SALT R8

Overview

Most salt rods are built for pure power and ultimate strength—that is table stakes for the venue and the discipline. With our new R8 graphite, adding 25% more strength-per-weight was the easy part—a simple function of material advancement—but one that also increased the fight in the rod even down to our six-weight. We increased the pure pulling power without the need to add more material, fillers or reinforcement. The outcome is simple, providing the ability for faster landing times - reducing fish fatigue and catch-and release stress on ever so delicate ecosystems.

More strength and fight were an obvious upgrade, yet few salt rods, especially in the heavier weights, achieve the importance of feel for fine touch shots and precise presentations. Shaping a taper that brought this increased touch into the equation took more time. Yet after a long residence in the birthplace of saltwater fly fishing, and working directly with the experienced guides there, our rod designers found the right profile and fiber alignment that delivered strength, fine touch presentation, and a more intuitive sweet spot to a class of rods that have long had a reputation as unwieldy, unforgiving, and difficult. With the SALT R8, gone are the days of sacrificing the feel and touch in your saltwater rod.

SALT R8

Details

Revolution 8 Technology

Tempest Blue blank color

Slate primary thread wraps with graduated White and Grey trim

Titanium Fuji K-Guide ceramic stripper guides with oversized 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

Premium Flor grade full-wells cork handle with EVA fighting butt

Heavy-Duty anodized aluminum up-locking reel seat with Integrated hidden hook keeper in reel seat

BEHIND THE SALT R8

Rod Applications

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All-Around Tarpon

Rod: 1190-4

More Fight: The ultimate fish-fighting tool for the die-hard tarpon angler, this 11 weight features unmatched pulling power and durability in its class - subduing the largest of tarpon in a quick and ethical manner and able to withstand the day in and day out rigor of shallow water big game hunting.

More Touch: Without question one of the easiest loading and most sensitive 11 weight rods available to tarpon anglers, this stick is a seasoned and greenhorn casters dream alike.

Lines: RIO Elite Tarpon WF11F

Flies: Palolo Worm, Tarpon Toad, Cockroach, Black Death

Fisheries: Go-to South Florida and Tarpon averaging 50 - 150 lbs + and lighter flies and presentations
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All-Around Tarpon
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All-Around Tarpon
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All-Around Tarpon
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All-Around Tarpon

Key Features

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25% MORE PULLING POWER

Greater Pulling power equals more fight for faster landing times and less stress on delicate ecosystems. Enhanced durability and toughness allows blank to withstand more rugged situations and demands of saltwater fishing and travel.
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MORE TOUCH

More intuitive sweet spot prioritizes touch and speed for shorter shots and high stakes on-demand casts, bringing feel and presentation to a class of rods that have long had a reputation as unwieldy, unforgiving and difficult. With the SALT R8, gone are the days of sacrificing the feel and touch in your saltwater rod.
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SALTWATER SPECIFIC GUIDE SET

Saltwater-specific titanium Fuji® K-guides resist corrosionand trim rod weight while angled shape prevents snags and tangling in the chaos of the fight. Oversized hard chrome snake guides and tip-top let larger saltwater knots pass with ease.
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Heavy-Duty Reel Seat

Heavy-duty reel seat and oversized locking rings keep reel tight to the rod for greater contact, rigidity, and a more dirrect connection when fighting powerful high-stakes fish. Integrated hook keeper at the top of the seat keeps flies closer to the hand for faster reaction capabilities and safer fly storage.

Designed on the Water

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A Residence In SALTWATER

To really understand what was happening in the heart and soul of saltwater fly-fishing we sent our senior rod designers to the birthplace of the discipline in the Florida Keys.
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During their lengthy saltwater immersion, they listened carefully to the shops, guides, scientists, stories and legends to truly understand what was happening on the water and what is really required to shape and hone a more perfect tool for saltwater sight fishing.
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Steeped in those cumulative decades of tradition, insight and knowledge, our design team then harnessed the power of Revolution 8 material technology and our precise knowledge of performance rod taper to create what naturally evolved into the Salt R8 collection

Strength vs. Durability

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Greater Pulling Power plus Knock-Around Toughness

While a strong and durable rod is essential for saltwater environments, strength and durability are not the same thing. But we made sure that our new Salt R8 rods were built with both characteristics.
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Pulling Power

A salt rod requires strength for the pure pulling power of getting high-stakes fish to the boat quicker and due to our more advanced graphite, a simple material swap increased our strength by 25% per weight. The key is that this increase in strength did not require adding more material or reinforcement, it was a natural extension of the aerospace material advance in fiber and composition.
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DURABILITY

At the same time our Salt R8 rods are characterized by enhanced durability, a critical trait in the rougher, tougher and more remote environments of saltwater fly fishing. Whether the knock-around durability of skiffs and roof racks, the corrosive, abrasive factors of salt and sand, or long travel to remote lodges, a salt rod needs to deliver in the category of durability.

SHAPING 8 REVOLUTIONS IN HOW WE FISH

R8 TECHNOLOGY

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 us to dimensionally grow taper diameter more quickly from the tip—while a nano-sintered resin application increases axial resilience and allows us to pack more fiber into the blank, resulting in that true two-way connection from hand to fly and back for greater feel, flow and control.

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New Axial Fiber Formulation

Advanced nano-sintered resin application and a more resilient axial fiber allow us 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.
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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.
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New circumferential hoop fiber

Advanced hoop fibers hold blank in optimal cylindrical shape creating greater circumferential strength - continuously maintaining inherent taper profile while actively engaged or under tension.

MADE IN THE USA

We’re not a big faceless factory, but rather a workplace of craftspeople who design and build the world’s best fly rods and reels using our hands and hearts. We do it by sharing ideas and always asking the next question to find what can be done to make this better. Our rods are built one at time right here on Bainbridge Island, WA, following hundreds of meticulous steps and passing through 23 sets of hands. We’re out there fishing the same places in the same unforgiving conditions that you are. Craftsmanship is applied experience. Lifetimes of it.