Best Flyfishing Review

SAGE has finally posted an entry into the fly fishing for Bass arena.
You are probably scratching your head right now as I am. The truth be known, bass fishing is a much larger target market, it only makes fiscal sense for SAGE to enter that market. I have been using my 8 weight for years to try and launch heavier bugs to those feisty
Snake River smallmouths.

But what about that nasty overgrown bank that you know holds a new state record? This little compact rod will give you the advantage necessary to catch that pig and all his friends. If fly fishing is your passion and catching bass is your forte, here is the rod of your dreams.

It takes a great deal of power to be able to launch bass flies into the wind or across a river current.

After using long rods for the better part of my life, shorter stubbier rods just "feel funny" to me.

However, after the initial shock wore off, I realized that this rod is a rocket. It could be very well suited for catching steelhead on the brushy river banks in Idaho.

Not to mention heavier lines for any fish you crave. Very smooth and incredibly powerful and believe it or not it is incredibly light. In fact much lighter than my 8weight.

I give SAGE a 9.5 for this little gem.

What Sage has to say about their new line of Bass rods.

Sage Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass Fly Fishing Rods

Specifications

Line Weight ratings:

Smallmouth: 290 grains (Smallmouth floating line included)
Largemouth: 330 grains (Largemouth floating line included)

Rod Length: 7’11”

Sections: 4 pieces

Rod Weights: Smallmouth: 3 1/2 ounces

Largemouth: 3 5/8 ounces

Handle: Portuguese cork - full wells shaped grip

Reel Seat: Matte black aluminum big game with double locking retainer

Action: Very fast and very stiff

What’s the word…


Jerry Siem, head rod designing guru at Sage, was sitting in his office at the Sage factory on forested Bainbridge Island, WA. His desk was surrounded by, literally, hundreds of fly rods leaning at precarious angles against walls and book cases. “Hmmm”, I said to myself, “Just like my office at home, except he has more rods than me. A lot more!” Out of the stack, Jerry plucked one of the shortest and brightest colored of the rods, and with a big smile, walked to the lily padded bass pond “test center” behind the factory building. “This is our latest project “, he said as he proceeded to tied on a huge deer hair popper.

The “Latest Project” from Jerry and the folks at Sage turns out to be two very unusual, high performance Bass Fly Fishing Rods, aptly named the Smallmouth and the Largemouth.

At first glance, these two Bass Fly rods appear to be small-stream trout rods because they’re just 7’11” in length. But believe me, the similarities end there! These specialized rods conform to Bass Tournament rules that limit allowable rod lengths to 8 feet and under. Traditionally, the understanding is that Pro Bass circuits have rejected fly gear as being “too dangerous”, but my guess is there is some conventional tackle industry bias (i.e. $$$) there as well. A careful reading of the rules finds that some tournaments allow fly rods, where others do not. Regardless, one could imagine the efficacy a fly rodder might have on the deck of a bass boat, where a pick-up and lay-down would eliminate the extra time required to reel in between casts as with conventional gear.

But whether you fish tournaments or not, The Sage Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass rods have a lot more going for them than just their compact size. These rods are specifically designed to do two things better than any other fly rod;1) accurately cast very big, wind resistant flies, and 2) allow maximum leverage to fight fish and pull big fish from cover. So what makes these rods capable of this performance?

Most anglers typically select a nine foot, six or seven weight line and rod for smallmouth bass fishing, casting, (on average), size 4 to 12 flies for one to five pound fish, and an eight or nine weight line weight rod for largemouth bass, throwing flies sizes 4/0 to 6, for two to eight pound fish. The new Sage Bass rods, in stark contrast, cast much heavier lines. The Sage Largemouth Bass Fly Rod is rated for 330 grains, which is the average heft for an 11 weight line and the Smallmouth is rated for 290 grains, which is at the high end of the weight range for a10 weight line! Yet, these little outfits feel like you’re only casting light seven weights, as you’ll read shortly! The two rods are extremely fast in action and very stiff and powerful to cast these big lines. In fact, to ensure proper loading, Sage has included a specially designed, matched, grain weight specific floating line with each of their new Bass rods.

Watch a short video about the new Sage Bass rods.