Sage

X Fly Rod - 4-Piece

To the untrained eye there is little difference between a size 12 Adams and size 18 cripple dun—and yet, one pattern will lure the most selective wild trout into carefully slurping it from the surface film, while the other is typically reserved for hatchery-bred planters that are just as likely to strike a bobber drifting through their feeding lane. The same logic applies to anglers and fly rods. Like mass-produced flies and bobber flingers, fast action fly rods are about a dime a dozen these days. With more and more companies producing rods that place the power of the rod towards the tip of the blank, Sage's response to the industry is a true fast-action rod that allows the caster to access the mid and butt sections of the blank, putting more power towards the handle for a deeper-loading feel than could be found on any of Sage's previous flagship rods.

While Sage has always been at the forefront of the fast-action revolution—as was evident with the now-iconic One and Z-Axis—it has never been willing to sacrifice quality, detail, or production practices in its pursuit to create a lighter, faster, and more responsive fly rod. When the One replaced the cannon-like Z-Axis in 2012, its impressively lightweight design and blisteringly fast action made it the go-to choice for anglers looking for a rod that was light in the hand but still packed a punch when casting into a headwind during a green drake hatch or presenting foam-bodied hoppers on a blustery summer day. Part of what made the feel of the One so versatile and fast was its powerful tip—a feel the X Fly Rod improves on by efficiently dispersing energy through the blank with its KonneticHD technology.

KonneticHD is similar to the original Konnetic technology, but its refined graphite-to-resin ratio better amplifies the strength-to-weight ratio of the blank and increases the overall stiffness of the rod while reducing lateral and medial wobbling as the rod is loaded. If you're the type of person that isn't concerned as much with how the sausage is made as you are with how it tastes, then suffice it to say that all this technology translates to a rod that recovers quickly, has a crisp tip stop, and delivers tight loops with almost every cast (caster pending, of course).

Sage is dedicated to perfecting the performance of its rods through designs that push the envelope in terms of low weight, power, line speed, and aesthetics that easily go unnoticed by the beginner angler. Unlike most rods on the market today, the X Fly Rod is loaded with the kind of details that you can't help but admire as you rig your rod on the riverbank. Its sleek black spruce blank is accented with dark green thread wraps and silver trim wraps that will catch the eye of any angler that can appreciate the difference between a hand-tied fly and factory-made monstrosity. Fuji ceramic stripper guides and hard-chromed snake guides enjoy similarly high marks, as they allow line to pass through the rod as efficiently as possible.

Moving towards the butt section of the rod, the X is completed with either a snub nose half-wells handle in lighter weight rods or a full-wells handle with fighting butt on six-, seven-, and eight-weight rods. Heavier weights come with a black anodized up-locking reel seat for a more balanced feel when paired with a heavier reel, while lighter weight rods feature a vera wood insert for a more organic look and feel. All rods come with a protective case that is finished with a titanium logo and black spruce model tag, so you won't feel like you're doing this American-made rod a disservice by storing it in its rod tube.