- I have a question about Sage’s new smallmouth and bass rods. At 290 grains and 390 grains does that not put these rods in the upper end of the 10wt and 12 wt classes respectively?
yep, and at 7’11" it’s gonna make for one stiff rod. Haven’t had a chance to cast one yet, but I can’t imagine how it would be easy. The main thrust of the new bass rods is to create a tournament legal flyrod.
Not necessarily 10 and 12 wt equivalents. The Largemouth rod is 330 grains not 390.
Common practice for using 30ft shooting heads is to upline by 2wts, thus a 10wt heads are used on an 8wt and so on. Also integrated lines such as the Teeny ‘T’ and ‘TS’ series and S.A. Streamer Express series are often used in heavier weights than you would use a floating line on a rod. So you, for example, you would use a 300grain Teeny T or S.A. Streamer Express on an 8wt rod. The reason is that for distance casting you only extend the head to make the cast, whereas with a floater you may extend 40 - 50 feet to make a long cast.
I am eagerly waiting for a chance to examine these new rods and associated lines, but I am guessing that the special lines will have heavy front sections to allow the rod to be deeply loaded without having to extend a lot of line - a desireable feature for shortrange work with large flies. I am also going to guess that that Smallmouth rod will work well with standard 7 or 8wt WF line and the Largemouth rod with a standard 9 or 10 wt WF line. I often use a 10wt WF floater on my 8wt rods for casting large flies at short ranges. I will have to get my hands one for the new rods to be sure though. I am really interested in the Largemouth model for Calico Bass fishing in the southern California kelp forests where we often make short casts with large flies into holes in the kelp canopy.
- Thanks for the replies. Maybe I will have to win one so I can broaden my horizons
I think to Sage’s credit designing a 7’11" rod was right on. I think that longer rods are nice, but for smaller rivers and short to medium casts, a shorter rod is the way to go. I mostly fish a 6wt for smallie fishing in either a 7 1/2’ glass or 9’ graphite. Every once in a while I pull out my old 8’ 7wt boo.
Yeah 330 puts it in the 11 wt class. I use a 330 grain line on my six weights all the time. One you get past the ‘oh no this is supposed to be wrong’ phase fishing that line is actually pretty easy. A flick of the wrist and a big deer hare bug shoots out 60 feet no problem.
Of course if you are fishing a nymph or dry fly for bass that setup would be over kill.
I too would be curious to see how stiff and fast the rod is in terms of line handling once the line is on the water.
I signed up. I fish for bass from a kayak and my first rod of choice is routinely my 10wt.
Hi All;
I recently purchased a J.P. Ross 7’ Kayak rod and love it! I purchased 2nd hand so don’t know everything about it but it casts a 9wt beautifully. It’s built on a fiberglass spinning blank(I think forecast e-glass). One thing that attracted me to it was being able to use it in a bass tournament someday but I’m a long way from that!
It’s short length definetly works for kayak fishing. It’s the rod I used to land the fish that towed my kayak around(see topic fighting large bass/fish on flyrod). I think it’s short length and stiff design helps muscle fish away from cover.
If the sage rods are anything like the J.P. Ross, it’s a good product!
Wayneb
The 800 pound gorilla is whether Sage will be sponsoring fly anglers on the bass tournament circuits.
I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I would like to see a fly gal or fisherman take home the big check. On the other hand, I would like to have fly fishing continue to be a refuge from the dog eat dog competition and commercial hype that surrounds the “tournament trails.”
My knight or maiden in armor would win the Classic showing it can be done and then immediately retire to recreational fishing showing that winning is just a bump in the road.
Is this asking too much?
Mike
Hey Bear,
Would it really be any different than casting tournaments or fly fishing tournaments that are alreay out there?
I doubt if you’ll see any of the cast for cash bass anglers pulling out a fly rod in competition.
Again, if I were king of Sage, I would offer their smallmouth rod in either a 6,7 or 8wt. A 7’11" 6wt would be an ideal rod for the smallmouth river that I fish. Now I realize you are talking niche market, but try and find an 8’ 6wt today.
Dave,
Dorber makes several 8’ 6wts, if you’re in the market for one.
It’ll be interesting to see if Sage’s new rod makes it to a bass tourney. Some of the BASS pro’s are good with a fly rod (Roland Martin and Shaw Grigsby, for example.) That doesn’t mean they’d use one in a tournament, though.
All I know is what I read. It’s different all right.
Our guys go overseas to the World Fly Fishing Championship competitions to compete for prizes that won’t even cover their traveling expenses. In the States, top prizes in BASS competiitions go 6 figures. Cash works it’s wonders in bringing out the competitive spirit in our Bubbas.
By all reports (that I read), fly competitions are no where near as mercinary. It takes a different mind set to stick with fly fishing.
Mike
I think it unlikely that someone would enter a tournament with any sort of sizable prize and fish it exclusively with fly tackle. However there are a couple of things you can do with fly tackle than cant be done with spinning or baitcasting tackle, namely present very light offerings without added weight in the form of a sinker, and recast without completely retrieving the lure. It would not surprise me to see an occasional tourney angler add a fly rod to their game day arsenal for specialized situations.
I don’t think the national tournaments will ever allow fly rigs, but locally:
At $350, I still would like to know what the blank is made of. :?
Well I know what I’ll be looking for at the World Fly Fishing Retailer trade show next week! This is excellent news. It’s about time the old guard decided to expand the horizons of the sport.
I think a bass pro would grab for a fly rod without hesitation if it filled the needs of the moment. If the fish are taking top water or delicate drop presentations next to cover then a fly rod allows fast and repeated presentations without retrieving line. The longer the bait is in the strike zone, the bigger the return. It’s all about efficiency. I know there are times when I kick my hardware tossing friends backsides - and those fellows are pretty darn good.
Anything that promotes the sport and gets more participants involved is good. More fly fishers means a bigger market. A bigger market drives down prices due to elasticity and synergies of manufacturing. While we might end up with a fly fishing subculture that’s featured on ESPN, the end result is good for all of us.
Thanks SAGE!!!
Joe C.
What did I miss here? The practice is to give the line weight for a rod based on the line it is designed to fish with. Thus a rod designed to fish a 330 grain line is an 11 wt traditionally. How did the Sage become a 9 wt?
Magic?
Mike G.
Rods are designed to work optimally with a certain load, but often may mean with 40-45 feet of line extended. But the line rating is only based on the first 30 feet of a line. 40-45 feet of a WF-8 line may weigh around the same as the front 30ft of a WF-11 line. Of course, rods actually work well with a wide range of loads, or else we would always have to cast the same amount of line.
Sage has produced a special line and taper to pick up and quickly present large and/or heavy flies close in, or shoot farther with out needing to extend a lot of line.
Shooting head anglers have long recognized that for optimal performance with 30 ft shooting heads that they need to use a head that is rated two line wts heavier than the rod is labeled. Line manufacturers have also addressed this when they specify recommended rods for their integrated lines line the Teeny ‘T’ and ‘TS’ lines, S.A. Streamer Express, Cortland Quick Descent, etc. A 300 grain head is a typical match for an 8wt rod and 350g for a 9wt.
Very good point as I was pondering Bears comments as well. Then it occurred to me that who cares what the printed and internet convention says, Sage isn’t likely to “miss” that poorly. Possible, but unlikely. Time will tell and I’m VERY interested in these rods.
What can I say…I hope I win the Smallie rod!
Either way, I wanna feel one of these in my hands with a few of my own creation’s tied to the tippet…Tis the only way for me…I gotta try’em out first hand…Now the hard part…Finding a Sage dealer close to hand…This is going to be tougher than alot of you may think!