# Sage Salt 9 weight



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

One of my two rods that is always rigged on the skiff when I am redfishing. Nuff said.


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## T Bone (Jul 24, 2014)

I too am curious about this rod. Have heard good things about the 9. Spotty reviews on the 8 and none on the 7. Would anyone care to share input on the 7, 8 and 9?


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

If you like Sage fast rods then you will likely like the Salt. If you don't like Sage fast rods then you for sure won't like the Salt. Some guys (maybe most) prefer the Xi3 to the Salt. I like them both. I have not fished anything but the 9wt so can't comment on other line weights in the Salt. But look at it this way. For under $500 for a top end saltwater rod is pretty decent.


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## crc01 (Oct 28, 2016)

T Bone said:


> I too am curious about this rod. Have heard good things about the 9. Spotty reviews on the 8 and none on the 7. Would anyone care to share input on the 7, 8 and 9?



I've heard good things about the 9. I have the 8 and honestly think it's kind of a dud. Not bad, just not great. It's kind of hard to explain. I've never had issues with it, it just isn't a rod that i pick up and say "this is fun". It can pull on fish though.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

My experience with Sage is the same. More than a few not impressive rods for the salt mixed with a few good actions over the years. I have not cast the X.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

The salt 7 is a fantastic rod, one of my favorites. I had the 8 and sold it, didn't care for it at all. It has no feel, it's very stiff. Can't comment on the 9, I have an Xi3.


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## Pierson (Mar 16, 2016)

Quite a few Sage One 9wts on ebay right now for under $400. Just picked one up and I love it. Definitely another rod to consider if you haven't already.


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## crc01 (Oct 28, 2016)

Pierson said:


> Quite a few Sage One 9wts on ebay right now for under $400. Just picked one up and I love it. Definitely another rod to consider if you haven't already.



I love my ONE 9wt. I wasn't sure how I'd like it because I always heard the higher weight ones are more difficult to cast well. I find it easy and a lot of fun.


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## jamie (Jan 22, 2016)

9wt is the sweet spot in the salt line up IMHO. Never warmed up to the 8wt - sold it quickly. Going to hang on to the 9 for a while. I've found line pairing particularly important in the salt series. The rio permit line is a fantastic paring for the salt.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Loomis NRX > Sage Salt. But Sage One > either the NRX or Salt. 

IMHO...of course...


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

One>Salt(depending on the application) >ABC>DEF>NRX IMHO of course.

Point is don't take anybody's input for anything other than subjective opinion. Fishing a rod yourself is the only way to ultimately know if it works for you under the fishing conditions you fish in.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Very true.

I cast the Salt and NRX side by side when deciding between them. 

Find a shop that will let you string up the rod and cast it. Cast several rods and compare them against each other with the same line...if possible.

A shop that won't let you compare high end rods by casting them doesn't deserve your money...IMHO.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Let me caution you just a bit on the cast them at the shop business. You should absolutely do that. But here's the problem (besides that you are not standing on the deck of a skiff and all that goes with it). And I have seen this first hand more times than I can count.

Guys go to a shop and pick several rods they are interested in. Then they start with some good decision making. Rig the same line on each rod. And then start casting away. So here are the mistakes.
1. They don't tie on a fly that's the typical size and weight they plan to use said rod for. Rods can cast a line great then put on a fly and things fall apart.
2. They start casting and casting and casting. Ultimately the conversation goes like this "holy cow this things a cannon" blah blah blah. And that's the rod they buy.

Then they get fishing and wonder why this rod isn't magic on the water for them that it was in the parking lot. The answer is simple. They didn't test the rod in the parking lot like they actualy fish. There is a right way to test a rod in a parking lot (still better to use one fishing but that's not alwasy doable).
1. Rig the rod the way you plan to fish it. Line, leader, fly.
2. Test cast the rod the way you are going to fish. Lets say this is going to be your go to redfish rod. If you normal cast is 40 feet than test cast the rigged outfit at 40 feet. How many false casts from the ready position to deliver the fly on target. How accurate can it deliver it on target?
3. Then go ahead and try the longer casts. And don't forget the shorter quick fish appears at the boat casts too!

The key here is to test the rod as closely as you can to how you plan to fish it. If your normal shot is the 20 foot combat cast to a fish that suddenly appears out of nowhere then thats the important cast so who cares if you can throw 100 feet of fly line? Conversely if you are mostly throwing long casts to spooky fish and you have time then whats more important is how well the rod casts 70 feet and how accurate it is. Don't care if it isn't that good on the combat cast.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Again...true. Which is why I'm lucky to have Bill Jackson's here in the Tampa area. They have a big lake you can cast into. So you get the experience of casting a wet line in real world (wind) scenarios. 

And the time I visited Oyster Creek Outfitters in St Augustine they let me actually fish a Hardy Zephrus 6wt in a little tidal creek that was walking distance from their back door. I'm really glad they did too...I hated that rod and it saved me from a bad purchase I'd been considering online.

A great fly shop is worth its weight in gold...which is why I try to support them when I find one.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

crboggs said:


> Again...true. Which is why I'm lucky to have Bill Jackson's here in the Tampa area. They have a big lake you can cast into. So you get the experience of casting a wet line in real world (wind) scenarios.
> 
> And the time I visited Oyster Creek Outfitters in St Augustine they let me actually fish a Hardy Zephrus 6wt in a little tidal creek that was walking distance from their back door. I'm really glad they did too...I hated that rod and it saved me from a bad purchase I'd been considering online.
> 
> A great fly shop is worth its weight in gold...which is why I try to support them when I find one.


Funny how rod changes as you go up or down in rod weights. You may hate The Zephyrus SWS in the 6wt but love it in a 9-10wt. They also make the 6wt Zephyrus AWS & FWS (Saltwater, All-Water, & Freshwater). Or you might like it in the AWS, or even their new Wraith AWS (ultra fast with the Sintrix 550 (the Zephyrus has the Sintrix) 450, or even still, you may love it in the rod they just closed out (tip faster than the Zephyrus) called the Zenith. So I wouldn't totally give up on the Hardys, since they cover a wide range of bases. Also, are we talking 4 piece or 1 piece?

Same thing about your beloved NRX. I really like the rod too in the 8 & 9wt, but I'm not crazy about it in a 6wt and also a 10-12wt get pretty stiff. Your buddy loved the NRX in the 1 piece but doesn't like them in the 4 pcs. I have friends that are opposite who loves the 4 pcs and doesn't like then in a 1 pcs.

As an example, I may also like a TFO Mangrove in a 8-10wt but don't care for it in a 5-7wt. On the flip side, I really like the TFO BVK in a 5wt-8wt, but don't care for it from 9wt and over. But that's just me and getting to my other point is, what I like and what you like can be 2 different things. How we look at a rod and how it feels can be a completely different thing. And that's the very interesting thing about this sport.

A lot of rods changes characteristics, either going up or down the line weight rating scale. Personally, I've yet to see a rod that flows at the same rate and feel, from a 5wt thru to a 12wt. I guess that's what keeps us guessing. 

Ted Haas


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Very true...and the exact reason I've never bought a rod I haven't cast.


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## pete_paschall (May 8, 2009)

T Bone said:


> I too am curious about this rod. Have heard good things about the 9. Spotty reviews on the 8 and none on the 7. Would anyone care to share input on the 7, 8 and 9?


I can't comment on the 9, BUT...

1) I built a 7 weight a year and a half or so back, and it is my favorite rod. By favorite, I mean my favorite that I have ever cast. I use it 75+% of the time, unless the wind is honking or I am fishing for albies, in which case I use my 8 weight Xi3. I love: the softness in the tip to load for short casts, but that it still has some ass to it; that I can still pick up a ton of line to make corrections quickly when I bugger up a shot; that I can shoot line with one to two false casts; and that I can make both short casts and longer casts with accuracy and ease. It fits me. SO...

2) My fiancee just ordered me a 12 weight blank to build - I haven't built it yet, so I can't comment on that yet. BUT... with the recent closeout, I decided to order an 8 weight also, but factory built this time. I was pretty nervous about the negative reviews I had seen about the 8, but I got the chance to cast it today on the lawn, and loved everything about it! It has the same characteristics (at least for me) that the 7 does, and I like it more than the Xi3, which is stiffer (faster?) than the Salt. I realize that lawn casting isn't the same, but the characteristics of the rods were.

Just one guy's ramblings...


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## Danny Moody (Jan 22, 2016)

After not having the Salt 9wt for a while, I picked up another on closeout. First fish put it to the test yesterday. It's nice having this rod back in the arsenal. Really does well with Wulff Bermuda TT.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Looks like one of those Jupiter snooks.... great catch


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## SC Bill (Jul 22, 2017)

I'm a 30+ year owner of Sage fly rods. Still own every Sage I bought. I'm a big fan of Sage, especially the freshwater rods.

Here's good article/review. I believe the article to be an honest review of 8 WT fly rods which were available last year. While I do not own a Salt 8 WT, I have tossed a friend's at reds along SC. I think the review of the Salt is spot on based on several days casting the rod.

Not sure how the 8 WT plays into the 9WT Salt. But, the discontinued price is hard to beat and pass up, even with the limitations of the 8WT rod as noted in the review and I experienced.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

SC Bill said:


> I believe the article to be an honest review of 8 WT fly rods which were available last year.[/QUOTE)
> 
> Very debatable statement.


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## SC Bill (Jul 22, 2017)

In what way?

I agree reviews are opinions and therefore some may consider them to be subjective rather then objective.

But, having fished quite a lot in MT, ID, OR and WA and visited Yellowstone Angler on multiple occasions, I think the folks from YA in Livingston are on the up and up. They have a lot of salt water experience as well. But, one should read every review with a bit of skepticism. If possible, always best to try in the environment you will be using a rod before buying.

What may be the keys to the kingdom of fly fishing rods for one may be the dungeon for another.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Their reviews are very unsound from a technical perspective and very biased. Feel free to pm me if you want more details.

Now that said, they are very helpful folks in there and they are pretty good dudes. 

https://www.microskiff.com/threads/2014-yellowstone-anglers-8wt-rod-shootout-review.22100/

Check out this thread and you can read about some of the things I believe are wrong with their testing.


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## Ridin' the Tide (Jul 20, 2017)

I own a Salt in a 9 and LOVE that rod. I fish it mostly in Louisiana in winter for reds, and man that thing casts those big bugs really well. Where I feel that rod shines most though is it's ability to pick up an incredible amount of line. It's not uncommon for me to be able to pick up 60 feet of line and drop it right back down. I'm actually selling mine if anyone is interested. Don't really use it enough to warrant having it unfortunately.


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