Sage Salt 海水釣竿

Last November, I had the opportunity to test out the new Sage Salt 8 & 11 weights on Christmas Island’s numerous flats.

Now, being a Sage distributor, I’m obliged to tell you how wonderful a rod the Salt is.  But the actual fact is, I absolutely am convinced the Salt is a great rod to have on the flats and in the salt-chuck for sight fishing.

Sage is renowned for producing some really fast action saltwater cannons like the Xi2 and Xi3.  The Salt is a mellower and, dare I say it, more refined version of its predecessors.  Note that Sage does not use the terms ultra-fast or fast action in their product description, but instead, refer to its characteristics as “Salt Action” instead.  There is a good reason for that.  Because, while the rod is fast action indeed, the feel to me is somewhere between mid-fast to fast.  It’s all very subjective by the way, but what I’m trying to convey is that Salt is not so stiff as to the point that one needs to load it with a line higher than the line size prescribed to feel it bend.  So, a 7 weight Salt will get the job done admirably when matched with a #7 saltwater line.  You won’t need to cast “off the tip” like a TCX or Method when fishing up close and that bodes well for the majority of anglers.

This all means that the Salt performs really well in the all-important 40~50’ close-up range for sight fishing.

And getting your fly out to 80’ is not a problem either as there is plenty of “power in reserve” (a term you always hear these days though I think it just means that the rod resists bending more) to generate higher line speed as long you are not chucking a duck.

Being designated for the ocean, the Salt is built solid.  The rod is beefy in the lower section and comes with sturdy, corrosion resistant fittings.  It certainly gives me lots of confidence because you just never know what will show up next when fishing in the sea!