I'm thinking of getting a Sage...

[Labrador]

Does this rod have anykind of warranty. I was looking at their website but didn't see anything. How do you guys feel about Sages in general.

[Jackster]

There are many different models of Sage rods. Did you choose a particular model?
With Sage you can go anywhere from a cheap import to an almost uncastable (for the lay-man anyhow) TCR at over $600.00.
Overall, Sage is a good company and certainly a name easily recognized in the industry. Their warranty is okay too as long as you are the original owner and don't mind shelling out a couple 10 dollar bills for shipping and handling with each warranty task.

[The Owl]

I believe you get more for your money with a St. Croix Avid or Legend Ultra. Make sure you find out about the warr. on whatever rod you buy, as they are changing weekly(it seems ;)).


Also, the way things have gone now with warr.'s, you come out pretty dern good by having a rodmaker build you the rod you want.


owl

[JOHNKIES]

Most of the message still applies, but I was not necessarily recommending a St.Croix over the Sage. Both are great rods and both have their value/price points. That said, throw both the Sage and the St.Croix of comparable weights and actions and see what fits you the best. ---jck---

Go to any good fly shop and have them line up a couple of different rods for you and do some serious comparison casting. The shops can also answer all your questions about warranties, as well. For myself, I would not even consider a rod without throwing it first. A good rod is at least $200 and that is too much money to risk having it just sit in the closet because it doesn't work for you. FishHawk, Unicoi, FlyBox, any good shop is the place to start.

[PMike]

I don't own any Sage rods so I can't say much about them one way or another. I do agree with Owl as to the St. Croix's. I have several and can't imagine a better rod for the price or for that matter for any price.

I have a couple of the TFO's and they are great rods for the money as well and with a great warrenty, just not sure I like them as well as my St. Croix's. I figured they might be worth a mention. I can't recall for sure, but didn't Lefty Kreh use to endorse Sage?

God Bless,
Mike

[Coloradofisher]

Is on Sierra Trading Outpost right now for a 8'5 4 or 5 wt for Around $99 and it's not a bad rod. I prefer the XPS or the TCR myself but the LE i snot a bad little rosd as well.

Keep in mind the new series of rods -FLI and the Launch are not that expensive either and feel pretty good.........

Just my .02
CF

[jeffg]

Eye of the beholder. Kinda like Chevy vs Ford.....
Cast em all and let the one that has your feel be the one you pay for. Even better, talk to buddies that have a rod you are lookin at and then go fish with it.
I am a sage bigot own 3 of them. Love my St Croix too, and even still fish with my old mitchell that I had since i was 15. Where as my brother is a Loomis Bigot and it drives him nuts to fish my rods, and his loomis' are way to slow for my tastes, and again, lots depend on ones casting style.

But sage has never been anything but good to me. They dropped shipped one rod to me from their repair shop to my buddies place in MT so I could fish it, seeing I broke it 1.5 wks before a trip. I have snapped my SP 6 times ( last time being the Frostbite trip this year) and I will send it back and after breaking the tip last summer I will essentially have a brand new rod seeing I broke the butt of it this time
My 9wt punches , i mean punches thru the wind even with big ole streamers on the end chasing toothy saltwater or freshwater creatures.
and my 6wt I have had for 12yrs and still fish it more than any other rod ( since it aint dry fly season yet thats when the SP comes out again)...

But take the time to cast as many rods as you can. Go to the fishing shows like the one in ATL coming up or Charlotte. Shallow water yeah.. but rod dealers will be there with different types, models etc.. and you can go out on the casting green and check em out.
Also check for discontinued./close out models. Thats how I go SP model and if you ask most sage users, the SP was the best rod sage ever made . This is also how I lucked into my 9 wt.

And take that in mind with any rod company. Newer isnt always better with rods, and you can luck out and get a discontinued rod with full warranty at less price then list.

Lastly, and I dont mean to sound like an a$$ saying this.. but sages and winstons, and loomis' etc.. are all expensive... are you willing to drop @500 bucks on an item you are not going to consistently use? Seriously a expensive rod is an investment but they should also be used reguarly.

I warn you if you dont use them, they will sit in the closet and haunt you and taunt you until you finally take em out , take em to the stream, and then they will trick you into stepping into a hole filling up your waders and while you are cursing the rod is laughing at you, as are the river gods.

[skibum]

I love my Ultra Legends.. Have a 5wt and 4wt. If i had my choice, I'd add a 3wt and have them all of the same brand.. But throw some different ones if you can. That'll be the best test.. You can still find the older models on ebay for good prices and still under the old warranty with St Croix.. I know cause i've sent mine in a time or two ;)

[Josh Barnett]

Go with whatever you hear calling your name. If it's Sage, go with Sage. But, don't feel pressured into getting one. There are several other high-end rod makers out there that make some awesome rods. If you're not a "norm" caster, and cast a lot of different rods from different rod makers you certainly need to head to the hills and ask the good folks at Unicoi to let you cast a few rods. I'm sure Jimmy and the Gang won't mind letting you play around with a few.

Try some rods that apply to your fiscal range. If you can't afford a $800 fly rod, I suggest not casting one. Chances are, you'll fall in love and not want to let go of that thing. Try to cast only what you know you're capable of purchasing. You don't want to become attached to something impossible.

A rod, from SAGE, that you may want to consider is their newest rod. The TXL is a beautiful little rod, lacking some of the "highest-quality" or best looking fixtures. It is basically one of their $700 rods, built on the same blanks, only with less expensive extras. Sure beats paying $700. These go for about $180.00 and can be found at your local shops. I know that Unicoi in Helen has these, and I am sure the shop in Blue Ridge carries them as well. However, you may want to call first and check. Fish Hawk and the others may carry them as well.

Click HERE (http://sageflyfish.com/sage_products/txlSeries.shtml) for more information on this rod.

Joshua Barnett

[James Buice]

Sage does have an unconditional lifetime warranty, but that applies with most of the other rods on the market (T&T, Scott, R.L. Winston). St. Croix went to a system of paying for the piece you broke with the tip being the cheapest and the butt being the most expensive.

All said, I cannot stress how important it is to come in and cast a rod. You cannot figure out if a rod is for you by waggling it in the shop or looking at it online/in a catalog.

All of Sage's rods are made in the USA which goes a long way; their Launch series is a great rod and is the company's answer to cheap China imports. I'm not a fan of the LE, they were stiff and felt dead in hand, hence Sage discontinuing the model.

To answer the original question, I like Sage. The company has some of the best customer service in the industry, the rods are all hand crafted (I've been to the factory in Bainbridge Island, WA...they do it all by hand with a high level of quality control), and they are here to stay unlike some other rod companies that are popping up. There is a reason they are the number one fly rod manufacturer in the world in terms of rods sold.

-James

[Kent]

First off, Sage makes some near magical fly rods (most of them are probably in the upper price ranges, however). And Sage customer service has, for me, always been above and beyond.

Secondly, I agree with the advise of casting a rod before you decide.

However, the problem arises for the caster who is still on the initial learning slope. What feels best to him now (if he can feel much) may not feel good to him when he gets better at casting. Or even worse, it may hide or camoflauge mistakes in technique and make it even harder to get better.

Now, I don't know what the answer is here. My best suggestion for a caster in the learning phase would be to get advise from a good casting instructor. By looking at the caster's stroke and talking about the kind of fishing he plans for the rod, a good instructor could probably point him in a better direction than would the limited feel in casting demo rods.

You will find most good instructors to be quite familiar witha variety of rods. And I know you can find good instrucors at Unicoi & the Fish Hawk. Or book a couple of lessons - will probably well help your casting more than an extra hundred bucks spent on a rod.

FWIW, YMMV -