Sage Closing out the ONE

S

Sylvaneous

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Sep 11, 2006
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I see in a few sites that Sage is closing out their One rod series. So, what a few years ago was the One rod that allowed you to catch fish otherwise uncatchable now will be insufferable trash: a tragic mistake. No, NOW we have an even MORE expensive rod that will make up for casting errors and force fish to eat your fly. Maybe they should call it the Sage NOW. B'funny if they did! It's not a bad name for a churned item.

Maybe Sage got fed-up with finishing so low on George Anderson's 5-wt shoot-out. Possible. Maybe Sage will make a $500 fly rod that isn't a club. Doubtful. Maybe they'll make a rod as good, relatively, as they did 15 years ago.

You have to do a lot of 'dancing' to keep share in a stagnant market and when you core consumers have less disposable $ than they did 10 years ago.


Syl
 
Supposedly replacement model will be called the "X". If the information I received is true it will be the same rod with a softer tip, which might be exactly what it needs.

The ONE is bizarre. It's light and accurate as a laser pointer, but it's soulless, and it can be very unforgiving. However, it's the best rod I've ever fished in terms of feeling the bottom. I swear to God you can hear your nymphs tick against rocks with it.

Regardless of the current status of it, it will be legendary for better or worse, for performance and for hype.
 
I also think the Radian took a massive dump on it.
 
Speaking of the Radian. Anyone have one and what do you think of it?
 
I have the 864. Love it, truly is fast meets feel. For a fast rod it's very fun, from streamers through dries. Speaking of dries, this past month in the same week I used it on my local with size 22 bwos and on the beaverkill with size 10 March browns (granted when the wind picked up I was a little outgunned). When I used it on the beaverkill it was because I sliced my 5 line and couldn't risk losing my position going into town, so luckily I had the radian in my car.

One major reason why I love it is how it mends. I find it to be the best small stream nymphing rod I've used so far. Has the nuts to cast a size 12 tungsten bead with an indicator and the tip is capable of being soft enough for feel and setting and stiff enough for me to mend it across currents or whatever.

I'm definitely keeping an eye out for a 905 or a 1004 used or when they discontinue it.

I also have a 966 that I use for streamers and nymphing on the neversink. The neversink gorge is extremely underrated, mostly because it's extremely hard to get around or cross. You also have to hike a mile or two into it depending what rout you take. That said you can really only bring one rod to do everything because doubling back is a pain in the #censor#. I like to work my way down it with streamers and then back up with nymphs. Where the rod really becomes something special is when you run into rising fish and it gets the job done despite how health you it is.
 
DavidFin wrote:
I also think the Radian took a massive dump on it.
Click to expand...

That and it took a dump on itself. I love ultra fast, light weight rods. I hated the ONE. I cast it next to the Orvis H2 on a couple occasions and it just didn't measure up at all. Not to the H2 and not to the hype.

Sage rods used to have "IT" whatever "IT" is. Now they don't. The rods haven't impressed me much since they changed away from the old XYZ model names.

Man, I'd kill for a mint 9' 5wt or 4wt SLT now.
 
I have two Sage SLT's, a 905-5 and a 864-4 and plan on keeping them forever!
 
Yea, I have a 763 ZXL that's pretty special. I think the problem with Sage is that they embraced the faster side of rods in a time where fast rods are kind of trendy. They basically went too far to one extreme. That and the fact that they have too many models to offer their cheapest at $400.
 
Fritz,
I have a Scott Radian. 10' 4wt. Not used really for euro nymphing but really is a great all around rod. Can launch 50' casts to risers on the delaware as well as toss 3 nymph rigs like nothing. Overall a great rod. I got it cheap for 450$.
 
So basically they are going back to a Z-Axis.
 
It's strange how other manufacturers have been able to built fast action, good casting rods with some assemblance of feel. Sage R&D must take every rod that tests well, replace the tip with rebar and then send it to production. Just change the entire line up to blanks based on the TCX and file for bankruptcy in 12 months.

The ol GFL, LL, SP, SLT, RP and the best selling rod ever....z-axis. They need to look at their past when their line up was revered. Now they turn out soulless sticks. Stop making new models every year so that you can hold market share and only roll out new models when the rod is actually better than existing models. Just my 0.02

Kevin, look for z-axis II to come out soon. It will be nothing like the previous model though. It will be made of space age polymers and generation 15 graphite. The flex will change based on a complicated formula on tip speed / grip speed. I'm getting one.....or going onto eBay and buying a used RPL. Lol
 
WildTigerTrout wrote:
I have two Sage SLT's, a 905-5 and a 864-4 and plan on keeping them forever!
Click to expand...

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I mean I'm not CRAZY, right? I have the SLT 8,6 5 wt. It is a supremely nice dry fly rod. I don't know if I cast a 9 ft SLT. i was in the mood for 8 ft 6's then.

A poster above said that Sage was "it" once. They were when I was getting into the sport. I remember Mike from Oil Creek outfitters having me cast an RPL circa 1988. It left an impression on me. I have 2 sages....no 3. I'm not in the market for any more rods. But, like a car fan, one just hates seeing bad versions of Mustangs or Corvettes or other cars. You wonder, "What are they thinking?".

The jig is up on rod design. People have noted how little difference there is between their 5 or 8 year old rods and new ones. Like hockey players say, "Everyone is trying to do the same thing". Its true. 9 ft. 5 wt to cast 20 to 70 ft. using a graphite composite rod. Cork grips. uplocking reel seat. They're all the same. Scott, Sage, Orivs, St Croix, Loomis are just the American makers. How many did Geroge Anderson have in his shootout? 20? So makers have to get some angle to 'move sticks'. You'd almost have to make some that are not ideal just to fill a niche or catch interest. Individually, most all are very good. But comparatively, when you can pick up quirks and nuances, some lag behind.

Lines have plateaued with the market insisting on not paying $100 for one. ($75 is plenty too much). Reel changes have been marginal. (super light reels make your rod feel tip-heavy) Waders are all basically chasing Simms or not and saying "ours are good enough". But rods, for $800 (and it doesn't go BANG!) are surprisingly and disappointingly all over the place.

I've bitched too much about this. At least if you throw $$$ at whatever new rod line comes out, it's not going to China.

Syl out.
 
Kevin, look for z-axis II to come out soon. It will be nothing like the previous model though. It will be made of space age polymers and generation 15 graphite. The flex will change based on a complicated formula on tip speed / grip speed. I'm getting one.....or going onto eBay and buying a used RPL. Lol
Click to expand...

Remember that they brought out the RPL again as the VPS or something. I got a 2 pc 9 ft 6 wt My go-to steelhead rod. Great rod. Wern't no $800 rod. One reason why it's good.

The cost is a WAY significant factor. Money changes everything.

It's almost as if they should have a high$$ line for people who change out rods with each new model, then a line underneath that for people who are looking for something to use to fish with for 15 or 20 years. Here are some for people who get their bunions buffed. Here's a line for people who work for a living and fly fish a lot.
 
Think about this........ Sage LL was around $300 in late 80's / early 90's. You could sell a used one in decent condition today for $250 - $300. You buy a Sage One for $700 and you'd do well to return 50& on it a year later. In the last 10 years, they turned out very few desirable freshwater rods. I hope they listen to the consumer moving forward and go back to making rods like they did in the 80's & 90's.

I let Fishwagen cast my old RPL+ from 94 as well as 4 other models. He remarked that the rod felt really firm. I changed lines and he remarked how it was night and day in terms of feel.
 
Maybe they could call their new model "The #2".

I think the RPL/VPS rods would be a great place to start if they are looking at developing an all around rod but I am just a fisherman and not in marketing and sales at Sage.

Maybe there is just no market for a do everything rod at the price that Sage needs to target.

Shock
 
X Press Release: http://midcurrent.com/2016/06/18/sages-new-x-fly-rod-family-commands-the-water/

 
Just made the rounds reading about it. Sounds like a faster One with more flex. The 4 and 3 wts (for trout) could be interesting, but I think this Era of fly rods will be eventually be challenged when evaluating the question, is faster better?

I fish to escape the rat race, but it's starting to feel like modern rods are reflecting most things I hate about my day to day. Faster, pricier, logo driven. Sounds kind of dumb or misplaced, but it would have been cool to see a more hand made touch on these rods, a la winston and scott. I'm not opposed to spending south of a grand on a rod if I'm going to use it as often as I fish, but I'm even more inclined to do so when it doubles as a piece of art, as a craft.

So far this rod appears to be exactly what I thought it would be: "Brave New World" effective yet sterile.
 
It seems like the aesthetics are trying to mimic a Radian.
 
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