I seem to be thinking about rods an awful lot these days. First it was streamer rods, now it’s little creek rods.
I’ve got a softspot for the SLTs as I use a 5wt on occasion. Love it.
But the TXLs look pretty nice.
Can anyone qualify the differences in action between a 7’10" 3wt TXL vs the 7’6" 3wt SLT? Is the TXL appreciably quicker or somehow improved? I love my current SLT and would not normally hesitate to own another, but it might be good to try some of Sages other creations. Especially when they’re a touch cheaper…
Well…I can’t speak for the TXL but I own the 7’6" 3wt SLT and I love it!! I bought it when they first came out with the rod…exclusively for fishing small streams around my area. The rod casts equally well with a short line as it does throwing 50-60’. It casts so smooth and feels very light in the hand.
The SLT rods are awesome IMO, so this year I bought the 8’6" 5wt.
I have a TXL and I love it. If its one of the lower weights you choose, make sure to get a proper small reel. Mine has a Ross Vision and the combination is outstanding. It just feels right. I taught my son to cast with it and he got pretty good really fast because it has lots of sensitivity. Plus its a Sage-so you cant go wrong. -Migs
Thanks for all the feedback thus far. I’ll bump this up top to see if anyone else has anything to add.
I think I just found a shop that’s about an hour and a half way from me that has both rods in stock. Waiting on a call back to confirm, man would that be great to actually cast them side by side…
My favorite rods are my 1 wt. slt and my 6 wt. Scott SAS. They cast like rockets , are accurate, feel good in the hand and are feel just right when fighting fish. I would have another slt in a minute if i could afford one, expecially a 3 wt.
I have a new 5 wt slt this year . Love the action great rod .TXL is faster rod by a little bit.Casted one this fall and like it enough that im going to build a rod on a 1 wt TXL blank.
The more time I spend around people the more I like my dog.
I have been looking for a 3 wt and cast quite a few ( about 8 )this past year.
I found that my fav was the 7’6" 3-wt SLT
but wanted to cast a TXL as well.
Before I could try the TXL, I had the opportunity to try a TFO 7’6" 3-wt.
I found that I liked it JUST as well as the SLT.
The SLT cost about $580
The TFO cost about $140
You do the math.
I could easily afford the SLT.
Now I can buy a new waterproof Digital camera with what I saved.
I have a TXL in 710 4 wt. I like that rod alot. It was my go to rod for the WI spring creeks this past season. I agree it is a bit faster than the slt. Personal preference obviously is a big deal. Make sure you cast before you buy. I was fortunate to be able to attend the GreatWaters show in MN last spring. I casted all of the rods. For me, the strange thing about the TXL line was that I didn’t care for the odd size weights(1 & 3) but liked the rest.
After casting, you may find that you want to stick with the SLT’s. Have fun finding out!
I’m not an XP guy. I tried a 9ft 5wt and compared to the SLT, didn’t care for it. Even fished them side by side. Granted, I know a 3wt could be fairly different.
I also like the slt. I bought a 4 piece 5wt this year, primarily for my wife to use. She prefers a slower rod. I have used it quite a bit and it is so easy to cast. I was even thinking of making a 4wt for myself. I have not cast the 3wt slt but would think it is just as nice as the 5. I like the added power of the 3wt xp,I wonder if the TLX is in between. I guess I will just have to go check them out. Good Luck
Not trying to hijack the thread or anything but skes01 can you elaborate on what you disliked about the oddd sizes in the txl Out of curiosity could you list the rods in wt that you curently own .Im wondering if it goes back to the odd wt preference verses the even , As i seem to prefer odd wt rods .I own one 3wt,two 5 wt,a 7 wt and a 9 wt and one 8 wt.I will be building a 1 wt txl
The more time I spend around people the more I like my dog.
I owned a slt and a spl both in 6’3" models
for a three weight which are basically the same rod different years,but sold both and now fish a loomis glx 7’ 3weight and a T&T
LPS 7’ 3 weight.The attention to detail on the T&T is unequaled in my opinion.
ny angler- I own many rods and yes most of them are even wts. I do own and use a few 5’s, a 7 and a 9 wt however. For me, The odd weights just didn’t feel right in the TXL line. Another person may say the same about the even weights in the TXL. I found my experience curious because I didn’t expect to not care for the 1 and 3 TXL, but like the feel of the 2 and 4. The 00 I was on the fence on. I never had that happen in other models on the lower end of the wt spectrum.