# New fly line for sage bass rod?



## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

I need a more salt friendly line for my sage smallmouth bass rod 290gr. Strangely rio / sage dont have any taper specs of the line that comes with it. I measures the head and it is about 30' with a small handling taper toward the back. I like the line with it, but it got sticky on a really hot day in the salt. What have others used with this rod with good sucess... iwas thinking maybe bonefish quickshooter, wulff bermuda short, os SA titan.

any advice apreciated


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

I believe @el9surf throws this rod with a edit* 8wt rio bonefish quickshooter* which is a shorter heavier head. I have thrown this rod with both the BTT 10wt and 9wt and both were nice. It is pretty forgiving and you can a number of different lines between 8wt-10wt. You are in the right ballpark of staying with a short head line, since that was what it was originally designed for. I am building the 290 and 230 and will be experimenting with lines as well.


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## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

Thanks!
I almost sold this rod because I had trouble finding a use for it. Then I did 3 days in the everglades pounding the mangroves for snook and baby tarpon...and it was truly the perfect rod for that. Now I just need to move closer to those types for fishing enviorments.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Yep, I used the rio bonefish quickshooter 8-wt for the sage smallmouth. The line is definitely heavy on the rod, but I want it to load very quickly for short shots. I have it set up specifically to fish dirty water or low light days when the fish aren't visible until they're pretty close.


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

mightyrime said:


> Thanks!
> I almost sold this rod because I had trouble finding a use for it. Then I did 3 days in the everglades pounding the mangroves for snook and baby tarpon...and it was truly the perfect rod for that. Now I just need to move closer to those types for fishing enviorments.


Not to derail but did you have a good trip with John?


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2018)

mightyrime said:


> I need a more salt friendly line for my sage smallmouth bass rod 290gr. Strangely rio / sage dont have any taper specs of the line that comes with it. I measures the head and it is about 30' with a small handling taper toward the back. I like the line with it, but it got sticky on a really hot day in the salt. What have others used with this rod with good sucess... iwas thinking maybe bonefish quickshooter, wulff bermuda short, os SA titan.
> 
> any advice apreciated


Might be a little lite at 240 grains, but probably a #8 weight Sage Equator, fairly new on a spool with a whipped loop could would be a little faster.


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## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

My trip with john was excellent. I had good wether 2 out of the 3 days. Got lots of snook and baby tarpon on poppers and got 1 120lb tarpon


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

The BASS line was great for banging shorelines snook fishing but a dog for sight casting. I put an 8 weight Rio Redfish on my Smallmouth and it's pretty nice for short and mid range redfishing.


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## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

I was suprised how far i could throw with this rod, I know its a close range tool, but the existing setup can throw 70' as well with a decent sized popper.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

mightyrime said:


> I was suprised how far i could throw with this rod, I know its a close range tool, but the existing setup can throw 70' as well with a decent sized popper.


Designed to load without much line and bomb it out with no false casting - it's just a shooting head with an integrated running line. And it suffers the inherent inaccuracy of a shooting head with the BASS line.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

I cast my smallmouth yesterday with my normal 8wt wulff btt just to compare. It's too light for the rod to function as intended in my opinion. It works but you have to speed up your cast and it's lacking feel under 40 ft. 

If you don't mind slowing your cast down the rio quickshooter does a great job on this rod.


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## Tbenson (Apr 17, 2016)

Hey guys - I recently snatched a Bass II Smallmouth 290 grain on eBay and now selecting the reel. Trying to keep cost down and interested in the Orvis Hyrdros SL. Size IV is technically the right size (7/8/9) but I'm wondering about the size V with faster pickup. Balance obviously matters and I'm hoping you guys that have fished with the 290 grain Bass can give insight from your experiences. 

The advertised weight for Hydros IV is 7.4 oz. and for V is 8.4 oz. I'll mostly use for this rig to pound mangrove banks for snook and reds. 

Interested to hear what you guys think will balance best...especially if you have the same rod.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

LINE WEIGHT HEAD LENGTH TOTAL LENGTH GRAIN WEIGHT*
WF-6-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 210gr / 13,6g
WF-7-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 240gr / 15,6g
WF-8-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 280gr / 18,1g
WF-9-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 330gr / 21,4g
WF-10-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 380gr / 24,6g

















LINE WEIGHT HEAD LENGTH TOTAL LENGTH GRAIN WEIGHT*
WF-5-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 185gr / 12,0g
WF-6-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 210gr / 13,6g
WF-7-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 240gr / 15,6g
WF-8-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 280gr / 18,2g
WF-9-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 330gr / 21,4g
WF-10-F 43.0’ / 13,0m 90.0’ / 27,5m 380gr / 24,6g


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

@Tbenson for me, I am not someone that worries too much about balancing a rod and a reel. Granted, I am not going to put a Gulfstream on a 4wt but I am just not going to sweat a little heavier reel.

That being said, I have fished my 290 with both an Everglades (8.5oz) and a Backcountry Wide (6.3oz). I can tell a difference but not to the point of being cumbersome or something that is on my mind during the day while fishing it.

I would venture to say the most popular reel on the Sage Bass series is the Backcountry Wide. Not sure there is a very specific reason but I just seem to see the Backcountry on Sage Bass rods fairly often. Again, just my opinion on what I have felt and seen. Maybe if you are buying a reel for the Bass, possibly consider what else you can use it on, if that would sway your decision.

Also in regards to Line, the Rio Redfish in 8wt is nice for a little lighter feel, the 9wt Redfish is nice and falls more into Spec for this rod as well as the SA Bass Bug 8wt that is 280gr. I own and have fished all three lines on my 290 Bass II. All great choices for a fun and versatile rod. It was a good score!


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## Tbenson (Apr 17, 2016)

TheAdamsProject said:


> I have fished my 290 with both an Everglades (8.5oz) and a Backcountry Wide (6.3oz). I can tell a difference but not to the point of being cumbersome or something that is on my mind during the day while fishing it.


This is what I'm wondering. I've also never worried about perfect balance...especially if the extra weight is in the handle vs. the tip. But I've never fished a short light rod with a heavy reel so don't know. Good to know 8.5oz works for you. 

Backwater and AdamsProject - Thanks also for the line advice. I use 8 wt Rio Redfish on the flats and it's great. Bass Bug looks like a great quick shooting taper for the mangrove jungle. I'll give that a go. The original Sage 290g line is coming with my rod. I know it's weight forward, but haven't found the exact taper descriptions.

Anyone else have experience with a heavier reel on the Sage Smallmouth rod?


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## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

i use either a smaller islander reel or just an old school click and pawl. I dont really overthink this rod. Just pound the shore line with it and have fun... any 7wt sized reel will work.

Another line for it that my buddy uses is the new rio jungle line.


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## Tbenson (Apr 17, 2016)

Thanks Mighty - good input. I've decided to keep the reel size down too. I need a strong drag and going with the hydros SL IV for now. I like the looks of the Backcountry wide that Adamsproject mentioned. Maybe later. 

I often fish alone and when hooked into a big snook back in the jungle use one hand to control the boat and the other to keep the fish out of the mangroves. Anyone who's done this knows it's pretty exciting!! A lot can go wrong so I'm planning my battles.


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