Sg,

I was totally kidding you, but you are smart enough to know that without my stating it, especially if you saw the "grin" icon after the "beat head" icon. If anything, I respect you more (if that were possible) for trying a new technique rather than just bashing it.

My experience with fly rods, bobbers, and split shot is if I want to fish that way, I'd rather just use a spinning rod and float, a la Dave Vedder.

Back to the Sage One topic, I know a very prominent, experienced fly shop owner on the eastside (who has access to any rod he wants) replace all his Sage Z-Axis rods with Sage One models as he indeed thinks they are The ONE (at least for now).

. . . and ruffled feathers are never not fun . . .

You ain't the only guy here with a sense of humor Stam. I'm sure I have a few other lines like that in my inventory for when I want to check and see if anyone's listening. Thanks for being a good sport. Now that you know what to do with that thunderstick you found, wanna' do a repeat float of that upper river we did a couple years or so ago later this winter? Only make sure your waders aren't leaking first.

Sg

Wear any waders for a while and you'll come to the same conclusion. Waders wear out. Sooner for some.

OK, looks like I'm outa' jokes before you are, but I'll try to think of another. Can't let such a good thread die.

Two guys asked me "what are you using?" and "can I have one?" up in BC...both were swinging speys unsuccessfully, and both put spoons on their spey rods after the handoff.

I find that the prettiest casters often have that to look back on at the end of the day..."did you see that cast?"...while some of the ugliest casters know where the fish lie, and shovel it in there...and get to have memories of fish hooked, instead of casts made, at the end of the day.

Flyfishing is just fishing...steelhead are just as stupid when you have a flyrod in your hand as when you have a spoon rod in your hand, and they are sitting in the same spots, and will hit the first well-presented offering, even if it's made of feathers instead of brass.

Fish on...

Todd

There it is. I think many of us give steelhead way too much credit in terms of their wariness and/or intelligence. I've been guilty of that more than I'd like to admit. Once we figure out where they are and how to put something (next to anything) in front of them, they don't seem so smart anymore. Of course, this doesn't take anything away from their general awesomeness.

I recently discussed with a guide/friend that steelhead are actually great biters by comparison. For a frame of reference, consider fishing on a blue ribbon trout stream that holds tens of thousands of trout per river mile. Most of us would agree that even there, a 20 fish day is a great day of fishing. Now consider that even the most productive PNW streams get only a few thousand steelhead back each year, with probably no more than a couple hundred in a given mile of river at a given time, yet most of us who've been at this for any real length of time have had at least one double-digit day on steelhead. Great biters in my estimation. Of course, this is not to suggest that I always catch them....

OH... and I would like to own a Sage One, but I don't need it right now.

Wow, I agree with Todd, except my casts aren't ugly and you get extra credit for sticking with a single hand, which is still called a fly rod, not a Spey rod

If its your job to do it you better be ok at it I figure

Has anyone here cast a TCX and how do they compare to the old TCR?

OP,
I've cast both. I like the TCX better then the TCR, but I'm not a real fan of any super fast action rods. My buddy ended up selling the TCR I fished for a few days. People either loved the old TCR's or hated them. One past shop owner I know liked to refer to the TCR as the "Totally Crappy Rod".

Brian,
my 10" 7wt (T)rout (C)atching (R)od was a sweet stick
first 30" bow came on that rod, I liked it for hucking big 5inch flesh flys under indicators in AK.
Ive heard kinda the same thing its either love hate, but Im curious, what'd you like better bout the TCX?

Justin,
The TCX just seemed to have more feel to it. The TCR I cast was so stiff it just felt dead to me. I really like medium to medium fast rods, so I'm probably not the best source to compare the two. I just liked the feel of the TCX better.

You said your TCR was a sweet stick. Did you break it and are thinking about upgrading to the TCX?

I have several nitches to fill and there are only a few rods that are safe from something needed in the house/gf's engaement ring/anything that comes up:
Winni BIImx 12'3" two hander
Winni BIImx 7-9'6" (Client rods/bad ass sticks)
Sage RPLxi 8-9'6" My winter bead stick

In the market for a really fast 6wt for beach fishing and was thinking a TCX might just make a sweet cuttie rod

I'm not a student of the Sage alphabet, so don't know most of these rods. I have a slightly older Sage RPL 8100-2 that I regarded as stiffer than a fireplace poker. I finally used it for the better part of a day a couple weeks ago and so only now noticed that the grip is turned to a larger diameter than I'm used to. Gave my casting hand a bit of a cramp. I'm told it has strong nymphing potential, but then again so does the 11 1/2' mini-Spey, so I'm not sure if I should try and jerry-rig it to my ad hoc rod grip turner and thin it down a bit or just sell it. I'll mull it over a bit.

Sg

i have 2 Sage GFL 7100 RP Graphite II's, one 10' the other 9', and they arent stiff at all... i believe these were one of the first rods Sage built starting in 81... im just not doing something right, i can roll cast them fine, but start swinging, and i start messing up... compared to the Lamis and Cortlands, Sage is by far the better fly rod in the inventory... just wish i could cast it better...

Spend the money on a casting lesson or two with a FFF certified casting instructor. There are some really good instructors locally. It will be the some of the best money you'll ever spend on flyfishing.

It's hard to believe...but Sage has come out with a new line of rods that is better than the "One"...and no, they didn't call it a "Zero"

I wonder what next year's "best ever" will be?

LOL!

http://www.tridentflyfishing.com/blog/sage-method-8-weight-fly-rod-review

http://www.sageflyfish.com/fly-rods/all-water/method/

The best part is that it is bright red...that way anglers driving by will be able to see how cool you are without even having to get out of their rigs, and you'll be able to impress them with your rod buying abilities without having to nonchalantly lean it against the side of their truck (with the label facing them, of course!) while sipping Laphroig from your flask.

Fish on...

Todd

Speaking of red... Redington's new Vapen rods, fishing meets golf.

http://www.flyfisherman.com/files/2013/07/06aa5e6b-6997-4172-80f7-416f23288d51.jpg

Goodbye Sage One....
Hello Sage X
http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/sage-introduces-x/7713543

Is the X worthy of multiple pages?
SF

I forgot how awesome this thread was!

And...is!

Fish on...

Todd

It's only money.

Finally got around to reading the whole thread. Two Padron 1964 Aniversario Monarca Maduro Lonsdale Grande stained thumbs up!

Sage? Pfft. You fookin' discount single barrel PNW heathens. I wasn't aware Walmart had an Ascot section.

Scott. A true gentlemen's rod.