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4,794 Views | 21 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by AgFlyGuy
Dogdoc
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I want a new saltwater fly rod. 8 weight because my father in law gave me his 8 weight tibor reel. I have read about:
Sage salt
Loomis nrx+
Orvis helios
Scott Sector
I have not cast any of them. Closest fly shop is 1 1/2 hrs away in Bee Cave/Austin.
I consider myself an intermediate caster.
I am leaning toward the Scott Sector now based on online reviews.
What say you?
Psycho Bunny
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Give it to me, I'll help you spend it
AgFlyGuy
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Do you have any rods now? That might better tell us your casting style/what rods you prefer.

If all else fails, just go with an Asquith
Dogdoc
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AgFlyGuy said:

Do you have any rods now? That might better tell us your casting style/what rods you prefer.
I have a 9 ft 6wt sage ds that I have used for Colorado and New Mexico trout. Last three coastal trips, I have used the guide's rods. Now I want to get my own so I can practice with it and make better/longer casts. Targeted species is redfish on the lower Texas coast. Port aransas to SPI.
dr_boogs
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I'd suggest you put Thomas and Thomas sextant in the mix. I own that rod in an 8.

I own 4 sectors, 6-10 w. IMO they are the best rod out there. I relive that's subjective. Pair it w an SA amplitude infinity salt smooth line…. or textured if you don't mind a little line noise when casting. Perfect salt setup.
FunkyTownAg
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Helios is pretty smooth in the 8
alvtimes
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damnit…. the title sounded like loads of fun til I read further….. I dont know shizz about fly fishing!!
pfo
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I have an 8 weight Sage 4 piece. It's great!

I use it to catch silvers and big Alaskan Rainbows. On the monsters, I wish I had gotten a 9 weight. When I got it I feared a 4 piece might pull apart or twist and be a pain in the rump. Not that Sage! It's perfect, not a single problem and being a 4 piece with its aluminum tube carrier, it's so convenient to transport. I've used it over 35 years without one problem. Sage is built to last.
AgFlyGuy
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Hmm, that's a tough one. All those rods are drastically different than the DS. The DS is (to me) a medium action rod and FW can be a different animal than SW. I typically like a little punchier rod to help get through the wind & pick up line but I'm normally carrying 2-3 rods every time I go because there isn't one rod that handles every scenario perfect. Try to get one that covers most(80/20) of what you'd do. All those rods you listed are around the $1k mark and all good rods, but I think the Salt(assuming you're talking about the HD) is likely the most moderate action of the group, but still much faster than the DS. I've got a few sectors(8 and 10) and they're probably my normal "go to" rods, but as Dr Boogs mentioned they can be a bit noisy when casting as the line passes through the guides, and while I have more Scott rods than anything, I hate their reel seats and likely won't be buying another until they improve. I really like the NRX+ as well but I ended up getting an Asquith (my absolute fav rod) instead. I've never been a huge Orvis fan (more for looks) but the Helios is a solid rod(and the blackout looks sick).

Most SW cast for reds is going to be in the ~20-50' distance, so if you've only got one rod you don't need something that has to reach out to 80' but it can be nice to have or if the wind picks up.

I'd suggest making a trip to cast any rod you want to buy before spending $1k. I've got a wide range of rods, from 4wt-12wt (I think last look was three 8's) I can tell you the ones I bought early on without casting are the ones that sit in the tube and don't get used, and what I thought was my casting style (early on) was not what I liked when actually getting on the water. It can get expensive trying to find that perfect rod (and addictive lol). I think you'll be money ahead to wait until you can handle a few. But since you asked, if it was me and I had to pick one rod from that list, I'd go with the NRX+.

I'm nowhere close to you, but if you're ever around Houston I'm happy to let you try any of mine to better make your decision. Best of luck and let us know what you decide.
Dogdoc
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Thank you for the replies and recommendations. Sportsman's Finest in Bee Caves has most of the rods I am interested in and will let me try before I buy, so that is the plan.
Thanks again.
docb
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Dogdoc said:

Thank you for the replies and recommendations. Sportsman's Finest in Bee Caves has most of the rods I am interested in and will let me try before I buy, so that is the plan.
Thanks again.
That is a good plan. They got me for a new Sage core 6 wt and an Abel reel two weeks ago. Sometimes I just can't help myself damnit!
TarponChaser
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Dogdoc said:

Thank you for the replies and recommendations. Sportsman's Finest in Bee Caves has most of the rods I am interested in and will let me try before I buy, so that is the plan.
Thanks again.

That's a great shop- where are you located that they're the closest?

There's Living Waters in Round Rock, Reel Fly is in Sattler, and Country Flyfisher in Fredericksburg is Aggie-owned.
Aggieangler93
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River and Ranch Provisions in Georgetown also has fly-fishing gear. They don't have a tryout pond though.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
Dogdoc
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Lampasas.
JeremiahJohnson
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pfo said:

I have an 8 weight Sage 4 piece. It's great!

I use it to catch silvers and big Alaskan Rainbows. On the monsters, I wish I had gotten a 9 weight. When I got it I feared a 4 piece might pull apart or twist and be a pain in the rump. Not that Sage! It's perfect, not a single problem and being a 4 piece with its aluminum tube carrier, it's so convenient to transport. I've used it over 35 years without one problem. Sage is built to last.

I am a Sage fan, so I would suggest this as well. Great rods
LRHF
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https://edgerods.com/fly

The blanks are made my Gary Loomis (the man not the company). I have a 9 wt made by a friend and it's defiantly a better rod than my Scott meridians. Hard part will be finding one to test cast…
bmfvet
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I've got a Helios 3D if you want to try casting it (a little further in from Sportsmans). One of the higher ups at Trout Unlimited asked me why I wasn't a life member and I said they need to have different size rod options because I have four 5 weights already. Well they had 4 rod options the next year and now I have three 8 weights.
‘99
Dogdoc
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Thanks for the offer, but I think they have a helios in stock. The only one on my list that they don't have is the NRX+.
docb
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You're not going to find a fly rod any nicer than a Sage
Dogdoc
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Scott Sector for the win. It was the best/easiest caster for me. Thanks for all the replies and advice.
FunkyTownAg
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I'm Galveston for work. The fly shop down here has their Sage salts for 50% off. Didn't check to see if they had an 8WT though.
AgFlyGuy
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Congrats, I'm sure you'll love it. Just watch that reel seat coming loose.
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