Sage One - Test Casting

[Pocono]

Well, I was back in the Poconos last week; doing some business, some domestic stuff and, yup, some freestone creek trout fishing.

I happened to stop by my local Fly Shop on Wednesday to get some elk hair caddis (#16's and 18's) to take prospecting, when the owner greeted me at the door with a big smile and a: "you'll never guess what just showed up here UPS." I admitted that I probably wouldn't be able to guess, he disappeared back into the shop and emerged a few seconds later with a 9'0" Sage One 5 wt. rod. Smiling again, he said: 'go ahead, take it and let me know what you think; I think I'm the only shop in PA that has one".

Hard decision...........but...........OK!

Here are my non-water based first impressions of the Sage One:

1. This is a very light rod; it makes even a Winston BIIx seem a bit heavy. It also had a nice half wells grip; which is good for big mitts like mine.

2. The color, finish, materials, etc. is what you'd expect from Sage

3. This is a very easy rod to cast.

I actually think that Sage has taken rod design in a somewhat different direction with the One. Rather than designing another rod that lets good casters make phenomenal casts, which has pretty much been the name of the game up to this point, they seem to have designed a rod that will pretty much let almost everyone make decent casts in the 40-50" range.

Casts at 45-60' were almost effortless. This is a rod that provides a lot of feedback to the caster, which encourages you to let the rod to the work rather than trying to horse it; something that some of us should be doing more of. To me this rod actually promotes/encourages that.

I tried varying my casting stroke all over the place; looking for the stoke that would not put out a nice cast at that distance. I opened up my loops, jerked the start of the casting stroke, drifted my stops forward and back, hauled at the wrong times and, honestly, all of this had very little effect on getting a nice cast out there time after time. After I went through this exercise I remember scowling and shaking my head at the shop owner, who smiled back and said: "ya, that's what I thought, too."

4. The tip is somewhat soft, which makes shorter casts of 30' or less both easy and fun (not the case with the Z-axis). It should also do a good job of protecting light tippets when that unexpected monster devours your fly and runs downstream with it.

5. Roll casting was not bad; considering that I was on grass. I'd expect it to be a good rod for this on the water, as well as an easy rod for line mending.

6. For long distances; 70' to into the backing, this rod can certainly do that, but I didn't think it was any better at it than my Z-axis. Granted, I am very familiar with the Z, so to get a really good comparison, I would probably need to spend more time with the One.

This is a great rod. I think that Sage will sell an absolute ton of them.

Lightweight, easy to cast, good in close in the mid-range and at distance, great feedback to the caster, etc.

I left the shop with my trusty Z-axis still in hand. It will take a lot to get me to part with that rod..........but I now have something to seriously think about......

Pocono

 

[jpbfly]

Will you wait till Xmas Allan ....to get one?:icon_wink...I mean a One

 

[dean_mt]

Nice review, Allan. For those of us constantly considering "one more" rod, this kind thing does not help the will power to say "no"!

What is action on this rod? Is it yet another super-fast offering?

 

[Sage & Abel]

There are a number of rods that I want to cast - the Biiix and now the Sage One being two of them. I'll wait five years or so until they discontinue them or someone buys one and does not like it. I'll freely pound away on my Z-Axis rods for now.

I love what you write about in your review

I actually think that Sage has taken rod design in a somewhat different direction with the One. Rather than designing another rod that lets good casters make phenomenal casts, which has pretty much been the name of the game up to this point, they seem to have designed a rod that will pretty much let almost everyone make decent casts in the 40-50" range.

Makes sense to me :thumbsupu

Cheers,
Mike.

 

[mcnerney]

Allan: Great review on the "One", thanks!

Larry

 

[FrankB2]

I've been giving the "One" very quick views on the internet lately, and your report has not helped me, Allan. I mean that as a compliment: it sounds like the rod is everything they claim it is. The bronze hardware is a bit weird, but Sage has bronze reels. They're a bit weird as well. Yeah! That's it! I can't buy one because of the bronze hardware! That should keep me from looking until tomorrow.

I never really had much trouble casting my 9' 5wt Z-Axis in close. Roll casts with only 10 feet of line (and a 9 foot leader) are easy and accurate. I posted a video here a couple of years ago demonstrating this. A 9' 4wt Z-Axis might be the next thing I try. I like 4wts, and should try to locate a Z-Axis before they're all gone.....

 

[gatortransplant]

Great review Allan. And I dunno Frank, that bronze hardware next to the bronze Sage reel looks pretty nice... I'm just happy that I haven't seen one in 12wt yet. The bronze does give me ideas for the rod I'm aiming to build however...

 

[Pocono]

What is action on this rod? Is it yet another super-fast offering?

Dean_mt, the action is fast; not superfast, but definitely fast.

If you were to compare this rod to Sage's TCX, then you would probably rate it on the medium side of fast, but if you compared it to their ZXL, then you would say that it is decidedly fast. It's not a broom handle rod by any means and it gives the caster a lot of feedback which, for me, is the important thing.

I have a Hardy Zenith 9'0" 5 wt. and the One has an action that reminds me, somewhat, of that rod. But, I prefer the action of the One to that of the Zenith; although I can't put my finger on exactly why.

Pocono

 

[sweetandsalt]

Having fished them on back-to-back weeks, I consider the ONE to be a bit crisper, especially in the tip section, than Z-Axis...not fast like TCR/X but deffinetly not medium like the above mentioned green-colored rod. Both give great communication for in-close presentations. The ONE's denser fiber construction yields its lighter, super communicative character. I mounted it with a black reel which complemented its blank color and seemed harmonius with its dark bronze anodized alluminum (rather than nickle silver) hardwear. ONE is a terrific rod that good casters will love and accomplished casters will discover supurb taper transitions that encourage casting off all portions of the rod.

 

[dean_mt]

Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately I am unfamiliar with all of the Sage rods of the past 5 years. I have an 8 year old 9' 4wt SPL, and a 2-8-2 SLT, both would probably feel like bamboo compared to the new rods of today. My 6 wt is the rod I always consider replacing. It's an old Sage VPS, fast - but big and heavy, comparably. I really want a nice and light fast / med-fast 6 wt that I can fish on big water / high water. A rod that can cast streamers, weighted nymph rigs in wind but is still fun to cast dries when you float up to a pod of risers.

The ONE sounds like the...yeah, one. But I reckon I'll have to wait a couple years as the $715 price tag is a bit steep. Then I'd need a new reel too...

 

[rockriver]

Nice review on the One.

 

[ddombos2]

Allan,

Thanks for a hands-on review of the One. I've been wanting to get a real person's take on these rods since they were introduced. Thanks for passing it along to us.

-Dan

... A 9' 4wt Z-Axis might be the next thing I try. I like 4wts, and should try to locate a Z-Axis before they're all gone.....

Frank,

I've got a Z-Axis in 490 and 590. I use them both a lot, and they both do great things, but they do overlap a lot. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably not have purchased the 490, or I would have picked a different length 486 or 4100.

 

[jaybo41]

Thanks for a great review of the newest addition to the Sage lineup. Sounds like I've got something to think about in a few years when the "Two" is released For the time being I'll stick to the Z Axis.

 

[FrankB2]

Frank,

I've got a Z-Axis in 490 and 590. I use them both a lot, and they both do great things, but they do overlap a lot. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably not have purchased the 490, or I would have picked a different length 486 or 4100.

WHEW! Another purchase that I might have to skip. Z-Axis prices are falling faster than the stock market, and have been considering a 490 Z-Axis very seriously. What I'd like is a lighter 4wt version of the Z-Axis, but Allan's description of the ONE leaves me thinking that rod might be a better choice. I paid quite a bit for the Sage rods I currently own, and would the ONE would have to be stupendous for me to abandon the current arsenal. Simply adding more rods would go against my aversion to owning things that I don't use. The ONE's reduced weight is definitely an attractive quality, and my right shoulder would be bery grateful.

The other problem with the ONE involves the two new Abel TR3 reels I bought recently. They are black, but the ONE looks too modern for a traditonal reel. I'd have to buy one for Yvonne as well, so two 490 ONE rods along with two bronze 4550 reels: $2,000 It would truly have to be the last ONE. My Jeep Grand Cherokee only cost $1,000, and Yvonne's gimp leg and wheelchair have us fishing for bluegills in a small canal. Yeah, those are enough reasons to think about something else tonight.

 

[texastroutbum]

WHEW! Another purchase that I might have to skip. Z-Axis prices are falling faster than the stock market, and have been considering a 490 Z-Axis very seriously. What I'd like is a lighter 4wt version of the Z-Axis, but Allan's description of the ONE leaves me thinking that rod might be a better choice. I paid quite a bit for the Sage rods I currently own, and would the ONE would have to be stupendous for me to abandon the current arsenal. Simply adding more rods would go against my aversion to owning things that I don't use. The ONE's reduced weight is definitely an attractive quality, and my right shoulder would be bery grateful.

The other problem with the ONE involves the two new Abel TR3 reels I bought recently. They are black, but the ONE looks too modern for a traditonal reel. I'd have to buy one for Yvonne as well, so two 490 ONE rods along with two bronze 4550 reels: $2,000 It would truly have to be the last ONE. My Jeep Grand Cherokee only cost $1,000, and Yvonne's gimp leg and wheelchair have us fishing for bluegills in a small canal. Yeah, those are enough reasons to think about something else tonight.

I can see a man torn between two worlds. I hear you man. You find reasons not to buy ONE. And yet you are mulling over what the rod can offer. But you go back to the reasons not to buy them.

I am in the same boat and I have a couple of rationales not to buy One “Yet.“
(You can see that I am torn too.)

1. Like you I have a shoulder problem. I used to be a self-claimed intermediate tennis player with John McEnroe like temper and had a shoulder issue. I had a tendency to canon service (what an oxymoron this sounds) to my opponents without knowing that that service form ruined my rotator cup. And that was the end of my Sunday tennis carrier. Anyway I had be selective about fly rod and after trying many new rods, Winston b2x which is discontinued as you know was easy on my shoulder. Especially 4 wt one is my favorite.

2. Going back to the tennis analogy, I remember the time when all the racquet companies used all kinds of innovations such as tapered system (in analogy of baseball bat), thick and heavy tennis racquet head, hammer system, reduced weights, new carbon materials (sounds familiar?), shock absorbing mechanism, and on and on. Average weekend tennis players later on find that some of the innovations caused physical issues such as tennis elbows. I for one did not like racquets that generating so much power because your ball should stay in the rectangular lines of the tennis court. When you hit the ball out of the lines, you lose.
If you look at the tennis racquets of pro guys nowadays, they are using traditional ones, which do not generate any power. It is their form of swing and shift of their body weight that generate so much power and accuracy of ball trajectory. I played tennis the other day with my Wilson prostaff 6.0 with smaller racquet head (namely, a really old one) and played with a young guy who dressed like Nadal and talked like Federer, and grunted like Sarafova but swung like a newbie. After I beat him really bad, he asked me where he could buy a racquet like mine. I told him to get lessons from a good club house.

I do believe (and I know you believe) that it is our casting form not the rod that helps us cast and catch better fish. Evidence? I also remember your new finding that the bumcast guy, who made all kinds of cool New Zealand videos is using the cheapest sage rod to demonstrate all kinds of tricks. Recently we all know that there is a Canadian guy casting over 100 ft with a budget rod.

So I am not going to get one................ Yet.
You know that even after reasoning with myself I may ending up driving down to a fly shop and try One.

 

[Bigfly]

Soon enough I'll get to try "one". A client who could benefit more from practice and lessons (as TTB suggested), will buy "one". See this a lot...
Generally when fishing for trout, we catch 80% of them from near twenty to about forty feet away. Farther away, our stats get lower (more misses & LDRs).
So, other than distance mania, a good cast with an inexpensive rod will do the job. (A bit like telling time from a mickey mouse watch, or a Rollex. They both keep you on time for fishing.)
I enjoy helping folks get more from their own equipment, and, to show them what a higher end rod will do by comparison.
Many feel able to put off buying, for a while longer. Others realize they need to go shopping NOW!
(A friend inherited a wonder rod, which works for dries, but he found he was nymphing challenged.)
Nothing wrong with spending for state of the art gear, as long as you are aware that this sport requires practice to wring the performance out of it.
I think this current "one" is another in a long series of "the one".
Fishing proof, that it works wonders, is required before I kick $ down. ( My personal rule is never buy the first run of anything, let others.)
Having said that, I'm looking forwards to a test side-by-side with a Z-axis.
Inquiring minds, and gear heads, need to know......
Thanks for the review Pocono.

Jim

 

[FrankB2]

Yup. I'd buy the One because it was lighter than the Z-Axis, and for little other reason. I'm in the market for a 9' 4wt, and the One is awfully light. My other 4wts are all 8'6" and shorter. Having something that is a bit more supple than the Z-Axis would be nice, but the ZXL is already on the market. Someone (who doesn't post here any longer) stated emphatically that he and a few CCI's tried casting the Z-Axis, and claimed that the rod was impossible to cast close in. I ran down to the local stream, and videotaped myself roll casting 10' of fly line with a 9' leader to the exact same target repeatedly. I've never had a problem with a 590 Z-Axis in close.

I'm certainly not going to make any conclusions regarding the One, but Jamie Lyle's comments regarding the Z-Axis and the One are very similar :

Jamie and Z-Axis
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyOYkhWG6EA]Sage Z-Axis Fly Rod - Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters - YouTube[/ame]

Jamie and The One
Sage ONE - YouTube!

Jamie does get a bit more dramatic about the One, but it's basically the same pitch. I'm not saying that's bad, I'm just saying. Jamie states that the both rods cast in close well and out far, and both are accurate. He also says that both will take you further than you thought possible. I just want something lighter, but have developed a very compact casting stroke that keeps my shoulder happy.

 

[Bigfly]

Jamie is a local guy. A sweet caster too.
Although he could cast with a buggy whip, if he says it will cast well enough, (close and far) I'm sure it will. The Z sure does, why wouldn't this "one"?

Frank, maybe test a 9'6 4wt Z as well. I'm hooked on longer rods, for longer/farther away mends. To me, longer casts aren't the issue, perfect drifts are.
Lifting almost all the line off the water when mending, aids in a perfect drift. The toughest fish here seem to be drift sensitive, so I am too.
I'm always shocked at the difference, going from 9' to 9'6" to 10', 10'5" and on to 11", and back. Besides, you get to hold your elbow 6" lower. Makes my shoulder smile.

Jim

 

[FrankB2]

Hi Jim,
Jamie looks like a good guy, and I'm not knocking what he's saying. I just thought that it was funny that the two videos were alike. I don't know Jamie, but he looks like the kind of guy I'd trust.

I like that longer 4wt idea! It never occured to me that I could hold my arm lower. I was in an Orvis shop last year, and a customer was trading his 7' bamboo rod in for a 10' 4wt. There's a difference! My wife isn't very tall, and she tends to extend her arm out at a painful looking angle. She might need a longer 4wt for my birthday next month. Actually, she's the driving force behind many of my rod and reel purchases. I showed her Jamie's "One" video, and told her that we needed two of those with two Sage 4500 series reels.
She said the bronze reel would look great with the rods. If I weren't pushing her in a wheelchair, I'd have to say she's perfect.

P.S. I should have said that Jamie was more enthusiastic about the "One". rather than "dramatic".

 

[Bigfly]

Frank, we all know how enthusiasm can lead to drama.
And some of the radist athletes I've met (long list) are in wheelchair.
(We see quite a few due to other extreme sports.)
Hope you guys get geared up and down to the water.
Height challenged people benefit from a long rod, and the non-challenged can wade a bit deeper and still get a mend in.
For me, I enjoy being able to cast to all the water, and only get my laces wet..

Jim