I picked up my new Salt R8 rod from Darc at the Desert Fly Angler shop in Ephrata. I ordered an 8 weight for my upcoming trip to Tahiti and the Cook Islands. We loaded an old bonefish line onto my reel and cast it in the parking lot for a little while. It's a really interesting rod. First cast I only had about 10 feet of line out of the tip. Even with that short length of line, I could feel the rod load - allowing me to cast accurately at close range. Most modern fast action rods feel like an absolute broomstick with that little line out. Next, I pulled out about 40 feet of line, and it handled that as effectively as one would expect. Finally, we took turns throwing the whole line - which it did with ease (note that I've been a competitive fly caster in the past, and this rod won't take you from beginner to expert overnight. No rod will). The interesting part about casting long distances with this rod is that it was flexing all the way to the handle. That doesn't mean it's a slower action rod, it definitely is still generating superior line speed. The feel while casting is quite remarkable, and unlike any other rod I've used before. That deep flex seems to translate to enhanced "feel" - which I'm not really sure how to describe, but basically you have a more constant connection to the energy you're putting into the line. Some super fast rods tend to react at the part of your casting stroke where the rod is flexing the most, and you don't feel much of the cast outside of that. It seems like the deeper flex I was noticing allows you to have a better feel of what you're doing during the cast. The recoil speed is super fast, from what I could tell, and might explain how they keep line speed high while allowing a deeper bend in the rod.
This is of course a first impression, and I'll need more time with the rod to work out everything I'm experiencing while casting. I will say that this is the most impressed I've been with a new rod in a very long time. Just thought I should pass along the info for anyone who wants to know.
This is of course a first impression, and I'll need more time with the rod to work out everything I'm experiencing while casting. I will say that this is the most impressed I've been with a new rod in a very long time. Just thought I should pass along the info for anyone who wants to know.
