I cast the Xi3 in a lot of line weights when I was making up my mind on a new rod. I liked them better than the Xi3 for sure, way better with line feel at distance and it did seem to cast a little better up close. I did not like it in anything over a 10wt, the 11 and 12 felt dead to me. I did like the Xi3 a lot, but I wound up buying one of the new Scott S4S rods. It just seemed to have more feel and casts better (for me) both in close and at distance (in the 8-9 wt line weight which is what I was shopping for), whereas the Sage really seemed to not load as quickly and took more line to load with a standard saltwater flyline. For me, I really like the Sage TCX better for really, really windy days when I need to PUNCH flies and quick loading isn't a primary concern and my Scott S4S for when I'm taking shots at tailing fish or shallow cruisers and need accuracy and quick loading.
I know a lot of the guys around here are liking both the Sage Xi3 and Scott S4S. Seems they both have winners on their hands. I'd go to a shop and cast both. What I do is get into the ready position like I'm on the front of a skiff with line stripped out and a fly in my hand. Then pick spots in the parking lot of the flyshop and see which rod is the most accurate and fastest to load in that situation (which is pretty much the way I fish). I've always thought that going out into a parking lot and just casting a rod blindly to see how far you can throw the line is useless when trying to decide what rod is best to "FISH" with. I never did have an Xi2 that did well in these types of parking lot tests, but the Xi3 is way better because it does have more feel than the previous model.
Reply With Quote