Sage xp rods

[Tigereye]

Over on the swap forum there is quite a discussion on Sage XP rods.

They are well accepted and have a somewhat cult status in some circles. The rods are great to fish with unquestionably.

My question is: was this a precursor/ prototype to the ESN? Wit the soft tip, ballsy butt setction and fast action, i think the lighter weight ones would make a decent czech or euronymp rod save for the relatively short lengths.

 

[afishinado]

Over on the swap forum there is quite a discussion on Sage XP rods.

They are well accepted and have a somewhat cult status in some circles. The rods are great to fish with unquestionably.

My question is: was this a precursor/ prototype to the ESN? Wit the soft tip, ballsy butt setction and fast action, i think the lighter weight ones would make a decent czech or euronymp rod save for the relatively short lengths.

The XP's were introduced by Sage in 1999, well before Euro nymphing was even a thing. I have a XP 590 that was purchased in 2004. Great rod for big water trout fishing like out-west or the D River or Lehigh.

 

[CRB]

The XP's were introduced by Sage in 1999, well before Euro nymphing was even a thing. I have a XP 590 that was purchased in 2004. Great rod for big water trout fishing like out-west or the D River or Lehigh.

I love mine!

 

[Tigereye]

I have the 390 and 590. Both in 9 ft. They fish the lehigh very well. The action reminds me a bit of the Euro rods thus my question above.

 

[krayfish2]

I think they have always been called ESN. They had them originally, revamped the design and then rereleased under the same badge.... but I might be wrong. Let me do some checking

Got it......2010-2012 99Nymph. they were 9'9" rods, hence the 99 name

 

[krayfish2]

I will ask this question though:

Loomis made the GLX which has a cult like following. Sage made the XP,. SP, Z-axis and Method which also have a cult like following. You know that they still have the scrims. I understand that they want to pimp the latest technology but why can't they still select a few models and have a 'heritage' category and release a 12 to 18 month run on specific models? I would buy a new GLX, XP or method. I know many others would too

 

[dano]

I got my XP 590 the year they came out. If I remember correctly, I paid $325 with my discount.
I stepped on it a few years ago and Sage spun me out a brand new rod. A sage rep offered me $400 for it. I ended up selling it to an acquaintance of mine for $450. I probably caught mere fish with that XP than all my other rods combined.

 

[Drifly]

Don’t forget the SP+, a spectacular all around rod.

 

[turkey]

Sage Rod Chart Old to New

I was having a hard time deciphering all the model names old and new in the sage lineup. I found an article that gave a history of sage and I have done my best to make a timeline of the rods from sage over the years. I am not an expert by any stretch and there are undoubtedly errors in this...

www.theflyfishingforum.com

Old info but something to chew on.

I always thought the XP was a faster version of the SP. I've tried and like the SP, SPL, ZXL, LL, Z Axis, etc.

Andy, those 99's were pretty cool rods. They disappeared quickly.

 

[MJMFlyfisher]

Don’t forget the SP+, a spectacular all around rod.

Funny I'm a BIG SP fan myself.....and did not like the SP+ at all.
I had a 9' 5wt SP and an SP+ at the same time and the SP+ felt like a tomato stake to me.
Heavyish swing weight and you had to swing it like a baseball bat to get it to load. It was freakishly stiff end to end and would have fished better with a 6wt line.
I was guiding on the Delaware Main Stem at the time where distance is sometimes necessary and I would almost say I hated it LOL.
A 9' 5 or 6wt regular SP?......Effortless.
I still own and fish 3 different regular SPs. One each in 4,5,6 WT.
There's just something about that medium fast progressive action on those rods that fit me to a T.
Loads quick and you can feel it working into the butt section when you need to muscle it, and you just can't make it fold.

One of their real sleeper lines is the SLT.
My best fishing buddy has the 590 SLT and he calls it the "perfect" 5wt dry fly rod.

 

[tie1fly]

How does an XP compare to a modern Sage X? Say in a 9’ 5 weight.

 

[afishinado]

I always thought the XP was a faster version of the SP. I've tried and like the SP, SPL, ZXL, LL, Z Axis, etc.

Andy, those 99's were pretty cool rods. They disappeared quickly.

True that ^. I have both rods. The XP is a fast rod.....but just fast enough..... but like one of the three bears found: "just right" (for medium to longer casts). Like I posted previously, a great big river rod.

The SP came before the XP and is a more moderate-action rod. Great for the medium-sized trout streams we have in PA.

 

[dano]

How does an XP compare to a modern Sage X? Say in a 9’ 5 weight.

I think the X is closer in flex and feel to the Z-Axis which was another great trout rod.
Both were finer tipped than their immediate predecessor.