Sage Circa 479 or 489

[dagumer]

I am thinking in buying either a 479 or 489 Circa Fly rod for fishing dries and small nymphs. I went to a shop and tested both of them, and the shorter 479 felt perfect, I could cast more accurately than with the 489, and it felt lighter and very easy to maneuver, although with the 489 I could cast a bit farther. By the way it felt when casting I am inclined on getting the 479;however, I am a bit worried about buying a shorter rod since I heard form the store owner (and also read online) that it is so much harder to mend the line and makes high stick nymphing more difficult. I have always fished with a 5wt 9' fast action rod, and usually fish small and medium sized streams and once in a while have problems with overhanging trees with my 9' rod. I was wondering if you give me some advise on which one to buy.

Thanks

 

[imxer]

Dagumar,

Sounds like you answered your own question, "the shorter 479 felt perfect".

When you can say that about any rod, forget about the opinions of others.

 

[cletus]

Ditto imxer

 

[mysticm]

Dagumer: If you don't mind me asking, how tall are you? Unless you are less than 5ft, you should have enough wing span to effectively mend lines. The 7'9" length may not be my first choice for a large river but for small to medium streams, I would think that it would be perfect.

Plus, you should not discount the fact that it felt 'just right' in your hands.....that is the most important thing.

 

[fishiowa]

Dagumer,
I have the 479 and really like it. I haven't fished or even cast the 489. I fish mostly smallish streams (less than 30' wide) and haven't noticed any problems mending with it. Of course a longer rod is nice for reaching across conflicting currents etc. but you already have a 9' rod. I would think adding a 7'9" 4 wt to your current 9' 5wt would give you more options and cover more possibilities with less overlap.
Rich

 

[sweetandsalt]

Since you have the 9'/#5 for larger streams and like the shorter rod better, it is a done deal. The 7'9"er, by the way, is the same length as the much beloved old Orvis Far&Fine, a staple of small stream-with-overhanging-branches specialists for decades. Mends and feeds on little creeks are not as elaborate as on big tail waters anyway and I really don't perceive a problem here. Put a RIO Gold floater on it and have a blast!

 

[jaybo41]

+1 on all of the above. You will appreciate the owning a shorter rod as soon as you get into one of those situations where overhanging trees become an issue. Having diversity in your quiver is a good thing. More important than anything we've commented on, YOU said the 479 felt perfect.

 

[dagumer]

Thanks to all for the your help, I have decided to get the 479.

Cheers

 

[fireroad]

Congrats and let us know how it fishes. I never got a chance to cast the 479 but I love my 489 so much I am highly likely to buy one in the 7'9" length.

 

[comeonavs]

Thanks Jaybo, now you have me reading about the Circa's


To the OP how do you like your rod ?

 

[dagumer]

Thanks Jaybo, now you have me reading about the Circa's


To the OP how do you like your rod ?

I got my 479 Circa, and although it is still winter were I live, I went fishing. I must say that still I have not used for what it is intended to be (dry flies), but still the rod felt quite nicely even when casting nymph rigs, which included an indicator, one weighted nymph and a small nymph at the tail. I must say that the rod is extremely light, and it took a while for me to get used to the slower casting stroke that it requires, but once I got it, I could put my nymphs almost every where I wanted withing a range of about 50 feet. This is by far the most precise fly rod I have used. I still have not used it on windy conditions. Another really nice thing about the rod is that is extremely sensitive, once you hook a fish, even a small one, you can fell every single twist and turn. Over all I think it is a great rod, for what it is intended for, I would not recommend the Circa if you want an all arounder rod, but it is without any doubt a a very special rod, like nothing I have ever casted before.

 

[comeonavs]

Thank you Dagumer,

When I started out I had an all purpose rod and as the addiction increased so did the collection of specialty rods. I tend to have a rod or rods for certain places I fish.

Maybe one of these will join the arsenal some day, or dare I say I venture out and drink some Winston Kool Aid

 

[attila]

479 would be my choice,but I'd rather just buy an Orvis SuperFine and save a bunch of money.