Sage Z-axis Fly Rod

[werewolf won]

I’m sure if you asked a dozen different fishermen what their favorite rod is you would get a dozen different answers. I like short slow action rods for instance. Which makes my newest rod an odd one for me. I just picked up a Sage ten foot Z-Axis rod. Some of the French dry fly and nymphing methods I’ve been using the last few years require me to use leaders as long as 20 feet and sometimes even longer and I was struggling not to cast that leader and fly team, but to mend the line and set the fly was not always a given.

I expected a rod of this length to be a bit of a beast, but Sage has a way of building rods with outstanding balance, this one is no exception and it feels as light in hand as even my shortest rods. It has the same understated but elegant freshwater trim Sage used on the SLT rods that being a half wells grip, with fine grade cork, wood reel seat, single stripper guide. This rod is a golden green color the LL and SLT were a golden brown.

The action is very fast, as advertised. I can see why people like the rod, and why Sage expanded the line in 2012. I picked this one up on a close out as it is a now obsolete model. If anyone is interested the place I grabbed the rod has a few Sage Z-axis rods (in several lengths and weights) left on close out and till the end of the month they have an addition coupon for an extra 15% off making them pretty reasonable. PM me I’ll give you the site and code if your interested. I’m not getting rid of my old rods (yet) but I see this rod changing the way I fish.

Wolf

 

[redmech]

Nice, nothing like a rod that just feels perfect. Wading in cool people free stream, with a flyrod in hand waiting for a fish to rise, nothing better. Enjoy your new rod.

 

[rusty stove 1]

i too prefer short rod- for close quarters casting on the small stream I wade- have a Scott 2 pc 6 foot 3 weight- I would love to have one of the Sage 0 weights paired with the Sage 0 weight line- that would be my dream set up.

 

[werewolf won]

Nice, nothing like a rod that just feels perfect. Wading in cool people free stream, with a flyrod in hand waiting for a fish to rise, nothing better. Enjoy your new rod.

Thank you! I couldn’t agree more. A rod that feels right makes all the difference. And the rod’s price tag is no indicator of how it will feel. I’ve got a very inexpensive TFO rod that is like waving a magic wand, and I’ve got a top dollar Orvis that is like wielding a broom stick, complete with the broom end. The reel you hang on the rod makes a he difference too, you should always try your reel on the rod before you plunk down a few hundred bucks on a rod.

Wolf

 

[rusty stove 1]

you ever fish a full sink for smallmouth bass up there- I have done it off Pelee Island in Lake Erie- talk about fun- 5 lb smallies till your arms hurt.

 

[Ironwood]

Hey there
I have just about the complete opposite Sage rod to you
I have an ultra light barely 6 feet long
My favorite rod for pond fishing
You think yours is light?
The ultra lights are like a wispy twig of willow
But boy are they fun to fish trout with

 

[solocanoe]

it sounds like you've really found your personal sweet spot, WW1 - congrats!

If you are really sure...get a backup...to a backup...to backup.... :4:

yeah...I learned that one the hard way too. I can't replace my favorite now...and I KNEW they were discontinued when I bought it! (shoulda bought extras - first time I used it I knew it was "special" for my tastes)

 

[redmech]

Yep never have mail ordered a rod, or purchased without casting it for a bit at least. I couldn't agree more about price doesn't mean how it will feel to that individual person. One of my favorite cheap casting rods is 6'6" St. Croix Avid 3 wt. I think they are still less than 200 bucks, absolute fun rod to fish and cast. Even some model lines, will have an awesome rod in the 9 ft version, but it is terrible in the next longer, shorter, or different line wt.

 

[werewolf won]

i too prefer short rod- for close quarters casting on the small stream I wade- have a Scott 2 pc 6 foot 3 weight- I would love to have one of the Sage 0 weights paired with the Sage 0 weight line- that would be my dream set up.

you ever fish a full sink for smallmouth bass up there- I have done it off Pelee Island in Lake Erie- talk about fun- 5 lb smallies till your arms hurt.

I have a Sage 00 weight; it is a nice rod indeed. I like it for flicking out tiny dry flies at trout and pan fish. Oddly I landed one of my largest freshwater fish on the rod when a Black Bass decided to snatch a size 22 Griffith gnat. The rods have a ton of backbone for their size and the fish came in pretty quickly. I only use mine for trout in spring and late fall when the water is cold; I’d hate to play a fish to death in warm water, and I’ve got other tools to extract fish from warmer water.


Most of my local waters have a good head of large mouth Black Bass, Small Mouth and big small mouth are not that common so I don’t get into them too often. They are awesome fish on the fly, I envy you for sure.

Wolf

 

[werewolf won]

it sounds like you've really found your personal sweet spot, WW1 - congrats!

If you are really sure...get a backup...to a backup...to backup.... :4:

yeah...I learned that one the hard way too. I can't replace my favorite now...and I KNEW they were discontinued when I bought it! (shoulda bought extras - first time I used it I knew it was "special" for my tastes)

I hear you. When the LL's went away I missed out, but found that I liked the SLT just as much, when they went away I grabbed a couple of my favorites as spares. Fool me once as they say.

Wolf

 

[werewolf won]

Hey there
I have just about the complete opposite Sage rod to you
I have an ultra light barely 6 feet long
My favorite rod for pond fishing
You think yours is light?
The ultra lights are like a wispy twig of willow
But boy are they fun to fish trout with

This rod I purchased for a very specific style of nymph fishing (Czech, French and Spanish methods). I imagine it will get a lot of service but my first loves are short rods too. While I got rods down to 5 feet in length, my all time favorite is a custom built (on Lee Wulff’s Scott blank) six foot three inch 6 weight. That rod has landed everything from salmon to sunfish, from under the rod tip to 90 feet away.

Wolf