Last fall my heart was filled with lust and envy. I wanted what my guide Jon Harp had, a Sage 4500 reel. I had just caught and ALMOST landed a Brown so large it has shoulders, but it broke me off. If I had a better drag than my Teton Tigoa, I would have landed it, I tell my self. I have saved all fall and winter for the Sage. It is nearly in my grasp, it is on my Wish List at Cabelas’. All I have to do is press the ‘Order’ button.
Last night my stalwart purpose was sidetracked. I read the March 2009 of Field and Stream. They rated the reels they tested:
Best: Bauer Rouge
2nd Best: the Sage 4500
Best Value: Loop Multi
Y’all are the experts, whaadaya say, what should I get?
You want the Sage, buy it. You could go round and round about which is ‘best’, but in the end, it’s just ‘choice’ there is no ‘best’. If you start doubting unimportant decisions like this one, you’ll never be happy with ANY purchase…this is supposed to be fun.
It’s a Fly Reel. Not like it’s all that critical anyway…
And, giving the benefit of the doubt, I don’t think you lost that fish because of your drag…it was probably just angler error ;).
The Sage reels are awesome! Very smooth drags on them. Check out MRFC.com. They had last years models on sale. The '09 ones have been completely re-designed.
Get what you want, but I have to say that the Bauer Rogue is the absolute sexiest fly reel I’ve ever laid eyes on. If I couldn’t buy 4 really good reels for the price of one I’d own one for my 5wt now.
I fished with a guide only one time. My floating fly line kept sinking at the last 8’. He just said here, put on this reel. It had a Rio Grande 5wt line. Hooked into the only fish that has ever taken me into backing. I brought that dude back to the boat against his will and a heavy current. ONLY because of the quality of his heel and it’s drag system. I would purchase THAT reel regardless what I read about it anywhere. I think you found a reel you respect and are comfortable with. BUY IT. THAT is the reel you already know about. You won’t really find out how YOU like that there other reel till you have already bought one. Then you will say for the rest of your life you should have gotten the Sage. Stick with what you know works for you. Just my opinion. 'tis the only one I know very much about.
Gemrod
“if at first you don’t succeed…perhaps parachuting is not for you”
I don’t know as I ever lost a fish due to a deficiency in my reel. And I use reels a lot “cheaper” than a Tioga, and have my whole life. Thirty plus years of flyfishing, tens of thousands of trout, roughly a thousand steelhead…
Buy the reel you WANT, but IMO almost everyone buys a lot nicer reel than they NEED for freshwater use.
THANKS! There is much in all of that advice to ponder. This part of the internet experience is great. Where would a guy in Midland, Tx, closest fly water 4 hours, get this kind of input.
I say get yourself a nice click and pawl (with a palming rim), learn how to use the palming rim, get a softer rod to protect those light tippets with big fish, use the money you save to buy your spouse something special so that she gives you the green light on that one last fishing trip.
Hello MarkF, here’s a thought…give each of the manufacturers a call and ask them if you dropped the reel in the sand, then kicked sand over it so it was completely covered, then dipped it in the saltwater, gave it a shake and continued fishing, would they be worried that it would seize up on the first big fish that ran off with your fly.
