Speaking of traditional, the aesthetics on this rod are classic Sage, which I really appreciate. Anything you’d ask a 5-weight to do on the water, our test rod did, in spades. It’s accurate at short and long ranges, a rare combo.Īll of this makes the R8 extremely versatile: it’s as good a nymphing rod as it is a dry-fly rod, and while you wouldn’t call our 9-foot, 5-weight test model a streamer rod (nor expect it to be one in this age of monster meat flies), it’s got more than enough backbone for Zonkers, Buggers, Muddlers, and other traditional trout streamers. It finished right near the top of our test for distance and provided wonderful feel and line control on the water. At just 2 11/16 ounces, it’s light and lively and has enough power to cut the wind. Most rods are an either/or proposition you get distance or feel, lightweight or power. And that is what sets the R8 apart: It does everything really, really well. On the lawn, there’s a tendency to favor the purest caster or the biggest bomb-thrower. But then we put the Sage R8 Core on the water-and that decided things. At the end of the lawn-casting session, several testers were leaning in a different direction. You’re looking at the Editors’ Pick Award winner for the overall best new trout rod of 2023. Its sheer power made me feel like I could cast my fly anywhere I wanted.” -S.M. It’s one of the most powerful, and smoothest, fly rods I’ve ever cast.” -C.K. During our distance tests, I could consistently reach out to 80-plus feet with ease. The results of this blind experiment were truly eye-opening, and as a result, two rods distinguished themselves as the unanimous winners for Editors’ Pick and Best Value.Īnd those winners are… The Best Fly Rods: Reviews & Recommendations Best Overall: Sage R8 Core The anonymous rods were then handed to the designated casters, who fired away, totally unaware of what they were casting. Two editors stood far off to the side, while the others used masking tape to cover the logos on the award-contending rods. On the final morning of the test-when a select few rods had quickly emerged as the front-runners for our Editors’ Pick and Best Value Awards-we conducted a blind-casting test. We also judged the rods on aesthetics (because we think looks matter in a fly rod) and their warranty (because every fly rod, no matter the price, is an investment). And, by the grace of the fish gods, we experienced one of those you-should’ve-been-there weekends and got to see how well these rods stood up to the weight and strength of wild Delaware River brown trout. We double-hauled, roll-cast, and chuck-and-ducked. We cast dries, nymphs, hopper-droppers, and streamers. On the water, we again judged the rods how far and accurately they cast but paid particularly close attention to versatility. Then, in the late afternoons-just in time for the evening sulfur hatch-we put on our waders and hit the river. Clockwise from top left: Day one on the casting lawn judging aesthetics the fly-rod firing line choose your weapon. We tested every rod for distance and accuracy, and also recorded test-panel notes on each rod’s power, feel, control, and overall castability. Each tester was given a lane with targets measured at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 feet. In the mornings and early afternoons of our test, we took over the enormous lawn at the lodge to set up our “range” for casting drills. Similar to shooting the same load through every gun in a shotgun test, we spooled every reel with the same fly line- Rio Gold WF5F. Another common thread across the test was the fly line we used. One specification they did share in common was line weight: We limited the test to 4- and 5-weights only. We arrived with 16 fly rods in a wide variety of prices (sub-$200 to $1,000-plus), actions (glass noodles to graphite broomsticks), and lengths (7 ½ feet to 10 feet). Our home base for the test was the Dream Catcher Lodge. Our five-person test crew consisted of the following members of the F&S staff:Ĭollectively, we have nearly 100 years worth of fly fishing experience and have traveled across North America on various angling adventures. We wanted to see how today’s best fly rods performed under the toughest and most technical fishing conditions possible, which the Delaware offers in spades. There are certainly easier places than the Upper D to catch trout, but easy is not what this gear test was about. McClane and, later, John Merwin served as the Fishing Editor for F&S. The Delaware has long been the unofficial home river of the Field & Stream team, going back to the days when angling legends like A.J.
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