Sage rod specs

2341 Views 21 Replies 14 Participants Last post by Porter, Mar 21, 2010

battnkll

Discussion Starter · Mar 17, 2010

I am thinking about buying a new rod soon and i am just looking to try a new brand for a change, i have fished orvis for a good while now and i just want to see what some other companys are all about. So with that said i am just looking for a low end sage rod to get the feel for them. I was looking at the sage flight and the sage vantage i had the chance to cast the flight it has a very nice fast action, the biggest draw back for me was the diameter of the 4wt wow! it is as big as most of my 5 and 6 wt orvis rods. I have not seen the vantage in person i was just wondering if it has the same diameter and thickness as the flight. has anyone compared the two side by side to see if the vantage is smaller. I figured maybe since it is a medium action that it may be smaller. Is the 4wt Sage Vantage smaller in diameter than the 4wt Sage Flight?
I would like to fish the flight for anyone who has fished it does it handle trout like a true 4wt or does the power of the rod take out the fun in smaller fish retrievals? Thanks

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jessejames

· #2 · Mar 17, 2010

Sounds like your sold on Orvis why switch.
As far as the diameter of a rod what difference does that make? The weight of the sage flight compared to other rods at that price point is lighter or equal to all of the other top rod makers. It has a light feel in the hand and with the right line is a very capable stick. It is not an Orvis Helios or a Hydros but it is also 200 to 400 clams cheaper.
Thickness of a rod is not necessarily an indicication of its action you need to cast each one and see if it fits your casting style. If you are interested in a thin rod check out the new Jenny Craig line they are "Slim Fast".
Blessings
jesse clark

battnkll

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 17, 2010

I like a rod that is appealing to the eye as well, and a large diameter rod just doesnt do that for me. Also i think large diameter rods regardless of the actual weight, take the fun out of fish retrievals. If i am going to buy a 4wt i want it to act like a real 4wt. The flight feels like a 4wt and casts great but wil it take the fun out of fish retrievals. Same with the Vantage hoes does it look compared to the flight and does it make smaller fish fun to retrieve?

Nick Clayton

· #4 · Mar 17, 2010

It is certainly your right to be just as picky as you want when selecting a new rod. Regardless of what anyone else thinks, or even logic, its you who is making the purchase so its you who needs to be happy. With that said, I too am curious as to why you would switch from a rod that seems to please you in the name of an unknown? If it ain't broke why fix it?

Nick

jessejames

· #5 · Mar 17, 2010

B'kill you want to know about Sage but are advertising on the Clsssifieds for two new Orvis rods. Are you a Orvis schill or a troll?
Blessings
Jesse
And I will say it again the diameter of the rod is not necessarily related to the action of the rod even when retrieving fish a 4 wt is a 4wt casting or fighting fish. Diameter is mainly a function of the engineering and rod building philosophy of that particular manufacturer.

Banff Visitor

· #6 · Mar 17, 2010

jessejames said:
If you are interested in a thin rod check out the new Jenny Craig line they are "Slim Fast".

:rofl::thumb:

Banff Visitor

· #7 · Mar 17, 2010

battnkll said:
The flight feels like a 4wt and casts great but wil it take the fun out of fish retrievals. Same with the Vantage hoes does it look compared to the flight and does it make smaller fish fun to retrieve?

The answer to this is no, and I am not sure why you think it would. I had a 6wt fly logic rod that was a larger diameter, casted great, felt great, retrieved great (not even sure what that means). If you want a 4wt and if the flight fits the bill as far as feels like a 4wt to you, and you enjoy it, go for it, if not go get something skinnier. I am not a rod designer or engineer, but I am sure the diameter of a blank (big or small) may have a functional as well as structural purpose, but it isn't inherently positive or negative. If you like the way the rod performs, use it. If not, stick with something you do like. Just don't think a bigger diameter blank is somehow inherently inferior.

battnkll

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 17, 2010

I am just interested in tryng a new company i am not married to one company. I have alot of orvis rods and dont mind picking up a good deal when one comes around. I am always looking for another orvis for me or some fly fishing friends and family. Some people enjoy having alot of rods and using them alot. Like i said i am not married to one company. Most orvis rods have a thinner profile that is their design and how the rod designers construct them. I'm not saying that Sage rods dont work or their diameter is a design flaw i am sure their rods are just as good as orvis and maybe even better in some aspects. i have never fished a 4wt with a taper quite like the Sage flight larger than average to very small. Was just wonderring from anyone who fished the flight or the vantage how they handled fish do they retrieve fish like 4wt rods other companys offer.

jessejames

· #9 · Mar 17, 2010

:beathead::beathead::beathead::beathead::beathead::beathead::beathead::beathead:

Gone

· #10 · Mar 17, 2010

battnkll said:
I am just interested in tryng a new company i am not married to one company. I have alot of orvis rods and dont mind picking up a good deal when one comes around. I am always looking for another orvis for me or some fly fishing friends and family. Some people enjoy having alot of rods and using them alot. Like i said i am not married to one company. Most orvis rods have a thinner profile that is their design and how the rod designers construct them. I'm not saying that Sage rods dont work or their diameter is a design flaw i am sure their rods are just as good as orvis and maybe even better in some aspects. i have never fished a 4wt with a taper quite like the Sage flight larger than average to very small. Was just wonderring from anyone who fished the flight or the vantage how they handled fish do they retrieve fish like 4wt rods other companys offer.

The Vantage replaced the Launch, and from reviews I've read the Vantage is a really nice rod, though I've neither seen nor cast it. I have a 4wt Launch, and a 4 wt. Z Axis. They feel different for obvious reasons, but they both feel like 4 wts when there's a fish putting a bend in them. Seek out a shop that carries Sage and go take one for a test spin.

Porter

· #11 · Mar 17, 2010

A dirty little secret....try the redington CT 4 weight 8'6" or 9' fly rod....129.00

tkww

· #12 · Mar 17, 2010

I too dislike large diameter rods. The rod's diameter (essentially construction/engineering/design choices) are obviously factored into the rod, so it should act and feel more or less like a 4 wt.

So why do I dislike them? Because they don't feel like a 4 wt.

In all seriousness, I'm a firm believer that they feel different than thinner rods, and it's not a feeling I like. A friend of mine has a Winston something or other... Vapor? Or whatever came before that? He thought he was doing the right thing by buying a winston...and it feels like and effing club in your hand. A club with a weird, whippy tip. Does it take the fight out? No. Do I like the feel? I can't stand it.

I used a TFO 4 wt for a long time, and finally replaced it last season with a couple of Redingtons (which is sage's 2nd brand). So much better, everything from the cork to less club feel to the more integrated, less tip-centric action.

My original "nice" rod was 5 wt ~$300 Orvis, bought probably 15 years ago. Over the years I've been very impressed by it's feel compared to other rods. It's not the fastest rod out there by any stretch and it's had some other issues (the reel seat glue), but it has a really decent light-in-the-hand feel. It doesn't make me wish I'd bought a nicer rod every time I pick it up, something I can't/couldn't say about the TFO or the Winston.

I haven't cast the sages in question, but based on your description I wouldn't bother looking at a sage until the VT2 series. If that's too much coin, Redington or Orvis' mid-priced rods are where I would look next. A lot of people really like Echo rods, but I've only cast one once in a parking lot a few years ago and don't remember too much about it. That said, I don't remember thinking it suffered from the the large blank/club syndrome.

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??????

· #13 · Mar 17, 2010

Check out this link http://www.superbob.org/CC_Data.htm which explains how to compare rods on paper. You might be able to find the AA and ERN of some of your favorite orvis rods and find something similar in another manufacturer. The website above does not have any info on the latest sage's but I am sure you could probably find it on the internet somewhere.

Josh

soundflycaster

· #14 · Mar 17, 2010

I would never pick a rod based on the butt diameter. I always go for the feel and performance. I have found good and bad actions in all price ranges along with large and small diameter shafts. Performance is ultimately what counts.

Banff Visitor

· #15 · Mar 17, 2010

soundflycaster said:
I would never pick a rod based on the butt diameter. I always go for the feel and performance. I have found good and bad actions in all price ranges along with large and small diameter shafts. Performance is ultimately what counts.

Agreed, I just don't think the butt diameter is going to be the determining factor as to whether or not something feels and fishes like a true 4wt. There are 4wts with small diameter's which probably CC out into 5-6's which would make them not feel like a 4wt to many people; a fast rod regardless of the diameter may not be to all peoples liking.
So don't base your decision on the diameter unless you are purely basing it purely on aesthetics. But if that is the case, it comes back to the fact that if you don't like a rod with a larger diameter, don't buy it!

Don Freeman

· #16 · Mar 18, 2010

I will never cease to be amazed by fly fishers' ability to over-think a simple pleasure.

Porter

· #17 · Mar 18, 2010

Don Freeman said:
I will never cease to be amazed by fly fishers' ability to over-think a simple pleasure.

:ray1: Like sex, right? :clown:

Reactionfly

· #18 · Mar 18, 2010

I have a Z-Axis 7'6" rod that i use for Trout and it is a beauty.

Kyle Smith

· #19 · Mar 18, 2010

Blessings.

Steve Saville

· #20 · Mar 19, 2010

If you want a smaller taper in a Sage rod, you have to pay for the newer engineering. That's why they cost more. That's why they have a range of rods and prices to choose from.

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