What Sage Fly Rod to Buy??

SerengetiGuide

SerengetiGuide

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

Definitely taking up fly fishing this upcoming year as I'm moving back to BC permanently and have always wanted to fly fish...seems so relaxing and almost an art. Would love to get into it and try to expand into another branch of fishing, I'd be using the rod for both salt and fresh, mostly fresh however. May look at expanding into guiding fly as well. I'm about to buy a Sage rod and was wondering if any of you had any good suggestion for a beginner (hopefully I pick it up quickly however) rod that would be good to start off with. The Sage rep I've talked to suggested the Accel 7126, and would love to hear any other suggestions you may have. Thanks, hope to throw an order in either Thursday or Friday.

David
 
Dave, When you get back to the island give me a call and we will talk! I am very interested in hearing more details. And as you know I can toss the fly around not half bad!

If you are looking at targeting trout coho and steel I would say a 7 weight will be great. I have an 8 weight sage you could try out if your down island.

Cheers Buddy!
 
Hey Dave,

Also a relative newbie to fly fishing. I wanted something I could use both in the fresh but also in the salt for Bucktailing etc. Didn't need a bunch of different rods but one that could do all I wanted.

My gal got me a set up a year or so ago for my birthday and had a LOT of consultation (haha) from a fairly well known guy in the fly fishing community in BC. Not sure the pricing but the set up I have has been great and fairly easy to learn on. This came recommended as a good set up for a newb; thus far I like it and a few others who have tried it have really liked it as well.

Sage Flight - 7100-4 #7 10' Rod 4 5/16oz

Lamson Konic Reel 3.5
 
Pippen said:
Hey Dave,

Also a relative newbie to fly fishing. I wanted something I could use both in the fresh but also in the salt for Bucktailing etc. Didn't need a bunch of different rods but one that could do all I wanted.

My gal got me a set up a year or so ago for my birthday and had a LOT of consultation (haha) from a fairly well known guy in the fly fishing community in BC. Not sure the pricing but the set up I have has been great and fairly easy to learn on. This came recommended as a good set up for a newb; thus far I like it and a few others who have tried it have really liked it as well.

Sage Flight - 7100-4 #7 10' Rod 4 5/16oz

Lamson Konic Reel 3.5
Click to expand...


Nailed it! Great rod. Plus cant go wrong with a 4 piece for storage!
 
Pippen said:
Hey Dave,

Also a relative newbie to fly fishing. I wanted something I could use both in the fresh but also in the salt for Bucktailing etc. Didn't need a bunch of different rods but one that could do all I wanted.

My gal got me a set up a year or so ago for my birthday and had a LOT of consultation (haha) from a fairly well known guy in the fly fishing community in BC. Not sure the pricing but the set up I have has been great and fairly easy to learn on. This came recommended as a good set up for a newb; thus far I like it and a few others who have tried it have really liked it as well.

Sage Flight - 7100-4 #7 10' Rod 4 5/16oz

Lamson Konic Reel 3.5
Click to expand...

That is a good setup... I almost went that route with the Flight and Lamson.

I went a little cheaper with a Vantage rod and little higher end with a Ross Evolution LT reel.

All 5 weight for trout though, so no bucktailing for this guy.....:(
 
I wouldn't get totally hung up on "Sage". There are lots of good options, with good warranties. Echo for one can give you a lot of bang for your buck. Same with (cough) Redington. I have a couple of entry level Sages. I actually prefer the slightly slower action of the Vantage over the Flight.
You will quickly realise that two rods are minimum for BC. A 4-5 wt for trout and a 8wt will cover salmon.
 
As new fly fishers i would not set up with expensive rods. they get damage easy, by weighted flies hitting the rod on poor casts.I love my old fiberglass 8 weight with shooting tapper ,never fails and can power it up with double hull.
 
I myself have about 6 Sage fly rods of different weight for different species. I wouldn't do it differently. Having said that, I would say, however, that for a beginner, you should probably get a reasonably priced beginner rod (Sage or otherwise) to learn with. You will discover as you progress what type of rod action (fast, slow, etc) is best suited to your personal casting style. Some can throw tight loops with a fast action rod while others require a slower action rod. Once you've mastered the technique of fly casting, and ready to spend some money, go and try different rods (Sage, Winston, Orvis, Reddington,etc.). Your arm will know which is best because you will be able to effortless make a perfect cast with a tight loop. Have fun!
 
I agree about high end rods. The cheaper rods work decent too. Lines on the other hand, I don't scrimp there. Quality lines are of vast importance IMO.

For River fishing steelhead and salmon, I would not go below 8 weight, just more backbone for managing bigger fish in current. For trout I like 5 or 6.

I have a couple of TFO rods I use for trout and they work great. Plus I don't worry if they break.

I have Sage rods too, they are nice but... Do they increase my fishing pleasure over a TFO rod? No. But like I said, cheap lines suck, spend your money there.
 
Sage VXP, which are the updated version of the classic XP blank - one of Sage's best ever, are on sale at US Cabelas right now for only $350, which is an absolute steal!!

Definitely go with a 4-piece, modern blanks 4-pieces today have a more consistent bend then 2-pieces did a decade ago and just so much nicer for storage and travel. For a reel, take a look at Allen fly reels. I've used and abused lots of mid to high-end reels from Sage to Lamson to Islander and even Abel. Allen may not be the best (yes, that would be Abel) but are far and away your best bang for your buck - fully machined aluminum large arbor reels with high-end sealed drag for just $150 for their mid-range Alpha III, can't beat it!

Ukee
 
I live a few blocks from the Sage factory so I have so support those guys...

They make great rods, of course, so that helps, but you do NOT have to go get the latest and greatest to get a killer rod.

You mentioned a rod that would cover both salt chuck and and river. River means steelhead for the most part and salt chuck means coho, springs and if you're slumming, pinks. But to cover the bigger stuff, a seven weight is NOT the right tool for the job. Get a No. 8,or even a No. 9.

You don't need to drop a bundle of dough-- there's a guy in Saanich (Craigslist) selling a No. 8 4-piece Graphite II (9 foot)

Now there's a perfect rod to cover steelhead and salmon in the chuck-- any of those Graphite I or II's are fine-~~ those newer Sage One's: you DO NOT need to drop that kind of money for a good lively rod

I agree that fly lines are where to put your money, but having a nice lovely rod with backbone --- do yourself a favor and get the good stuff to learn with--- you'll be casting in 5 minutes if you have a snappy rod with backbone in your hand with a good quality weight forward line (floating or sinking, depending on what you're trying to fish )

I have ten's of thousands of $$$$ in my reels just because we all have to have a fetish but the truth is, a $ 100 reel would be just fine as long as it has RIM CONTROL and line capacity of at least 150 yards of backing + fly line)

A reel with at least 4" of diameter will usually give you thAt capacity.

Good luck
 
Last edited by a moderator:
sharphooks said:
I live a few blocks from the Sage factory so I have so support those guys...

They make great rods, of course, so that helps, but you do NOT have to go get the latest and greatest to get a killer rod.

You mentioned a rod that would cover both salt chuck and and river. River means steelhead for the most part and salt chuck means coho, springs and if you're slumming, pinks. But to cover the bigger stuff, a seven weight is NOT the right tool for the job. Get a No. 8,or even a No. 9.

You don't need to drop a bundle of dough-- there's a guy in Saanich (Craigslist) selling a No. 8 4-piece Graphite II (9 foot)

Now there's a perfect rod to cover steelhead and salmon in the chuck-- any of those Graphite I or II's are fine-~~ those newer Sage One's: you DO NOT need to drop that kind of money for a good lively rod

I agree that fly lines are where to put your money, but having a nice lovely rod with backbone --- do yourself a favor and get the good stuff to learn with--- you'll be casting in 5 minutes if you have a snappy rod with backbone in your hand with a good quality weight forward line (floating or sinking, depending on what you're trying to fish )

I have ten's of thousands of $$$$ in my reels just because we all have to have a fetish but the truth is, a $ 100 reel would be just fine as long as it has RIM CONTROL and line capacity of at least 150 yards of backing + fly line)

A reel with at least 4" of diameter will usually give you thAt capacity.

Good luck
Click to expand...

For the most part I agree with SH, with one exception.
I am a firm believer that your casting skill will be tailored to the rod you learn on.
I cut my teeth on the early Sage RP and moved thru the different series up to the new Ones.
25+ years ago I developed a casting stye to cast the slower rods and the faster ones are a challenge, I can do it but I have work at it.
I feel if you start with a fast one you will develop a style of casting for the faster rods, plus the bottom line is they are only going to get faster.
There are other mfgs that make blanks/rods every bit as good as Sage but Sage has proven themselves over the long run with a rock solid warranty and it shows with their outstanding resale market.
I would suggest you start with as fast of an 8-9 weight you can fit in the budget.
 
eroyd said:
You will quickly realise that two rods are minimum for BC. A 4-5 wt for trout and a 8wt will cover salmon.
Click to expand...

No one ever accused me of being quick. I have 5, 6, 7 and 9 wts. ... Plus 2 classic glass fenwicks that were left to me by a co-worker that past away. Unsure of the weights.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I thought the Sage "factory" was in Korea? Loomis is one of the few companies that actually mfg. rods in N.A. Most have great warranties, but obviously the companies aren't going bankrupt from replacing all those broken tips. I'm sure warranty is a huge part of the purchase price.

Once you've had a chance to cast a good rod (not necessarily expensive rod) you will sure notice when you cast a crappy one.
 
Yup.... Fly rods are like bows and cars... Got to test drive them first. I did that when the first sage rpl 3's came out. Ended up with a 5 and 7 wt. Busted 5 wt on a tailgate trout. Sage replaced immediately.
Btw.. All sage rods are made on Bainbridge island in Washington state.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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