A few things to consider.
The specialized czech/european nymphing rods are very specialized for this technique. The design of these rods would make them terrible for mid to long line nymphing with heavy flies and weight and I’m not sure they are perfect for their intended purposes either. The Sage 99 is designed differently for heavy flies. I have not fished these rods on the stream (keep this in mind before weighting my opinion too much) and I'm not sure my test casts mean anything. I base my opinion by comparing the rods I have in my quiver that I nymph with (I’m a 90%-er). Then combined with the description of the rods and my handling of the two SAGE versions (European, 99) under casting only conditions.
My Sage SLT (moderate-fast) has the property of bending down into the rod, which is great for throwing those open loops with fairly normal, easy casting strokes. However, the tip is much too supple (soft) for driving flies or specialized casts and "walking" nymphs through a run with a good amount of weight. Oddly these European style rods boast a supple/sensitive tip, and for me this might be great for seeing the ticks of the rod tip from the subtle takes, this makes it worse for directing your flies through runs, rocks etc. (IMO)
Now, The Z-axis or St Croix legend Ultra rods I nymph with are fast. They have the tip qualities I desire, but they are fast. Casting open loops requires significant adjustments on the casting stroke, leading to a less desirable fishing experience (fatigue, ruining my stroke, among other things). I thought about which ones I take more often to the stream. It’s the fast ones unless I’ve fishing low water and heavy weight isn’t needed.
So, for me the Czech style would be a disaster and the Sage 99 perfect. I don’t have a 99 because I only buy a premium rod if I can fish with it before buying. Casting these nymphing rods in a pond or grassy area at a shop is useless to me. Most shops (I don’t blame them) frown upon people test casting their new rods with shot and beadhead flies. One bad cast and the blank is nicked/scratched.
There may be other moderate –fast rods out there that are long and have a stouter tip. I would be interested in checking these out for myself if anyone knows of such a rod. I bet there are ones that fit the bill. I looked at the Greys stream flex, but it seemed like the tip would be too soft for my fishing style.
