Sage Fly Rod Cosmetics

[psychologicalperch]

Hey I was wondering if anyone else in this forum finds that Sage fly rods are quite unappealing? They are fantastic rods no doubt but there looks are sub par. The Sage One for instance is brutishly simple and dull looking while the cheaper Orvis Access to me looks fantastic. Even the Sage VXP looks frankly boring and unappealing compred to other rods in its cost class such as the Orvis Supefine touch. Even the Hardy Zenith looks 3000x better than the Sage One (and is cheaper too).

---------- Post added at 10:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 AM ----------

not to mention the scott S4 a competitor for the Sage One is also much better looking

 

[sbreech]

Some guys like blonds, some like brunettes, and some like red heads.

 

[ctyslcr]

I'm certainly no expert so I'll try to quote someone who is. My local fly shop owner who is a guide and instructor fishes with a Scott S4 905-4. He likes it a lot and is a big Scott fan and advocate. He casted the Sage One that a rep gave him to sample. He claims it is incredibly accurate. Like a laser. I have no experience with it but I've heard that from others so there must be something to it.

Regards,
Peter

 

[moucheur2003]

It's not just Sage. I think, in general, if you are going to ask $800+ for a fishing rod, it should not only perform unbelievably well but also be the last word in aesthetic refinement and elegance. Very few of today's offerings meet that standard IMHO. Instead they settle for the angling equivalent of putting a molded plastic dashboard on a Rolls Royce.

Here's the kind of thing I mean. These shots happen to be cane rods but this sort of careful detail ought to go into a high-priced graphite stick too:

Presentation_series

 

[Jackster]

I always had the feeling that Sage rods were untouched by human hands. The decals they used on rods with a price they ask is just plain cheap looking but it was the reel seats that turned me off. Back before Sage decided that one reel seat fits all rods we had the option of down or up-locking seats. It seems a lot of fly shop help never saw an uplocker not to mention used one. The biggest set the trends. The seats Sage used on every rod were real plain Jane looking, especially for a premium rod. It might just be that Sage feels tyat form follows function and that's prefectly good. When spending mucho dinero on a rod I just expect it to look special.

 

[thewalker1013]

I a Sage guy through and through, and personally love the way that all of mine look... Having said that, would I prefer them to look like a Winston? Absolutely, those things are gorgeous... Cast a BIIIx again yesterday, truly works of art in every way and a joy to cast. I can't wait to fish one

I tend to think that Sage may be dressing down their rods a bit on purpose, and focusing on fishability of their sticks... They traditionally get a lot of heat (undeservedly so, IMHO) for being great lawn casters but not necessarily the best fishing tools (I think this is complete hogwash), so maybe they would take more heat if they were "over-dressed lawn casters."

 

[jaybo41]

It's not just Sage. I think, in general, if you are going to ask $800+ for a fishing rod, it should not only perform unbelievably well but also be the last word in aesthetic refinement and elegance. Very few of today's offerings meet that standard IMHO.

I couldn't agree with you more. For that matter, any rod that is considered a manufacturer's flagship or premium should have the best components possible to match the performance to keep within a price point. My biggest beef with Sage is the quality of some of the cork I've seen on their premium rods. I do appreciate that they still use quality and aesthetically pleasing wood inserts on their trout/freshwater rods. I love the Sage rods that I own. I've had no regrets about purchasing them, even the ones I've paid full retail for. These days, I do everything I can to avoid buying them at full price. Patience has it's merits

 

[comeonavs]

I don't know ,


I like the plain black look of my ONE, hanging a silver FWX looks great on it. My TXLf I think looks as good as it feels in my hand. When it comes to fly rods I tend to fall into one who looks at the quality of the guides, wraps and overall finish of a rod. I don't really care what color it is. Reels on the other hand I sort of drool over the looks.

 

[thewalker1013]

To boot, George Motz and the show Made in America went and built a Sage rod at the factory, and it is a really a cool thing to watch... Anyone who thinks they aren't touched by human hands is actually way off. (Not trying to be argumentative, just clarifying a bit) I don't know much about other companies' processes, but they seem to take great care in making their rods

There is one guy who turns every single grip, and the painting really is a neat skill as well. Here's a snippet... I highly recommend this show, and especially this episode if you can find a re-run

Constructing Fly Fishing Rods : Video : Travel Channel

 

[Guest1]

I do. In fact the first Sage rods that I ever cast, the first thing I thought when I saw them was "If these were dogs, I'd shave their butts and train them to walk backwards." (My serious face) The Sage Bass rods with the red seat and wraps combined with that gold blank that I think looks like the cheap gold foil you get on chocolate money. Those look they were designed by a guy whose full time job is designing Christmas decorations. Seriously, what were they thinking. I've seen better colors tagged on the side of box cars.

Then there is the whole building them on straightest visual line. How good for tracking can they be when you have the rod twisting and untwisting like a danged Hula Dancer everytime you load the rod? I should add that for 95% of casters that probably isn't going to be an issue. But for the 5% that are trying to put a fly out past 100' it is. I'll also bet that when they make one for a distance caster they sponsor they don't do it that way. This is done just for sales, not to make a good rod. If they do one thing that way, what else do they do?

Sage and I got off on the wrong foot right off the bat, and point number one was they were butt ugly rods.

 

[klunker]

I have a Sage One, a 99, 2 Flights and a Vantage. I don't see anything wrong with the way they look. I see a difference in the level of build and mat'ls in the One and 99 vs the Flights and the Vantage.

I guess to me they are tools, nothing more nothing less. The esthetics are only important as they impart a certain level of quality fit and function. Function is the important part.

As far as the cork Handles. I don't know, I think they are fine. I don't know what else could make them better. Most of mine are "dirty" for lack of better term from hours of use. I like the patina of wear and use on my things. I like a shotgun with worn bluing from hours of carrying in the feild, some scratches and dings here and there are fine. Shows that its been used, gives it character. Same with my reels, If I get a scratch on it or wear from use I don't care. Nothing that gets used will look like new forever.

Sounds like some of you want more "bling" on your rods. Fancy Wood, Knurled locks, who knows. If sage offered a "appearance Package" with all sorts of fancy embellishments for an extra $25 I'd skip it. To me it does nothing.Just like my shotguns, I'll buy a plane blued Field Grade over a Presentation, Silver or Gold Grade with engravings, gold inlays and all that other **** that is worth nothing when a Grouse busts cover right under your feet. I prefer them clean, simple and above all functional!!

 

[Guest1]

OK, for you function over form guys, look at Flying Pigs rods. They look better than Sage and I'll bet you the perform better out far than Sage. I tried my FP and it is actually spined right. As I said, Sage builds on straightest visual line. So everytime you flex the rod you impart a twist in the blank. This rotates the guides to the side. Having mass off the centerline of the blank will impart an eliptical wobble in the tracking of the rod.

If you have all else equal, line caster etc., you will be better off with the Flying Pig rod that costs less, by a lot, and it looks better too.

 

[sbreech]

I wish I had a stream to fish where I a.) needed to cast anywhere near 100' and b.) had the space to do so. Outside of my back yard, for me, it just isn't necessary until I go fishing the flats, which, again, for me, isn't going to happen due to near zero interest.

Having said that, I'm not a Sage "fan," but I do enjoy their fly rods - particularly the TXL for UL fly fishing very tight locations. The coloration is subdued leading to a somewhat stealthy appearance, the rods are pretty dang light, and are laser accurate in their intended uses. Sage can keep their Asian made reels, too.

 

[fly_guy12955]

As for as looks Sage just has that 'turn'em out quick as we can get'em out look' ...almost in a kind of mil-spec way. Gun guys will know what I mean.

 

[Guest1]

The coloration is subdued leading to a somewhat stealthy appearance,

Some of them might be, but Santa's little helpers got their mits on some of the designs. The only place this rod is going to be stealthy is shoved into a very decorated Christmas tree.

 

[psychologicalperch]

Fly fishing is a visually appealing sport without a question. I can spend countless hours on a riverbank watching someone fly cast due to the artistic tone. Spin fishing is quite mundane to watch, therefore as fly fishermen we should care what our gear looks like. I own a Sage One and a Hardy Zentih and the zg Helios. I personally choose the helios and the zenith over the One anyday because they look better (p.s. they perform much better as well). But if Sage starts producing excellent quality rods with the looks to match Im sure to use that rod more.

 

[sbreech]

Some of them might be, but Santa's little helpers got their mits on some of the designs. The only place this rod is going to be stealthy is shoved into a very decorated Christmas tree.

That example Sage is definitly a good example of aesthetics I wouldn't pick - but their green/olive/earthtones are pretty dang awesome for my applications. But then again, for 8 years I had to always wear those colors, and to this day, most of my wardrobe is about the same. Wife hates it.

 

[FrankB2]

Dan, Dan, Dan...... You must not have heard about Sage's new technogically. It no longer matters if the rod is built straight, as the fibers are aligned along the rod's length. I had a St.Croix rod that behaved a little funny when casting beyond 40 feet. It was sort of like a curve ball being thrown. I took it to a rod maker, and after a couple of wiggles, he said it was built too straight. There were a couple of seasoned casters there, and when Jack pointed out the section that wasn't aligned properly, there was no missing it! Jack went on to say that a lot of the major companies use home wrappers, and they often wrap them so the rod is straight. Having said that, how many people would drop $800 on a rod that looks crooked?

I had a Sage Ds2 back in 1999....roughly. The reel seat was a bit bulky, and loosened too often,but the rod was fine. When I saw a Z-Axis for the first time, I thought it was a very elegant rod, and the reel seat was fantastic. The hardware used on the Z-Axis and ZXL is quality gear, but Winstons do look nice. Sage has a $1,300 version of the ONE, and it has all the bling anyone could ask for.

 

[stl_geoff]

I love those Sage Bass II rods, I actually just bought one I also have a Bass I and its even worse looking then that but damn it cool!! I think some rods look alittle underfinished yes, but most are pretty cool.


HOWEVER...the Circa. I love how that rod casts and feels, but good lord, they couldnt have picked a worse color reel seat for those things. With as much pretty wood sources there are and all the other fancy finishes available, why pick a grainless no character baby poo green/tan piece of "wood" for a seat on a $800 rod....

 

[klunker]

OK, for you function over form guys, look at Flying Pigs rods. They look better than Sage and I'll bet you the perform better out far than Sage. I tried my FP and it is actually spined right. As I said, Sage builds on straightest visual line. So everytime you flex the rod you impart a twist in the blank. This rotates the guides to the side. Having mass off the centerline of the blank will impart an eliptical wobble in the tracking of the rod.

If you have all else equal, line caster etc., you will be better off with the Flying Pig rod that costs less, by a lot, and it looks better too.

I checked out their website.

Performance Fly Rods - Fly Fishing Gifts | Flying Pig Fly Rods

They only have 1 rod (9ft 4 pc) available in 4 different line weights (4, 5, 7 and 8). 2 of those are back ordered (4 & 5). Very Very limited in selection. More to come at some point. Doesn't help me now. Fast action, if that's what you like. But on the bright side they have snazzy T-shirts and Hats available for those of you who are more particular about appearances.

As far as looks, the one in the middle other than the piggy decal looks alot like a Sage One. The other 2 pictured have a wood reel seat area. I would prefer a simple metal one, more durable.

I like to keep my local fly shop in business, That's why I have have 6 sages. If he sold a flying pig I still don't think I would have one as they don't sell any comparable rods to the sages I have. They are about the same price I paid for my Sage Vantage. Looks like the only place to get them is order from the factory website. I see no mention of dealers on the website.