Originally, Sabre was started by the guys who now run Seeker and Calstar--another very underrated rod that you hardly ever hear of, like All-Star. Sabre's most recent owner was Pacific Bay, the crappy guide people
Who actiually made the blanks was never very clear, Cascade Graphite was a company that was often mentioned.
In any event, I would choose the 975 for that application, big plugs and eels. Bigger, beefier gears, and a better drag. Brian sounds like he's going hunting for the cows
, and I'd go with the bigger gun of those two reels. Especially if you're going to use mono.