sage

[walter young]

what's up with sage? My brother lent me his 3 pc. 8wt. rplx. and it seems to be a really slow action rod. any opinions on this? will it cast, or am I going on vacation with a slow dog? (I don't need casting lessons)

[juro]

Funny, my rpl 896 2-pc is just right - not a stick but plenty of authority in the heart of the blank where it counts. Reaches across broad rivers and has landed steelies over 20 pounds in the Pacific Northwest, chinook salmon ~30#, even dem' dawg salmon pushing 20 pounds. Never missed a beat until a client accidentally dinged it with a clouser and it fragged near the 3rd guide last season down the cape.

What do you usually throw?

[walter young]

Yes your rpl is a faster actin than the rplx. I usually use my red start 89, with an 8wt line, which I would think would be more of a slower action anyway just because of the name, but I do have a 10wt that I made out of a cabelas fast taper blank that is as stiff as a board. I'm not suggesting that it doesn't have enough strength to land a big fish, but that the whole action seems very soft. You can see it flexing all the way down to the handle just by wiggling it. My main concern is in the casting distance. I don't want to bring a 2 piece rod with me on vacation because I won't have a car, but I don't want to end up bringing something I might hate because it won't throw as far as I'm used to.

[bassman]

Hey guys...I think you got it backwards...Sage RPLX line is *was* their stiffest/fastest action to date. Maybe your talking about the RPLXi rods?...I have both and still think that both of the tapers are very very fast.

[juro]

Nope - I got it straight thanks (own all three). I would say that I clearly understand the Sage blank designs and performance characteristics, and have been associated w/ Sage since I lived right across Puget Sound from them over 15 years ago.

Stiffness does not a long cast make, in fact if one does not get a long line from a Sage RP* series I would venture to say they are not taking advantage of the load / unload rhythm and the inherent modulus in the heart of the blank. Sage doesn't make your arm pay for great casting performance.

Some like stiffness for their own particular motion, no two are exactly the smae caster.

I feel that my RPLXi 9wt 3-pc is the best casting machine on the market. Many would agree.

Walter,
Rod stiffness is all relitive. I too find Sage rods to be rather "soft". When comparing my Diamondback or even Orvis rods to them - even the "fast action" lines. Its one of the reasons lots of FW guy's like them. They do cast like cannons, but they just don't fit my casting style as well - to each his own...

[bassman]

Juro...I too own several Sage rods included RPL and the older RPLX and the newer RPLXi rods...I spoke with Jerry Siem (sp)? of Sage and he told me the RPLXi line of rods was softer in action but actually heavier in weight than the older RPLX rods...There may be faster rods than the RPLX series but the RPL from what I know is the freshwater version of the RPLX which is not quite as fast. Sure there may be faster rods than Sage but labeling an RPLX rod as *soft*?..Just my .02..Jeff

[watchhill]

I don't get it. For years people have been saying
Sage rods are too fast; ie buy a Winston. Now it seems
they are too slow

--tony

[mikef]

Well I'm not sure what each person's definition of a fast rod is. But when I wiggle the rod back and forth and only the last foot or so bends - well I consider it to fast - stiff or whatever you want to call it.
I've cast several RPLX's. Each of them had a common characterist - they were FAST (using my definition).

I'm kinda confused about this 'matching a rod's action to your casting STYLE' saying. I've cast a lot of different rods and never had one that was noticibly BETTER for my STYLE of casting. Each is a bit different than the other - but I just adjust my timing a smidgen and cast it. I find using my old Fenwick glass rod just as enjoyable as using a Sage, T&T, St. Croix or whatever. Faster rods are easier to form tighter loops with than slow rods. The down sides are: they cost a hell of a lot more - they break a hell of a lot easier - and they are inferior to fighting fish.
Since I like to catch fish more than cast - I like slower rods. You can make a slow rod faster buy using a lighter line and vice versa.

Mike - curious why you feel that the slower rods fight fish better? It's been my experience that the butt section should be used for fighting - regardless of how the forward 1/3 of the rod action is...

[mikef]

Hi Adam,
I'll try again. The first reply is out in cyber space somewhere. Maybe it was the wrong answer??!!
It may just be that slower rods instill more confidence in me. I FEEL I can fight the fish harder w/o worry of the rod breaking. The faster rods are more prone to breakage when overloaded.
I like to fight the fish hard. Maybe a slow action rod suits my fish fighting STYLE.

The advantage is more noticable in surf rods. Slow action rods bend deeper. Thus they are in effect shorter. This increases your mechanical advantage. Remember when you fight a fish you are at the wrong end of a simple lever!

[walter young]

Okay, I have confidence in you guys that have Sage. I was just wondering because at orvis they had a 6wt that was so stiff it seemed like it would take a 10wt no prob. But one other question, Why does sage use such small snake guides on an 8wt? they are something like a #4.

<FONT color=black face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>Walter - I have that same Orivis 6wt - The SL TL SaltWater 6wt.... Its a cannon for a 6 wt. I use a 6wt Airflow Coldwater Clear and it booms!</FONT>

<FONT face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>
<P>Mike - my whole life I was yelled at for not "keeping the tip high". I remember fishing alongside my grandfather - him with a Bamboo "canal" rod, and me with my new 10 foot fiberglass Garcia Conolon surf stick (want to talk a wet noodle!!) - and being yelled at for not keeping my tip up with a bluefish on...</P></FONT><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>
<P>Then I read something by Lou Tabory - not sure if it was one of his books, or an article - that said just the opposite... Hummmm... I met him at the fly show about 5-6 years ago, and during his demo, spoke about the same thing...Still I'm not convinced... thought he must be wrong (I had just come from the "land of offshore Stand-up rods"; the ultimate "high tip"). Well over the years my tip keeps getting lower and lower, and the fish come in faster and faster. I'm thinking "maybe he was right"...</P></FONT><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>
<P>Then last year Lefty said the same thing (here we go - Lefty again :-). He even gave a little demo - Hold rod high, large rod arch, LITTLE pressure actually at the fly end; Hold rod low - almost pointing - rod bend is slight, but much farther back - near grip - pressure huge. His point was that the rod may FEEL like its putting more pressure on the fish if held high, but the rod is actually absorbing (through the rod arc) much more energy then the "simple levers" mechanical advantage is giving. You'll land a fish faster by keeping the tip low....</P></FONT><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>
<P>Now, some of this may not matter from a boat with a 300lbs Tuna straight down do'n circles, but in practice from a beach I believe these guy's are correct... I bet if you held that surf rod - no matter what the action - lower, you'll tire the fish faster...</P></FONT>

[TomDunlap]

I gotta go with bassman on this, i have an rplx 9' 9wt 3 pc that is a stick and a half, read that "has to be over-lined"
to soften it a bit. my 2 pc 8wt rplx is a fast action and has served as my go-to rod, and can throw a whole line without a thought(when i remember how to cast) Tom