Sage R8 Core

The Sage R8 Core Fly Rod is a rod family focused on maximum versatility and applies new revolutionary material technology through a forward-thinking lens of what is being seen out on the water where one rod needs to show even greater range. At its Core, R8 CORE traces a direct lineage to Sage’s multi-application vision, one shaped by the fishing evolutions happening all around us—from habitats we stalk and waters we frequent, to the flies we fish and the diversity of species we now target. 

Details

• Revolution 8 Technology Silver Pine blank color
• Slate primary thread wraps with graduated White and Grey trim
• Fuji ceramic stripper guides with hard chromed snake guides and tip-top
• Laser-etched line weight on slide band
• Black rod bag with new quick-tie cord lock for faster, easier, and cleaner storage
• Aluminum rod tube with Sage medallion
• Sustainable Ziricote wood insert with anodized aluminum up-locking reel seat
• Premium Flor grade full-wells cork handle
• Gunmetal anodized aluminum up-locking reel seat
• Integrated hidden hook keeper in reel seat

Features

• Enhanced Hand-to-Rod Connection:  With an increased purity of graphite in the rod for even more reactivity and sensitivity, shifting energy further down the blank and into the handle. This transfer of energy creates a more natural extension of your arm, ultimately resulting in less wasted effort and intuitive reactivity. Rather than dialing up parking lot distance, the thinking has been shifted back to the roots of rhythm and awareness—where you can experience the energy happening in each moment.
• Amplified Sensory Feedback Loop:  Effortless energy transfer and more connected feel, the amplified two-way feedback loop of R8 Technology, due to Sage's new axial fiber formulation, allows you to feel when the power needs to be applied throughout the cast, presentation, and when applying the appropriate pressure to fish.
• Heightened Fishing Experience:  Whether it’s the mental chess of matching the hatch, the headspace of reading the water, or the instinct of putting a fly in exactly the right spot—our best days emerge when our mind is right. It always seems that when we’re not thinking about it is precisely when our fishing mind takes over—where every single moment feels almost automatic or instinctual. With immediate feedback from tip to hand, R8 is designed to facilitate that higher state of mental flow and focus when small decisions, thoughts, and actions line up effortlessly.

Behind the Technology

• Pure Graphite:  The advanced, leading-edge material behind R8 enables us to shape a rod with a stiffer, stronger backbone but a more sensitive tip and more connected feel. The secret is twofold. First, a proprietary aerospace composite with a greater hoop strength enables Sage to dimensionally grow taper diameter more quickly from the tip—while a nano-sintered resin application increases axial resilience and allows more fiber to be packed into the blank, resulting in a true two-way connection from hand to fly and back for greater feel, flow, and control.
• Effortless Energy Transfer:  Elongated energy transfer shifts the sweet spot closer to the hand creating a more natural extension of your arm for greater range, quicker reactivity, and less wasted effort.
• New Axial Fiber Formulation:  Advanced nano-sintered resin application and a more resilient axial fiber allow to re-profile the dimensional taper to get thicker quicker from tip to butt - resulting in better energy transfer and greater feel. Simply put - a better and more efficient "wiring" of energy.
• New Circumferential Hoop Fiber:  Advanced hoop fibers hold blank in optimal cylindrical shape creating greater circumferential strength - continuously maintaining the inherent blank strength while actively engaged or under tension.

Made to Fish, Not Just Cast

• Mending:  With a feel that extends to the smallest dry flies, R8 provides the touch to deliver efficient mends with intention and precision.
• Setting:  From subtle sips to streamer strikes, the amplified sensitivity of R8 enables a fine nibble feel that triggers an instant, instinctual reaction for trout sets or strip sets.
• Fish Fighting:  With a fish on, R8’s fusion of a stronger backbone yet greater feel enables you to control your fish, even from tough structure, with touch and care.