[SouthFlorida FlyGuy]

Specifically the length. I understand that they made it just under the legal length to allow for tournament use but is that just marketing rubbish?? I mean, how many people are truly going to whip out there fly rod in a bass tournament?? Probably not many if any at all.

I know people enjoy using the 7'11 length for fishing here around the mangroves for smaller redfish, snook, tarpon, etc..It allows greater precision when casting.

Another question. Couldn't I just pickup a TFO 9ft. 8wt with some 10-11wt line and achieve similar results as the SAGE BASS ROD? Wouldnt I get even more distance on my casts with wind resistant flies and poppers on a 9' rod??

[Rip Tide]

Marketing is the way manufactures sell rods
If they didn't push the latest thing, everyone would just keep fishin' the 'latest thing' that they bought two years ago

Or 10 years ago

Or 25 years ago

Rods don't suddenly become obsolete


That said, I'm thinking about building myself a 7' 9wt for fishing saltwater from my kayak.
It's a matter of landing fish easier rather than a casting thing

[axle27]

I'll have to look at it again, but there was an article in one of the fly fishing magazines that's laying odds that a fly fisherman will likely win a tournament, although it hasn't happened yet.

I will not pontificate further as I do have the article with me.

[jdub]

Originally Posted by SouthFlorida FlyGuy

Another question. Couldn't I just pickup a TFO 9ft. 8wt with some 10-11wt line and achieve similar results as the SAGE BASS ROD? Wouldnt I get even more distance on my casts with wind resistant flies and poppers on a 9' rod??

I have the Smallmouth version and really like the way it handles. I also have a Sage XP 9' 7wt, and to me the XP is more tiring to cast. It's hard to explain but I can sidearm 'flick' 40-50' casts with almost no effort (and no haul) with the Smallmouth rod. It doesn't carry large amounts of line well but it's ridiculously easy to shoot line. It's also a lot easier to cast really large flies than my XP (and yeah, I know the XP isn't a bass rod ).

You might be able to get the same effect by using the Sage line on an 8' 8wt (effectively overlining the rod), but you might have to try several rods to get the same kind of action.

Oh, one more thing. If you're looking for a "delicate presentation" this is not the rod for you.

Try one out if you get a chance. It's a very different action than other rods that I've tried, and it took me a little while to get smooth with it, but it's a lot of fun! What else matters?

Regards,

Jerry

[SouthFlorida FlyGuy]

I think I will go to the local fly shop and try out the SAGE LMB Rod in the parking lot. There is a shop I go to that allows you to try any rod out in front of there store.
Yeah, I'm not worried about delicate presentation with LMB. They tend to like some splash at times.

[jdub]

Originally Posted by SouthFlorida FlyGuy

I think I will go to the local fly shop and try out the SAGE LMB Rod in the parking lot.

Tie something big and furry on, like a big Dahlberg. That's one of the things that impresses me most about the rod. It doesn't feel heavy but it can still turn over a very large fly.

[SouthFlorida FlyGuy]

Will do!!!

[Jackster]

I don't know if it's the rod, the line that comes with the rod or both but I do know after casting it a few days I could shoot 70-80' of line with one back cast with it then pick up all that line as if it was a missed strike and lay it right back down on spot. That beats the pants out of reeling all that line up to cast again as in conventional gear.
My first trial at rods like that were with Scotts short, powerful rod years before Sag ē 'invented' it. They say it was made for mangrove fishing and for fishing out of kayaks where landing a fish with a longer rod could easily make for rod failure. Rods are not built to bend back on themselves. I'm sure a few of you have broken rods by high-sticking when landing a fish or when stringing a rod up to have something snag and the tip doubled over.
It's just too bad for Scott they didn't think to call them bass rods and they didn't work out selling them with specialized lines.

[Pocono]

I have the Sage Smallmouth rod with a Bauer Rogue reel and I really like the set-up. It does cast extremely easily, although as another poster mentioned, it doesn't like to aerialize a lot of line with false casting; in my hands it's definitely a rod for shooting line to get distance. I don't really see any downside to it. I fish smallmouths some with a friend who uses a Sage Z-Axis 9' 7 wt. rod. We're getting about the same distance on our casts in bigger water and we're landing about the same number of fish. So, I'm keeping the Smallmouth rod. It works, it's easy to fish and it's got plenty of reserve muscle for when you land that occasional "not so small" smallmouth.

[SouthFlorida FlyGuy]

Why does Sage describe the power of the rod in Grains instead of just saying 7 or 8 weight? Also, there line??

I'm new to this so I have no clue about Grain to Weight comparisons.