Sage Vantage

[Paulson]

I have been debating upgrading rods for a while now, and my shop happens to have the Sage Vantage and Flight on sale. I always kind of had my eye on a Winston GVX as an upgrade, looks like a great rod but in a higher price range. The Vantage seems to be a good rod for what I'm looking for (9' 4wt or 5wt, fast medium action). Has anyone ever casted a Vantage or Flight? How did you like it? Im using a St. Croix Imperial now, and looking for a slower action from that.

Thanks

Paul

 

[Swattie87]

Don’t own one, but I’ve casted the Vantage. IIRC it was the 8’0 4wt. It was a nice rod, probably better than most in its price range…legit med/fast I’d say. I've also casted the St. Croix Imperial...which is a REALLY fast action rod...the Vantage is definitely slower than that.

I casted a ton of rods when I was looking for a mid-length (8’0), med/fast, 4 or 5 weight. The Vantage ended up probably being my second choice…it eventually lost out to the Redington Pursuit which seemed to have a smoother, more consistent feel when loading, and cost about $100 less. They were similar in both feel and quality though. FWIW.

 

[jdaddy]

Are there any GVX clearances out there? They just replaced the GVX with a few minor tweaks, so my guess is there should be some good discounts on the original GVX.

 

[Paulson]

Thanks, Ive been reading reviews all over and it seems about perfect for what I'm looking for price range and performance wise. No one has said it is a horrible rod, but a few gripes from the pros I can live with, which seemed more passive aggressive than anything.

I'll cast them both (Flight and Vantage) to see, I'm also thinking about a TFO BVK. With the imperial I feel like my progress is slower than it should be, I don't like the way it loads and I cant feel it out to well. It could be just me but it feels like there is a dead spot that I am trying to guess on the back cast. Kind of like I have to force it too much. Either way, even though the Vantage is considered a "beginner" rod from Sage, it seems to be miles apart from any beginner rod I've casted.

And I will see if they have any of the GVX on clearance yet, I heard they discontinued them.

 

[NickR]

I own a Vantage and I think it is a great rod. I have the 9 foot 6 weight and have not had any real issues with the rod other than the cork handle being of low quality. I recently sent it in for repair. I think for the price you can't beat it. PM Krayfish... he knows where to get one about 75-100 cheaper than most places, I think.

 

[thetonyage]

I own and use a 9' 4wt vantage as one of my main rods. It was the first "serious" fly rod i purchased and i dont regret anything about it. Id say Medium Fast is a good description and it balances perfectly with my Galvan OB-2.