SALT R8 990-4

Rod: 990-4

More Fight: Extra power in the butt of this 9 weight offers the permit angler maximum pull in the event a fish goes deep or a hungry shark necessitates you - and the permit - win that critical game of keep away.

More Touch: A refreshingly easy loading 9 weight, this stick offers anglers unmatched delivery speed out of the hand and supreme control of your favorite spawning shrimp or crab pattern at distance.

Lines: RIO Elite Permit WF9F

Flies: Merkin Crab, Avalon, Raghead Crab

Fisheries: Florida Keys to Belize, shallower water, moderate winds, light to medium sized flies

Rod: 990-4

More Fight: Baby Tarpon and Snook live in right in the margins of our favorite complex mangrove systems - and this 9 weight is built with extra power down low for keeping these hard pulling predators out of trouble.

More Touch: Presenting a fly into mangrove cuts to an ambushed snook or baby tarpon can truly be a game of inches - and the unmatched sensitivity in this 9 weight offers maximum control for tucking your favorite tarpon toad or gurgler into the sneakiest of haunts.

Line: RIO Elite Flats Pro WF9F

Flies: Tarpon Toad, Gurgler, Bait fish patterns, RIO's Truffle Shuffle

Fisheries: Ascension Bay Mexico to Belize for Baby Tarpon to the backcountry waters of Florida for Snook

Rod: 990-4

More Fight:Additional power in the bottom end of this 9 weight easily puts the stop on the largest of bonefish - from South Andros to Oahu - blended with the unmatched durability of R8 Technology for the unfortunate encounter with heavy lead eyed flies makes this the ultimate heavy-duty bonefish tool.

More Touch: The surprisingly easy-loading action of this 9 weight allows for quick shots and maximum control with larger-than-average bonefish flies makes this an ideal presentation tool for the trophy bonefish angler.

Lines: RIO Elite Bonefish WF9F

Flies: Gotcha Heavy, Crab Patterns, RIO's Christmas Mantis, Spawning Shrimp

Fisheries: The Florida Keys & Hawaii

Rod: 990-4

More Fight: From keeping a flats-hooked striper from running you around a rock outcropping and breaking off or pulling a trophy broadside through the breakers, the 9 weight SALT R8 has the low-end power necessary to effectively pull on these hard fighting bass in a variety of situations.

More Touch: Whether punching heavy deceivers into the surf at bass cruising in the breakers or carrying a heavy grab into a stiff wind while poling ocean-front flats, this 9 weight offers the control and line speeds needed in the diverse array of striped bass sight-fishing situations.

Lines: RIO Striper WF9F, RIO Striper WF9I

Flies: Baitfish, poppers, Sand eels, Crabs, Shrimp

Fisheries: Maine to Montauk, surf casting to sand flats, tidal rips to blitzing bass

Rod: 990-4

More Fight: With plenty of backbone and durability for the grind of bull redfish, the 9 weight SALT R8 is able to bring these large drum boatside quickly and efficiently.

More Touch: This 9 weight loads easily and efficiently for the quick short shots that are oh-so-common in the bull redfish game while still able to effectively drive larger wind resistant flies through wind and to the target.

Lines: RIO Premier Redfish XP WF9F

Flies: Heavy weighted or wind resistant shrimp, baitfish, & crabs, RIO’s Boyles Gulp Shrimp, RIO’s Hopedale Crab

Fisheries: Bull Redfish of Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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