Sage R8 Core Fly Rod

R8 Core and BQ, a winning combo

I was looking for an all-purpose 5 Wt as my rid quiver had 2 more specialized rods, both older, one a dry-fly rod and the other a 7 piece traveler with a broom-stick-like action. My current go-to trout rod has been a 9’4wt Sage Z-Axis which I do 90+% of my trout fishing with, but which doesn’t quite have the punch needed for windy days or multiple big flies. I visited BQ this past week and talked to Scott about what I was looking for. He guided me to picking out 5 rods to Lawn cast, both less and more expensive. For me the clear winner was the R8 Core, 9’ 5wt. I bought it on the spot. If I had my choice previously I would have purchased another ZAxis in a 5 wt in could have found one in good condition at a reasonable price. My search for that was futile And I’m glad t was. The R8 Core does so much so well. It’s dead on accurate (so far out to 75’) and my first hook-up with it was deft yielding a Williams Fork 20” Rainbow on a 6.5 Tippet that came to the net with the gentle power that the R8 executes so well. It is better than my old Z and the folks at Blues Quill, especially Scott were so helpful without any pressure in helping me get to that happy conclusion. Thank you!