regret paying the cost of the rod …. All the best mate

New comment Andy. I own an Orvis Helios 3. I bought it just before the pandemic to do the Euro nymphing you showed us. It was then about £850. Last year it's was £998 & I've just checked and it is also now £1050 😯

Looks fantastic, would need to sell a kidney though.

Great review Andy. I would be terrified treading the hazards of the upper Eden with a rod of that price tag in my hand. I'll stick with Greys streamflex. Sage do make a cosmetically stunning rod of unbelievable quality though. I'm just not careful enough with my gear to justify the R8s price tag. A rod is a tool. And if fishing short range you are splitting hairs. I'm sure it's a beautiful rod but hardly justifies the price tag I feel

I Would probably buy a R8 9’, 6 weight, used, in a year or two. For Coastal Fishing here in Denmark. Currently using a TFO Axiom II X. Which is a brand i Would love for you guys to do reviews on.

Thanks Andy super rod,i wonder how it compares to the Hardy LL 9ft2 4wt

I wonder what the difference is between the 8 foot 6 and the 9 foot in action and application ?

What reel are you using with the rod ?

Nice Review Andy, Im glad the snow was falling your end too! I was looking at the R8 but the price tag is a bit off putting . I'm also interested in the Hardy Ultralite NSX SR 8ft 8 4 wt, don't suppose you've tried one ? Id be interested in your thoughts

Andy, not related to the review, although, what a rod! I was however wondering if your trout selection flies were going to be restocked anytime soon 🤞

Let’s face it Andy, you were never going to win with this review! 😂 However, if you get a Sage as a gift (as I have) or you treat yourself to something you’ve always wanted but never had (as I have), it brings even more pleasure to a great pastime. I may have caught more wild trout on a Shakespeare & a Daiwa over 30 years of fly fishing, but the last 6 years of Sage ownership have never been a disappointment. Each to their own I say! 😉

Had them all over the years Sage, Loomis, Hardy, Scott, T&T, Winston, Bloke, all good, but at the moment rocking Maxcatch superb quality for the price (and they have keeper rings and line up dots), reels just as good. If you have the bunce then go for it, but it's not for me.

What are you like Andy, you are perfectly fine weighing fish in Imperial i.e. pounds and ounces. Then you throw a metric wobbly when the rod's weight is stated in ounces, even though their length is stated in feet and inches. I'm sure we have all held many 2 to 3oz fish, so know exactly what that weight feels like.

As someone who is not as discerning as yourself, what price range do you think someone should look at for a decent rod no matter the methods or style of fishing? Thanks.

Different rod but I recently got myself a Sage Sense 10’ #3 euro nymph rod and I’m very happy with it. Is it worth the money….. 😬🎣

As a former retailer of everything expensive, my answer is an absolutely not necessary or worth it ! So many top quality brands nowadays at a very affordable price. Trout and Salmon or anything that swims is no smarter in 2023 than 1823 😂

Madness! But I would probably buy one if I could afford it. Rod graphics are a bit cheap looking though 😳

the Old Strubel U20 reelseats were beautiful...nothing comes close...

At that price I'd expect to have the rod fitted out to my specs, not that I'd probably change much. As somebody that's perfectly happy with the likes of Shakespeare, Greys, Whychwood, I doubt I'd look at a rod of that price.

Cheers mate I do like the look of the rod, But the price is a bit off-putting!

Great review! Well, rod is good and looks fine, but price!!!! Very expensive fly rod for simple fishermen. Yes, this rod is completely different if even compare with Sage X. And my pinion R8 better for fishing, but anyway price very high and not everyone can afford buy it

Don't get the price is it going to make you catch more or cast further!!! Absolutely not its gonna attract the tackle tarts which is OK if you like that but it ain't gonna make you any better .

Bit pricey though 😬

I’ve given up on Sage. They change warranty terms, and don’t catch more fish than others. If they are the perfect rod, why do they keep changing……..

To be honest, I was a Sage fan for a long period (RPL to the SP series, roughly 10-12 years) but every successor was just another stiffer rod. By the way why would one need to replace the one(s) you already got?... These mass produced rods are basically 99% hype and have no real fishing advantage over any rods that are priced half or even less. For really excellent finished rods go to a custom rod builder (there are many in the UK or Europe) and the quality of finish goes way past the factory slabbed epoxy guide wrap finish. I mean look at the blobs of epoxy on the guides of that Sage rod. The cheap looking hardware is a step below the Stubble hardware of the past. It's embarrassing to ask 1000 quid (or dollars)!

Andy your becoming a tackle tart 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Not worth the price. Sage has priced them selfs out of the market. I own 2 sages but will never buy another one.

Absolutely not worth the money. Reel seat end cap epoxy should not be failing on a $1k rod. The repair turnaround has been a joke.

I wish sage was what they once were. Build junk, Terrible warranty service. Took 2 years on a reel. 11 months on a warranty rod. Not acceptable and junk.

Sage is probably the lowest grade in its price range. On top of that you used a line a full weight heavier then it is rated at.

Sugar coat it and wax lyrical all you want. It's one of the most over priced rods ever produced.