sage or st croix??

[mikefromnewjersey]

I am looking for a new fly outfit. Preferbly a 5 wt. 9ft used for nymphing. (i find this harder with my 7"6 4 wt. I was looking into the sage launch and the st croix avid. Do you guys have any experience with these rods? Also any other recommendations for rods around this price range would be appreiciated. I am also looking into getting a new reel, possibly an orvis batenkill.

 

[MKern]

I fish an avid and love it. St. croix is a brand that I trust and have 3 avids. Best bang for the buck for rods as i'm concerned.

 

[onemorecast]

My first and still primary rod is a Sage Launch series 9 ft 5 wt. It is a very nice rod. Was easy to learn on and great to fish with. I've heard really good things about the Avid, too.

 

[sandfly]

Any good rod with a mid flex to tip flex would be good for nymphing, especially if you chuck any kind of weight...They work well for high sticking also...I have casted just about everything out there and for the average caster, there isn't much differance between companys any more..They all produce decent rods..

 

[buckbarrett]

St. Croix for the price. And I believe they are both American made.

 

[ryanh]

To me this is a no brainer. Go with the cheapest. You don't need anything fancy to throw nymphs.

Having said that my steelhead rod is a sage and my dry fly rod is a st croix. Go figgure.

 

[jaybo41]

I have a Sage Launch 9ft 5 and absolutely LOVE it. The Sage is cheaper, but not by much. My advice to you is if you're able to do so, cast both of them and see which you like more. One of them might feel better, for that matter, neither may feel right to you. Go to a good fly shop and give a few rods a cast. Set a limit on what you want to spend and pick the one that feels best in your hands and meets any other criteria you seek. Both are made in the US and I believe both carry a warranty. Due to some problems I had with St. Croix and ****'s, I will not be buying another St. Croix, but that's just me.

I don't care how much the Launch is, it just feels right in my hands, hands down the best rod I've owned. I have only been at this for about 10 years now though. It's all about what feels right to YOU though.

 

[flyfishermanj]

St. Croix gets my vote. I have the avid in a 3wt and 5wt, these are the rods I use the most. Fly rods are like beer, everyone prefers one over another!! :-D int: int: I prefer one after another! :lol:

JH