Save vs ?? fly rods.
<3934>
I am planning on getting a new fly rod. I presently own an older sage II rod 6/7 weight and which I have been happy with. I have been looking at the new sage rods and they run from about $500 for graphite II to about $750 for the new graphite IVs,

One can get the top St. Croix etc. for about half this price. Are the sage rods worth the money today.,

Garth

<3935>
subject above should have read Sage vs ???

<3937>
Garth,
I know lots will disagree with me but I wouldn't pay the money for Save:). I have used G-Loomis and ST.Croix and have found they suit the purpose fine. I do think the Legend Ultra retails
for around 450.00 but that might be "interior" pricing. Prof.

<3941>
Prof as far as rods go for trout fishing. I think there's alot of good rods for under $200 bucks. Good line is more important to me. I like the dragonfly rods myself. For the price of a sag I can have a hole range of them. If one gets stolen it's not the end of the world either. Someone walked off with my gear bag last fall. That was almost the end of the world. Man did that hurt!

<3944>
Fishcarver,
Don't misunderstand me. I didn't say I had a
450.00 rod. The most expensive rod I own is a G Loomis GL2 and that damn thing cost me 12 dozen
flies!! I also have a Dragonfly 6 wt. which my wife uses as well as a St. Croix Imperial 4/5 wt.
A friend of mine saw a Cortland fly rod today at a
gun show in Kamloops. Very nice rod he says and they retail for around 200 bones. Prof.

<3945>
Prof I was looking at an Imperial. How do you like them? Does the finnish hold up very well? Most rods I get I have to change the tip top.

<3948>
I'll have to agree with Dale on this one (will miracles never cease?) and say to spend the big bucks on the Line. Cut costs on reels and rods, but DON'T buy cheap line.
If your $500+ rod goes over the side of the boat, it's a catastrophe!

<3951>
I got a custom built 5 weight Sage about 3 years ago for about $300. After using the cheaper rods (ie: Dragonfly, Pflueger) I can say that the Sage is definitely worth the money if you use it alot and you use it for bigger fish. It's way nicer to cast and to play fish on. I've busted the tip off a couple times but Sage sends a new one no questions asked. My buddy bought one of the outrageously priced new models ($700) and it doesn't cast any nicer than the one I have. I'd say spend the money on a good rod (doesn't have to be Sage) but don't go overboard.

<3962>
best advice is set a budget and then buy a rod that suits you. There are many good rods out there for less than $200. You can also save money by building your own. Most good shops will allow you to test the rod. All the majors have a variety of rod 'lines' to suit a budget. If you liked your sage 2, it's likely sage offers a rod for much less than $500 that may be similar in action.

<3974>
I currently own a 4/5 wt St. Croix Imperial fly rod, and a 7wt Thomas and Thomas fly rod. I started my fly fishing with the St. Croix, which six years later still does a great job, and got the T&T a couple years after that. I have to agree with Ralph that you should get the best rod (not necessarily the most expensive) you can afford. After casting for two years I got to feel the difference between the St. Croix, and the T&T, and now use the T&T almost exclusively (even when it's an overpowering situation). By the way, I didn't have to spend a fortune to get the T&T (~$375), just kept my eyes out for a good deal (this one came from a fishing store in Calgary discontinuing the line). Any way, best of luck.
Cheers,
Mark

<3996>
I'm going to have to agree with Steve. I own a Sage custom built 8 1/2 foot five weight and a 9 foot six weight Dragonfly. I use my Sage as much as possible. It's lighter, balanced better, smoother to cast, and more sensitive on the retrieve. My dragonfly's more like a noodle rod, but it was cheap, that's about it. My only qualm with the sage's is that they are infamous for breaking. I've broken mine four times, and when you break 'em they're expensive to fix. I've tried the new Talons and I'm pretty sure that'll be my next rod. I think the amount you spend depends on how much you fish, but another two or three hundreds bucks isn't a big deal if you get twenty years of use out of it. I've already got 10 out of mine and I think it was well worth the money.

<3997>
Oh yeah, and my rod has gone over board. It was
about 4 days after ice out on an un-named upper lake and their was a good choronomid hatch, (we were in the aluminum boat because the water was so cold), I set down my rod to put my gloves on and wouldn't you know it my rod got pulled overboard. So I did what anyone would do for their favourite rod, dove in after it. The result: my rod back, a lost shoe, and a short day on the water. The moral of this story, if you're prepared to spend the big bucks be prepared to get wet.

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