Winston coming out with four and dropping the BIIx, Loomis bringing out their new wand and even Sage pushing closer to slower. Should be interesting. Winston, if rumors are correc,t will spread the price range from 2 to 7 hundred. A lot of talk about their US made $500 model. This info is all off the internet and not Winston,Sage or Loomis so take it for what it is worth.
must be the fall models coming out just like the auto makers.
The rod companies have laid all the groundwork over the years - you must come out with new rods or you don’t have product to compete with the companies who do. Eventually you may hit a bad economy year and not sell as many as you need to. Trickle down to goodbye rod company. I wonder if one company might consider re-running its most popular rods instead. A re-release? Just a thought.
I wonder if one company might consider re-running its most popular rods instead. A re-release? Just a thought.
Ladyfisher, i’ve been waiting for Sage to bring back the RPL and the LL. Maybe someday. lol.
I think that would be great. Just about every big rod manufacturer that I can think of has discontinued a model that people really love. I think it would be the perfect win-win situation.
Well, close. The new Sage VXP is rumored to be a lighter, cheaper XP. As a XP fan, I can’t wait to cast one. One review.
http://bluequillangler.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/sage-vxp-aka-the-lighter-xp/
Ah!! The RPL.
The new Sage VXP is rumored to be a lighter, cheaper XP. As a XP fan, I can’t wait to cast one.
I thought it was too (I thought they were using the same taper design) but according to Sage, it’s a totally different rod. However, everyone who has cast one says they’re very XP-ish. Time for a new rod! lol.
Ah!! The RPL.
Still my favorite. Aaaahhhhh… lol.
Orvis also replacing the TLS with the Access.
I enquired about their current line up and was told:
"Think of our ZXL is a refined LL series. The tapers are close but they
use our G5 graphite which has more feel and is much lighter.
Best regards,
Team Sage"
Since I love my 279LL and 490LL I’m looking forward to trying their 386 ZXL.
My favorite rod for over 10 years.
I know it happens to every rod series at some point, but replace the BIIX? One of the best sticks available in my opinion.
"Think of our ZXL is a refined LL series. The tapers are close but they
use our G5 graphite which has more feel and is much lighter.
ColdPass, I have the 486 ZXL and it’s a very nice rod but I wouldn’t put it up there with your LL’s. I had heard it was also similar the SLT, but IMHO, it isn’t. The SLT was softer and smoother. Hold on to those LL’s! They were great rods.
… and not a single one of all those new rods will improve your casting or help you catch any more fish than the rods you could buy last month.
Years ago I started out with a Sage DS series. Nice rod and I still fish with it to this day. After a couple of years I reached my limit with it a bought an SLT. My casting improved significantly and as such so did my catch rate. Please don’t be so quick to make a snap judgement.
I can see both sides to the debate. If a person casts with 2 rods exactly the same, technological advancements in one SHOULD produce an improved cast.
I’m STILL shy about purchasing a rod that cost more than $200. I know there are some great rods in the $600+ range that I will just DREAM of owning and using!
I will say this…the first fly rod I bought was an entry-level Cabela’s rod. I could throw line into the backing with it, because I thought that is what you were SUPPOSED to do. So, I suppose it was a good enough rod. I didn’t really enjoy it that much, though. So I put it aside for years and continued fishing with spinning gear. And then early in 2007 I decided to try fly-fishing again, since it seemed flies were the answer to effectively fishing some local warmwater ponds.
I saw a great deal on a new St. Croix Premier fly rod. 8’6" 5wt. I put a Pflueger Medalist reel on that rod with some Cabela’s Prestige Plus line, and headed to one of the ponds. As soon as I started casting, a smile crept onto my face. It stayed plastered there the entire time I fished. It was absolute JOY to fish with! I’ve been logging over 100 fly-fishing outings/year ever since then. I’ve expanded my arsenal of rods, and each is a bit different, but all have been good rods. Well, there was one that didn’t suit me, and it has found a new home.
So, my point is that a new or different fly rod certainly can increase your enjoyment of fly-fishing, whether it truly improves your casting or not.
Sage is re-releasing the popular xp as the vxp - a mid-priced fast action rod with the xp taper.