Sage Z-Axis

[spike-2]

Anyone have thoughts on the Sage Z-Axis 9'6" 7wt rod for Grat lakes Steelhead? Thanks Dave

[John Rhoades]

I prefer a 7 wt rod myself for steelhead. However, I use an RPL 10'. That rod has oversized guides, that I believe may be also slightly beefier than the standard sized guides on smaller Sage rods. The oversized guides are particularly nice when fishing in sub-freezing conditions when icing is a concern. (I have a 9'6" 7 wt XP and it does not have oversized guides, but do not have that same model in the Z-Axis for comparison. I'm sure that Z-Axis would also be satisfactory otherwise.)

I know a lot of guys use heavier weight rods, such as 8 or 9 wt, but after having an 10' 8wt Sage SP, I felt it lacked the sensitivity that I prefer, and it felt somewhat "clubbish". (My 7wt has handled 20# steelhead with no problems.)