DEMYSTIFLY

Have you ever sat back and thought about some of the fly rods you've had in the past? Even though I have fly fished for nearly three decades, if you gave me a few minutes to really think about it, I'm pretty sure I could name every fly rod that I've ever owned! The sign of a real tackle junkie I guess... When anyone thinks about those rods from years gone by, there's likely to be a few that really stand out. Perhaps they felt especially awesome or were just there with you on

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Just like with conventional rods, fly rods can be crafted with specific purposes in mind. Examples of these would include rods with oversized guides and beefed-up actions for saltwater usage, or rods that are soft and delicate geared towards targeting trout on smaller waters with dry flies. These sticks can be great and all, but many anglers simply want a rod that's made for more generalized usage. This is where the Sage SONIC comes into play. SONIC

Intro/Specs/Craftmanship When some anglers think of fly fishing, they usually envision casting small flies to trout in a mountainous river out west. Of course, there's much more to it than that. Lines can get heavy and patterns can grow to sizable proportions. Once you enter this more "extreme" side of fly fishing, a specialized fly rod will make handling things a whole lot easier. Enter the new Sage PAYLOAD series. As the name suggests, each rod is designed to tackle heavier

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Moderate-action fly rods may fall short in the popularity department when put up against their fast-action counterparts, but that doesn't mean they can't fill important niches in anglers' arsenals. When delicacy and accuracy are far more important than power and distance, a moderate action can provide a distinct advantage. Dry fly anglers fishing smaller waters are one such group that cherish softer rods for gingerly placing diminutive patterns ahea

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Retro is and has always been cool, but it seems like there's been more of a resurgence in recent years. Cars, clothing, and yes, even fishing gear are just some of the products designed with an old-school flavor. I certainly appreciate classy-looking things, but I also appreciate modern performance. Hey, why not just blend the two together? Sage did just that with the new TROUT fly reel series. This small family of reels might look like they were pro

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Sage X fly rods are not exactly brand new, having filled the void leftover by the departure of the popular ONE series in 2016. With such big shoes to fill, it appears the X hasn't disappointed Sage fans in the least. Despite these rods being out for around three years now and receiving some serious praise, I had yet to fish one. While reviewing an X had always been in the back of my mind, it wasn't until I received word of a new Special Edition X ser

Words and photos courtesy of Sage Fly Fishing Trout LL Sage nods to tradition yet improves performance with the introduction of the TROUT LL fly rod family. Through blank taper optimization and specialized length offerings, the TROUT LL is perfected for wade fishing, closer casts, small flies, and light tippets. “KonneticHD technology allows us to design this rod to have a supple tip to maximize tippet protection yet have a smooth, easy-loading mid-section to increase feel an

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship There's nothing finer than fishing with a fly rod that feels super lightweight. A rod like this simply amplifies the experience and is a pure joy to fish with. When you do find one of those magical lightweight sticks, pairing it up with a quality featherweight reel is a great way to compliment it. In terms of saving weight, one of the best reel types you can buy is one with a click-pawl drag system. There are no cork or carbon fiber materials here; n

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship A healthy amount of the angling done during my teenage years was spent trout fishing with ultralight spinning tackle. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I didn't have easy access to beautiful high-country waters, but rather a handful of stocked urban lakes filled with trout that were often pretty dang big! Using mostly 4lb test line on rods as short as 3 feet (not a typo!), I caught an untold number of trout up into the 9lb range—and was really go

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship At IFTD 2017, Sage launched their SPECTRUM series of reels. With three different models including the MAX, LT, and standard SPECTRUM (reviewed here), these reels offer varied levels of refinement and cover different price points ranging from $249 all the way up to $500. Well, this year Sage has introduced a fourth addition to the family, the SPECTRUM C series, that come in well under $200 for all models. Did Sage cut major corners to achieve such aff

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship My Sage METHOD 7-weight has been a trusty companion for several years now. Extremely fast and quite stiff, yes, but it serves a niche purpose when a more powerful presentation is needed. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and when I started seeing METHOD rods going on sale a few months back, I knew the end was near. Thankfully, a popular lineup is usually not just simply discarded permanently, but replaced by something that's typical

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship I don't use 12-weight setups more than maybe a couple times per year (if that), so I tend to shop for rods and reels of this size that are priced more moderately. There's some good choices coming in below what I'd call "premium" pricing, but the Sage MOTIVE seemed especially attractive. Priced well below the top-tier SALT HD fly rods, I picked one up a couple years back–even though I had never even held one before! Earlier this summer, my buddy Dave

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Comprised of the SPECTRUM, SPECTRUM LT, and the top-tier SPECTRUM MAX, Sage's three new reel families deliver good looks and the promise of high performance. While I would've been happy to review any model, I was especially pleased to receive a 5/6 tester from the standard SPECTRUM series. Why? I've been particularly interested in testing some lower-cost tackle lately, so this reel was a perfect fit being from the most cost-effective series of the th

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Fishing with a high-end rod is typically pretty awesome, but I've always felt a different kind of satisfaction from fishing those rods that deliver excellent performance and quality at more affordable prices. First shown off at IFTD 2017, Sage's latest entry into what I'd call the "modest" price point category comes in the form of the new FOUNDATION fly rods. A couple months after the show, Sage was kind enough to ship me a 5-weight FOUNDATION outfit

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Similar to fly rods, fly reels don't have to be expensive to catch fish. There's no denying that fishing with a high-end reel is especially pleasing from both an aesthetic and performance point of view, but in many cases a much more affordable reel will get the job done just fine. In addition, you can't ignore the fact that not everyone has $600+ laying around to blow on an ultra-precision reel. To accommodate fly anglers with varying needs and budge

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Let's go back in time over a decade ago. Sage has always made some pretty mean fly rods for saltwater, but in my opinion the Xi2 was a real breakthrough. I treated myself to a 7 weight shortly after their release and was blown away by the way it felt. I remember reading something about the increased line feel during the cast (or something like that), but I pretty much thought it was just more marketing fluff. Well, after casting one, I was genuinely

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship I've always been a sucker for 7-weight fly reels. I've had some type of 7-weight rod in my arsenal for nearly my entire fly fishing life, so I obviously have a constant need for a matching fly reel. That rod/reel size just does it for me and is a real hoot to use on an array of species from salt to fresh. I'm always on the prowl for new stuff, and when something new in a 7-weight size hits the market I immediately take notice. Made to accommodate a 6

This spring, Sage was kind enough to briefly loan me a Pulse 590-4 fly rod to feature here on Demystifly. Introduced at IFTD 2015, these moderately-priced rods are what Sage calls their "workhorse rods." Featuring eye-catching blanks and a solid list of components, I was interested to see how my 5-weight would perform. Although I was able to put this stick to work in two different states thanks to a trip I had planned, the fishing was an utter disaster. Angling success aside,

They say time speeds up as you age. I can't believe it's been just a hair over four years since I bought my Sage ONE 590-4. The ONE caught my eye because the series blends together a lot of what I like in a fly rod—great components, excellent build quality, fast action, and a light weight. The fact that it's a Sage doesn't hurt either! Has this 9-foot 5-weight disappointed me at all? Nope! I haven't exactly beat on this rod, but it's seen its fair share of time on the water a

X Rods: With the departure of the respected ONE series comes the new X fly rods from Sage. Made on Bainbridge Island, WA, these fast-action rods use Konnetic HD technology and boast optimized graphite-to-resin ratios for a higher-density blanks which results in higher overall performance. Sage also says that the new taper decreases lateral and medial vibrations while allowing anglers to "dig deeper" to access power lower down in the blank closer to the angler. Blanks are colo