Porter2
Legend
Sounds fluid.
New sage coming out soon?
- Thread starter Porter2
- Start date
We will be casting them early next week when we meet with the FarBank Rep Group, unsure if we will bring them in since we just became a Winston dealer but I am curious to see what the major differences will be especially in rods like the 6wt with fighting butt.
I have no doubt the rods you’re wrapping have more care and thought put into them than farout bank’s rods and your rods no doubt perform perfectly.
I’ve owned perhaps a dozen Sage rods over the years, still have two. I don’t see any others coming into my quiver (unless I get screaming deal on something used).
I grew up almost literally in the shadow of the Sage factory(s) and as some expressed have been happy to have a premier FF company so local. Still am, even though I’ve grown disenchanted with the product line and moved on. One thing that I’ll say though is that after a factory visit (picking up a XP repair) I was impressed with the attention to detail the workers there have. Even though they can afford a fair amount of automation, there’s quite a bit of hand work involved. Fit and finish has always been really good.
Marching out “new and improved” models so often has grown tedious, although I’ve also shopped the clearance rods a couple times. Similarly I’ve often pitied weather forecasters in San Diego: “Well, it looks like sunny and 78 degrees today (just like yesterday, and the day before, and….). How to make new enticing.
Losing steam.
Marching out “new and improved” models so often has grown tedious, although I’ve also shopped the clearance rods a couple times. Similarly I’ve often pitied weather forecasters in San Diego: “Well, it looks like sunny and 78 degrees today (just like yesterday, and the day before, and….). How to make new enticing.
Losing steam.
I mean no disrespect to anyone enjoying Sage rods nor am I focusing attention towards my homebuilt rods. I totally agree people should do what they want without judgment.
I'm just cynical about the cost being charged throughout the entire industry for " top end" rods and reels.. Is it really justified? Is one skinny piece of graphite really worth, say, the price of a fully equipped pontoon boat or a boat trailer or a Tuff shed? Not to me. I personally, am totally satisfied with my budget gear.
Bob Rankin
Wandering the country with rifle and spey rod.
I’m still a fan of my RPL+ and XP. They have a special place in my heart and have caught tons of fish. For me it’s the cost for what you get. I agree to each their own and they are great rods. But you can have custom rods built for what Sage is charging for there top end rods. While Sage does a great job with fit and finish, I just think if I’m going to give a left nut for a new rod, I just want something a little prettier 
As I've mentioned previously, my brand new Sage X reel butt fell off the rod the second time I fished it last spring. Little dab of glue covering less than a quarter of the circumference of the rosewood spacer was the only thing holding it on.
Pretty rods, but not at all impressed with build quality. Won't be purchasing any more Sage rods.
Quite frankly, the Sage didn't fish or feel any better than my much more affordable Echo and TFO rods in the same 5 wt class.
Pretty rods, but not at all impressed with build quality. Won't be purchasing any more Sage rods.
Quite frankly, the Sage didn't fish or feel any better than my much more affordable Echo and TFO rods in the same 5 wt class.
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Is it less of a noodle, though?
Bruce Baker
Life of the Party
I have no idea as I have never cast a Salt HD, but I am thinking maybe with a tad more feel. I began paying attention after this thread started. My guess is it is probably a R8 Core with some bigger guides.
Most likely not $1,300 different.
JeffRaines
Smolt
While I'll be the first to admit I don't mind spending money on nicer stuff, fly rods remind me of rifles/bows.
You've got a bunch of guys who buy into nicer weapons either for the "status" symbol, somewhere in the back of their mind marketing has gotten to them and there's some correlation between cost and harvest opportunity going on, or they think its gonna be more accurate than a cheaper weapon.
We're in the golden age of a lot of stuff... fly rods, rifles and bows are definitely there. There isn't much difference(outside build quality maybe) between a "budget" rod and a high end Sage/Winston/Scott. I'm sure guys who cast competitively could quantify a difference between a high end and value rod, but for the average fisherman... I don't think so.
At the end of the day, if you can catch fish on a Sage you can catch the same fish on a Maxcatch Amazon special. Much the same way a guys low end PSE/Savage isn't holding them back from filling a tag.
tkww
Life of the Party
f I remember correctly, around the turn of the century high-end rods were 500-600 dollars. Mid-tier rods were ~300. Putting $600 into a couple different inflation calculators (2000 to 2022) puts that around $1050. So... My bigger objections are how "fast" so many rods have become and how much they deviate from line weight ratings.
With reels, it's the perpetual churn of models. Completely fed up with the constant discontinuing, inability to easily get spools on down the road, etc. In another thread someone was asking what to do with an old sinking line. Someone else chimed in that they sometimes wrap sections onto spools to add weight so that the rod/reel balances better. And there it is: paying more and more money for each new model that removes an additional .2 of an ounce--and of course making spools incompatible with older models in the process--only to have to add weight to make it more usable. It's insane.
Griswald
Steelhead
This right here.
I have mid-priced rods and high end rods. I have never landed a fish wishing I had my high end rod if I was using my mid-priced rod. The last 2 out of 3 Sage rods I purchased were used ones as well.
I wouldn’t call the endless “perpetual churn” of reels insane but a marketing strategy that for me doesn’t work. I wish I could find a couple spools and even a frame for the original Lamson Guru - (size2). I’ve given up. Lamson, in their marketing strategy has released at least two updated (lighter, better?) Gurus that aren’t compatible with the original. That bites and I won’t bite on a new Guru.
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While expensive, the is one really nice thing about Hatch is at least their past 2 generations of spools are compatible with their new reels. Never mind that the spools cost more than a new mid priced reel like an orvis hydros.
Got a chance to cast the 6 and 7 weight versions of this new rod over the weekend.
The Sage Salt R8 6 and 7 would be great here on the Puget Sound for salmon and cutthroat, and would be excellent for bonefish. Definitely flats-focused rods as they're lighter and more responsive and nimble than other Sage saltwater rods.
For those folks uninterested in newer/more expensive rods, don’t buy them. For those interested in a rod far and away better than the X or Salt HD for flats/Puget Sound fishing, these are definitely worth a look.
The Sage Salt R8 6 and 7 would be great here on the Puget Sound for salmon and cutthroat, and would be excellent for bonefish. Definitely flats-focused rods as they're lighter and more responsive and nimble than other Sage saltwater rods.
For those folks uninterested in newer/more expensive rods, don’t buy them. For those interested in a rod far and away better than the X or Salt HD for flats/Puget Sound fishing, these are definitely worth a look.
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Two things I took away
1. Sage has a great internal Art Dept or Agency (pretty sure its the latter)
2. Peter Knox was just looking for a way to expense a trip to the Keys.