TFO vs. Sage launch
I am considering buying a new 3wt rod. I know from reading this awesome board that its hard to prescribe a certain rod for an individual, but I would like to hear some of your opinions on the pros and cons of these two lines of rods. My current favorite rod is a 5wt Orvis TLS, but now that children have entered the picture, I'm looking for something that casts as nice for a lower price. thanks in advance.
I can't speak to the Sage, but the TFO is a great rod for the price and comes with a lifetime warranty. I own 4 and am very happy with mine. I have a couple 4wt's, but no 3wts.
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Fishing the Ozarks
I think so highly of the TFO that I?d recommend it to Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Khadafi, Dubya, and Martha Stewart.
To people I like I recommend the Sage rod.
I just bought a Launch 5wt for son a first time flyfisher. I liked the Sage over the TFO and the Orvis Clerfield 8'6" 5 wt (as did my son. I think I will also like the Sage over my 8'6" TLS 5 wt when I get a chance to compqare.
Dave
I'm with Gus.
Looked at the launches the other day in a shop. They had just about the worst finish job I've ever seen on a factory rod. Don't know quite why, but I was surprised for sure.
You may want to look into St. Croix.
While I really like the service of TFO, Lefty's endorsement and input on the design of the rods, and the cheap prices, TFO rods feel clunky to me. It may be the cheaper graphite or something, but they don't feel as smooth when loading and unloading the rod.
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Jude
Small flies work best. Elephants eat peanuts.
www.customflys.com
I;m with Stowaway. I had a session casting the Sage's and the TFO's and while I wasn't entirely sold on the TFO, I thought the Sage (Launch) was very average in comparison. It is an ugly colour, and terrible to cast. In the end I bought an Innovator HLS.
"We do not inherit the earth; we borrow it from our children."
For that price point, I would consider the St. Croix Avid series. It has basic hardware but its very castable. As much as I love Sage I'm not sure their quality carries over to their "entry level" models. I've never cast a TFO, but I do know they are made with an imported IM6 blank... I think the SC (high modulus, made in the US) is going to be a higher quality stick.
St. Croix may not be the right answer, but I think there are better buys than the two you mentioned.
not that it has anything to do with the performance of either rod, they're both ugly as flyrods get.
I'd look at st croix as well.
very seriously.
mgj
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