The great 2014 8 weight shootout - a great read for every tackle junky!

[saflyfish]

i wonder how much the BVK retails for?

[emjaysmit]

Scythe I couldn't agrre more with you. Very valid points...BUT like YOU said...we are tackle sluts and if we could we WOULD...that's the point I am trying to make...I am not saying that the ultra expensive will ctach more fish..I just think you will enjoy fishing with it more...it alo acts as a bit of a confidence booster...

With my budget as is now...it will have to be a nice second hand offering in mint nick...preferably from the TFO stable...

I like Kistler rods, Gary loomis creates the blanks for Trey Kistler through Northfork Composites...He was behind the technology G.Loomis currently has as well as the designing of their equipment...and from little knowledge in the fly-fishing game I have had, I have heard Gary Loomis has a hand in the manufacturing process for Temple Fork...so definately a thumbs up for them...Is Gary Loomis a better rod executer than Steve Rajeff...without a doubt...every single graphite composite rod one holds in hand is because of that man...he is connected to every single blank somehow in some or other way that leaves a factory...he is the benchmark...he is the knowledge...HE IS THE PERSON WHO MADE IT ALL HAPPEN...

Gary Loomis simply put is the pioneer of our century...were it not for him...heaven knows what we would have been fishing with today...no matter who has ended up with what company...(politics aside)

[fishlover1]

i wonder how much the BVK retails for?

R3300 at Stream X for the 9wt, but im pretty sure it'll be the same price for the 8wt. Awesome rods, my next salt stick.

[Andre]

Yes, I agree.... The Method is too light to be a tough saltwater stick. My opinion, is that it is an inferior rod, and is going to become one of Sage's great blunders in the future. It is not robust, It only has one stripping guide (stupid), and has already a reputation for snapping under a moderately heavy load. They have tried to make a very stiff and fast rod, with very thin graphite... not a good combination.

Not aways true ... rod selection is ultimately subjective, so there will never really be a non biased rating mechanism for rods saying "This rod satisfies 8/10 of the requirements for a superior rod" ... because the very definition of those requirements is a subjective thing varying from one person to the next.

In terms of the technology however, you might be able to (at a stretch of the imagination) say the Sage Method beats the Gloomis NRX because it has a newer resin system and in two respects, action and weight of the blank, I'd agree with you, however the Method isn't nearly as tough as the GLoomis is. (I'm talking a Method 8WT hit by dumbells and shattered on first outting v NRX hit by dumbells repeatedly over many outtings, including the same day as the Method, and still going strong)

So which technology is better ... the Method because it is lighter and stiffer or the GLoomis because it is more resilient, even though it's a bit heavier in hand?

Again a very subjective thing.

One thing you simply can't say with a straight face is that a "premium" rod (ito purchase price) will necessarily be a "better" rod than an "economy" rod with similar specifications, performance and handling.

This has always been the case with TFO v Sage ... for the price of one Method I can get two BVK's with enough bucks left to get lines for each, so I not only have a backup rod but lines too for the same price as just a rod and let me tell you, other than the marginal difference in weight of the Method blank, nothing about the Method makes it that much better than the BVK that it would justify me spending the cash on it as opposed to getting the BVK(while budget is an issue)

Were my budget sufficient enough to buy a Method AND BVK or NRX AND BVK then that's the route I'd go, but purely because I'm tackle slut and it would be nice to have both, but if I had to choose the performance I want within the constraints of a budget, you can most definitely argue for purchasing a "buget" rod with "premium" performance over purchasing a "premium" rod in order to obtain "premium" performance.

Just because the rod is marked $800 does not mean it's the best rod.

[saflyfish]

BVK definately my next saltwater stick also!
I wonder how the backup service is in SA...i believe its great in the states

[Scythe]

BVK definately my next saltwater stick also!
I wonder how the backup service is in SA...i believe its great in the states

It's good. The Agents are in Newlands PTA.

Yes, I agree.... The Method is too light to be a tough saltwater stick. My opinion, is that it is an inferior rod, and is going to become one of Sage's great blunders in the future. It is not robust, It only has one stripping guide (stupid), and has already a reputation for snapping under a moderately heavy load. They have tried to make a very stiff and fast rod, with very thin graphite... not a good combination.

Look, it's blerrie nice, nothing feels quite like it does in hand, nothing casts quite like it does either. Can't comment on the factry build, I was fishing a custom which I didn't like for their selection of the REC stripping guides which make too much noise for my liking when the line isn't wet. The TCR also had issues with cracking on the ferrules, this rod is magnificent, it's just not as tough as the GLoomis.

BVK 8

Was a toss up for me between the 8WT BVK and the 8WT Axiom, they were out of the BVK so I took the Axiom, but I will most definitely get the 8WT BVK as my other rod. I first experienced the 9WT BVK in hand, couldn't believe how light and strong it was, it is truly a machine.