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Yellow Dog 5-Weight Invitational (View Results)
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We Give Back With Every Trip Booked & Product Sold!
Yellow Dog 5-Weight Invitational (View Results)
FREE SHIPPING ON MOST ORDERS OVER $99
We Give Back With Every Trip Booked & Product Sold!
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The most versatile of all CLASSIC R8 rods, the 9-foot, 5-weight delivers dry flies and soft hackles of all sizes across small, medium, and large waters with delicacy and accuracy. This rod has enough power to adequately pull on large trout and cut into wind while also providing enough feel and touch to properly play fish on light tippets.
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 enablesus 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 intothe blank, resulting in that true two-way connection from hand to fly and back forgreater feel, flow and control.
A key characteristic of our proprietary Revolution 8 graphite material is that it naturally likes to bend - unusual in most high-modulus rods. With the CLASSIC R8, we’ve fully leaned into this characteristic and applied R8 Technology to a deep loading Moderate action, resulting in rod blanks that are astoundingly lightweight and soulful - perfect for fishing at calculated, measured tempos. Due to the fiber purity and resin applications of Revolution 8 graphite, CLASSIC R8 rods retain fast recovery speeds and incredible overall strength while offering an instinctive in-hand feel. This blend of a deep load and fast recovery results in a rod that maximizes smooth energy transfer and overall feel while achieving unprecedented line speed, control, and accuracy. Thanks to R8 materials, the CLASSIC R8 has revolutionized performance at a Moderate action.
From the manufacturer: What specific fishing scenarios did you design this rod for, and where do you feel it truly excels in performance?
CLASSIC is for an angler who wants to prioritize dry fly fishing but appreciates the ability to throw a small streamer mid day when the fishing gets stale. In my mind CLASSIC brings a level of versatility to the medium action category. It’s an all-day dry fly rod. CLASSIC is probably at it’s best standing in a river and casting at heads. But don’t rule it out for hucking salmonflies from the boat.
From the manufacturer: What fly line would you recommend pairing with this rod?
Caster Scores:
DRY FLY COURSE - TOTAL SCORE 149/195
Sage Classic R8 |
20' Cast |
30' Cast |
40' Cast |
50' Cast |
20' Wind |
30' Wind |
40' Wind |
50' Wind |
Pile Cast 30' |
Reach Cast 30' |
Reach Cast 30' Wind |
False Cast 30' |
False Cast 30' Wind |
FINAL SCORE |
|
Caster 1 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
4 |
3.5 |
4 |
49.5 |
|
Caster 2 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
4 |
3.5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
50.5 |
|
Caster 3 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
4 |
4 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
49 |
|
Combined |
10.5 |
10.5 |
12 |
11.5 |
11.5 |
11.5 |
12 |
12 |
11.5 |
11.5 |
12 |
11 |
11.5 |
149 |
Caster Notes:
Dry Fly Course | 10’ 5x leader with size 14 Parachute Adams
This rod felt more like a 6 weight, but it was smooth casting rod
Excellent rod! I imagine that when striking a fis or playing fish on light tippet, this rod would be lovely. Handle is great. Good power. . . the rod aids the angler.
Nice bend, pretty good through range, better longer. Action not perfectly smooth. Slight sensation of two bends - butt and tip of rod.
Yellow Dog Final Takeaway
The Sage R8 Core Classic 5-weight is a smooth, well-balanced rod that feels more like a 6-weight to some casters, offering excellent stability and confidence when casting or playing fish on light tippet. This rod placed third overall in the dry fly course. It has a comfortable grip, an easy tempo, and a pleasant bend that supports consistent performance across a range of distances. While the action isn't entirely seamless—showing hints of separate flex in the tip and butt—it still provides a composed and reliable casting experience. A polished, versatile rod that blends classic feel with modern responsiveness, especially well-suited for anglers who prefer a slightly beefier 5-weight dry fly rod.
LINE SIZE: 5wt
ROD LENGTH: 9'0"
HANDLE: Snub-Nose, Half Wells
COLOR: Brown
PIECES: 4
PHYSICAL WEIGHT: 2 1/2oz
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