If You Were Me.. What Would You Do?

[birchy]

I currently have two Ti Series TFO rods.. an 8', 3 weight, 2 piece, and a 8'6", 6 weight, 2 piece.

 

I want to replace them with 4 pieces..

 

Thinking of replacing the 3 weight with a Finesse 8'9".. or the 6 weight with a 9' Axiom.

 

 

OR.. (I just thought of this while I was typing) I suppose I could get an 8 or 9 weight if I ever decide to go for pike or steelhead or something bigger.. salmon maybe.

 

What would you do?

[bigbrown]

buy a sage, you'll thank yourself

[Tako]

8'9'' is waaaaaaaaaaaay too long for a 3wt. Look for a 7' or 7'6''

[birchy]

buy a sage, you'll thank yourself

 

At this point in my life.. I honestly don't think I'll ever buy a Sage.

 

Kind of relates back to my childhood years riding dirt bikes back home in Cape Breton. A good number of people that rode dirt bikes called them "Honda's". It didn't matter if it was a Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM.. whatever.. it was "a honda". I had a 1991 KX 80 for sale one time and got a phone call from a kid.. "yeah, i'm calling about the Honda you have for sale". I'm like "I don't have a Honda for sale, I have a Kawasaki KX 80 for sale." He says "yeah same thing.. so how much do you want for the Honda?" I hung up. Drove me insane.. and because of that.. I never even entertained the thought of buying a Honda.

 

Similar thing.. I PERSONALLY dislike Sage because so many people think they're the "be all and end all" of fly rods. I don't like the idea of paying $700 for a $300 rod. $300 for the rod, and $400 to pay for their marketing. (probably a bit of an exaggeration there.. but a good portion of that cost is for marketing) But that's just me. For those of you who have Sage rods and love them.. all the power to ya.

 

But me.. I'm a TFO guy. And if I ever decide to get a high end, overpriced rod, it will most likely be an Orvis.

 

Call me crazy.

 

 

Tako.. "waaaaay" too long? Why do you say that? I personally like the length for when I'm high sticking.. but is their a 'technical' reason why I should go shorter? Not challenging you.. I'm just curious why you say that. I really don't know.. The 3 weight Finesse does come in a 7'9".

[H2O]

Kind of relates back to my childhood years riding dirt bikes back home in Cape Breton. A good number of people that rode dirt bikes called them "Honda's". It didn't matter if it was a Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM.. whatever.. it was "a honda".

 

I'm from Cape Breton and I've never heard of that? Are you from Meat Cove?

[bigbrown]

Until you've ridden a ferrari, you can keep saying the volkswagens are equal..

 

 

Have you ever cast a Z-axis, and honestly compared it to a Ti, right next to each other, on the stream (not on a pond or on grass)...I've cast every rod that sage currently offers, and every rod that TFO offers at the same time and place using the same reel and fly line..the sage FLi is better then any TFO i've ever cast, and it's cheaper then an axiom..

 

it's not even the same ballpark, hell, the sage isn't even playing the same game. Take a look at all the TFO "9 foots" next time you're at a shop. you'll notice that they're not all the same height, and the guides aren't even placed identically, some you'll notice that the graphite is thicker on one side then the other. So much for quality control and workmanship.

 

 

my 2 cents, you get what you pay for, give a FLi or a VT2 a shot before you go running back to TFO. I don't make any money saying this, it's an honest opinion formulated after testing it out for myself

[birchy]

I'm from Cape Breton and I've never heard of that? Are you from Meat Cove?

 

Oh Snap!

[rusty]

Honestly, if you're going to spend the money go with a Sage.

 

People go on and on about them being "be all and end all" rods because they are. Don't take my word for it - go cast one and see for yourself.

 

Plus, there is absolutely no need whatsoever to spend $700 on one.

 

You want to replace that #6? My absolute favorite Sage is a 690 RPL+, which you can pick up on Ebay for $400ish. It's available in a 690-4 model as well.

 

If you like a noodly #3, the VPSL is a great little rod. You could also find an old LL or treat yourself to an SP. If you like a faster, get an XP. Sage discontinues rods so often that it's easy to find very well priced old models on the used market - many times with a warranty card.

[Nick0Danger]

So many rod options that are high end from Loop, Thomas and Thomas Scott hardy, it all depends on what you like.

[jksnijders]

4 piece is definitely the way to go, no matter what the make....

[darrinhurst]

What would I do? I'd go with my gut and what I like. If you have a particular aversion to Hondas.....er....I mean Sage, then go with what you like. I have a TFO as my first rod and I love it. What I like most is that I was able to get the same warranty as the Cadillac of Fly Rods, for a fraction of the price. Hell, I'm contemplating getting a second so that I have a spare rod to bring for my freinds who don't fly fish.

 

But, I'd hire a good lawyer first as my wife would leave me if I spent another $700 on fishing gear.......

[Teck71]

personally I would take a saturday and drive around calgary trying every rod available then on sunday make my picks.

 

based on what siuted me best.

 

Teck

[mickberry]

These two links might help you out. They do extensive review on 5 weights and 8 weight rod companys, basically the same thing going on in this thread----with authority.

 

http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/8.weight....ni.shootout.asp

 

http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/FlyRodCom...nrodtesting.asp

 

There are several good companies out there. TFO has one of the best warranties in the biz so does Loomis...

but needless to say, some of my favorite sticks have been Sage... Buying a rod is a lifetime investment. Most of us have many years of fishing left in us to justify paying premium for a rod. I would agree to trying some demo's... then you gain greater perspective and can laugh when you hear everyone's pitch about there favorite rod.

[reevesr1]

Birchy,

If you are willing to buy on eBay, then you can probably get whatever rod you want (within reason) in your price range.

 

I only have 4 pcs. I do have a Finesse 3 wt, 7'6" (or maybe 7'9"?) and really like it. If I want to high stick, I bring the 9 ft 5 wt.

 

I too have an aversion to really high end stuff. Probably unreasonable, and an artifact of my working class parents, but so be it. I'll never own a Sage. I'll probably never own a Lexus either though both are quality companies who build quality products. Just not for me.

[maxwell]

sck with the 3 and the 6wt dude its the feeshin rods u will need too target the feesh u fish most often.. if u find that u may be going steelie fishing salmon fishing or down south in the flats go pick up something down the road when taht trip comes...... tfo works if its what u want IMHO but sages are nice g-loomis makes great stuff too i love loop and there are half dozen other companies that make sick sticks too!

[chiasson]

Sydney River representing!

[Guest Dennis59]

I have the Sage VT2 9ft 3 and love it. $450. also give the new Reddingtons a try. Nice rod for about $350. Thats going to be my next Rod in 7or8 wt.

 

 

Tight Line Always

DennisS

[cdock]

To each his own but I think you should buy my rods so I can get some new ones.

[cdock]

personally I would take a saturday and drive around calgary trying every rod available then on sunday make my picks.

 

based on what siuted me best.

 

Teck

 

This likes good advice Birchy. Nothing like spending the day in a fly fishing store. I'll bring the VISA, Line of Credit, Equity Loan, Mastercard, American Express...heck I'll just rob a bank! LOL! In all seriousness though it's a good suggestion. Any excuse to try new stuff.

[cdock]

:Hi jack:

 

OK FNG, do you and Birchy know each other? Both with new borns AND Oiler fans? I'm sure the new borns will be raised to be 2 more Oiler fans. YIKES! LOL!

[Tako]

No more hockey talk on the fishing forum.

 

It depends on what you're using a 3wt for. They aren't designed to fling lots of line, they are designed to shoot with a delicate presentation, at short distances. If you're high-sticking, you've still got plenty of height to do so. I use my 3wt only for small creeks, which would be absolutely horrendous if it were longer than 8'0'' I even have troubles with it at 7'6'' sometimes. Also, the longer it is, the harder it is to make accurate slingshot casts. Again, depends on what you're using it for.

In regards to TFO, my buddy broke two in the span of 32 hours, trying to pull a snagged fly out of a bush. My Sage Launch 3wt was able to tear that bush out by the roots (no shittin ya) while he stood there and cried. They may have a great warranty (so does Sage), but I'm willing to bet you'd absolutely love an 8'0'' 4pc Launch for not much more than a TFO.

 

TFOs are beginner rods. Once you can cast, you need to do yourself a favour and move up to the big leagues.

[darrinhurst]

:Hi jack:

 

OK FNG, do you and Birchy know each other? Both with new borns AND Oiler fans? I'm sure the new borns will be raised to be 2 more Oiler fans. YIKES! LOL!

lol

 

No, I don't know Birchy, but I saw his pic with his kid and thought that I would change mine.

 

My son is just over two years old, so not quite a new born and I am sure my wife will do everything in her power to make sure that he, nor my daughter, are Oiler fans. lol

[snakeman]

Nice sweater FNG!

[darrinhurst]

lol

 

Thanks. nice to know I'm not the only one living in the middle of enemy territory.

[DutchDryfly]

It depends on what you're using a 3wt for. They aren't designed to fling lots of line, they are designed to shoot with a delicate presentation, at short distances. If you're high-sticking, you've still got plenty of height to do so. I use my 3wt only for small creeks, which would be absolutely horrendous if it were longer than 8'0'' I even have troubles with it at 7'6'' sometimes. Also, the longer it is, the harder it is to make accurate slingshot casts. Again, depends on what you're using it for.

In regards to TFO, my buddy broke two in the span of 32 hours, trying to pull a snagged fly out of a bush. My Sage Launch 3wt was able to tear that bush out by the roots (no shittin ya) while he stood there and cried. They may have a great warranty (so does Sage), but I'm willing to bet you'd absolutely love an 8'0'' 4pc Launch for not much more than a TFO.

 

TFOs are beginner rods. Once you can cast, you need to do yourself a favour and move up to the big leagues.

 

Tako,

 

This is by far the biggest BS I have ever read.

 

For nymphing the best rod is the longest rod. Go ask anyone who has competed in a championship and you will see rods up to 12 feet are used, even on small creeks.

Braking a rod is not that difficult, if you pull in the wrong manner every rod will brake including Sage, T&T and all other so called big league brands.

So next time your fly is stuck, give the rod to your buddy and see how quickly he can brake a Sage.

Rods do not catch fish, the flyfisher is. I have never seen a fish check out the label on my rod before hitting my fly.

 

Birchy

 

If you want a rod for dry flies, you will love the delicate presentation of the Finesse. As for distance, it will deliver the fly easily over 60 feet, if you want and are able to cast in a decent way. But I would not suggest to use it for high-sticking as the action of the rod is not designed for casting heavy nymphs.

The best advice is already given, go check out as many rods as you can and do not look at brands but go with the feel.