Preferred Fly Rod Brand

[smallstreams.co.za]

Anyone interested in what I have to say on this?

Jip, very interested.

[igfafly]

Too much talk about tackle and not enough fishing - they all work just fine - way better than anything we all started with - go fish - that is what it is about !

[PieterS]

This thread keeps coming up as having NEW posts, but I see none, so i'll post a "new" one...

I will be doing a short comparison between 4 x 10ft 6wt rods which I tested recently.
I was looking for another rod to compliment my existing Sage ONE and Stealth Bomber, so I tested out the Stealth Magnum and Stealth Infinity. I drew a number of conclusions.

Anyone interested in what I have to say on this?

Very interested, maybe also what are the ideal characteristics you want in a rod like this and why

[Andre]

Nice Gary, have you ever tried the Sage 99 for all of the requirements above?

[GGY]

Nice Gary, have you ever tried the Sage 99 for all of the requirements above?

Hi Andre - I know you like the Sage 99, but the ONE kicks it's butt for everything.

:-)

[GGY]

FORMATTING, LINE SPACING SEEMS FINE NOW...

I have owned various other 10ft 5wts over the years, but standardised on the 6wt a while back since it is more capable than the 5wt for SM in big water and can be used with the full spectrum of sinking lines for stillwater fishing (Di5 & Di7 lines are not available in 5wt).

I already own two 10ft 6wt rods - a factory built Stealth Bomber and a custom Sage ONE by Mario Geldenhuys.

- The Stealth Bomber is a beast - this is a great rod for throwing big flies far on stillwaters, especially with sinking lines, but lacks the finesse to fish for smaller fish. Makes a decent LM rod, since it has the backbone, but it is not really sensitive enough to be a good nymphing rod for SM. That is why I got the ONE.
-The Sage ONE is a great all-round rod. The latest technology means it is light & sensitive, yet still capable of throwing a good line and can handle a full range of lines & fish. It is definitely a better nymphing rod for SM than the Bomber.

Now fishing in Norway at Worlds in August I came to the realisation that I needed (wanted?) another 10ft 6wt rod. The reasons were as follows:

• Since I fish competitively, you need to often have 2 rods rigged for rivers/bank angling - a dry rod and/or nymph rod and/or streamer rod. It is a lot quicker to change rods than to change reels/leaders/flies and is perfectly legal.
• For dam fishing, you can only have one rod rigged, but will definitely carry a spare on the boat.
• 4 piece rods is a definite requirement when it comes to being able to pack for international travel
• Norway was big water/rivers where you often had to cast far, had to deal with lots of wind but but often you were targeting small/medium size fish at the same time. T
• Thus I realised that while I had a great all-round rod in the ONE, I needed a softer, more delicate rod than the Bomber for finesse work.
• In addition I wanted to get a rod which would be more sensitive than both the ONE and the Bomber for nymphing work - both on the Vaal as well as on large waters for trout.
• Finally, I wanted the rod to be my lightest stillwater rod, so that I could protect thinner tippets and not reduce the risk of bouncing off small fish when stilwater angling.
  
  Since there are limited models of 10ft 6wt rods available in SA & having prior experience with both the Stealth Magnum range (I owned a 10ft 5wt and still own a 8 1/2ft 3wt) as well as the Stealth Infinity (I own a 10ft 3wt which is my favourite smallstream SM rod), I got samples of each to test.
  I drew a number of conclusions:
  
  - Stealth Magnum - a very forgiving rod. Oldest technology of the bunch, so it is a little heavier by comparison to the others. Has a more moderate action. While not capable of throwing as far a line as the Bomber or the ONE, it has substantially more feel than the Bomber and similar sensitivity to the ONE. Cheapest of the 4 rods by far and definitely the best value for money should someone want a rod for both stillwater and SM river fishing, with the possible odd LM trip.
  -Stealth Infinity - a really pretty looking rod and quite a surprise. Not quite as good for distance as the ONE, but really light & responsive. Throws tight loops which helps with distance, but not ideal if you are fishing big/heavy flies when a more open loop is a better choice. Great sensitivity means that this is an ideal nymphing rod but will work very well on stillwaters with a floating/intermediate line.
  
  For me the choice was clear - I got the Infinity as my lightest 6wt, since I want it for trout as either a dry/nymph rod for big water, it will work perfectly. The flexible tip on the Infinity means that the ONE would be better for landing big SM in fast water, but the Infinity is definitely the more sensitive rod. The Bomber is now for dedicated LM streamer/sinking line/pulling lures/distance dam fishing.
  
  GENERAL BUYER ADVICE - If you do not have a 10ft 6wt to start with or only want one rod, then I would say your choice from the rods tested here depends on your budget & what fishing you do most:
  
  Stealth Magnum - best budget option.
  Stealth Infinity - best value for money.
  Stealth Bomber - best stillwater option.
  Sage ONE - best allround option.
  
  NOTE - I am not affiliated with any fly fishing supplier. The opinions offered here are my own, and can be substantiated by my personal experience without fear or favour. I would never recommend a product I would not fish myself.

[Andre]

Hmmm... we going to have to agree to disagree on that. To me, the 99 has all the requirement that you listed, and a few more. I cant understand why so few of them have been sold in SA, when it is so ideally suited to so many of out local requirements. Ok, you like the "One", so lets smile about that.

Hi Andre - I know you like the Sage 99, but the ONE kicks it's butt for everything.

:-)

[GGY]

Hmmm... we going to have to agree to disagree on that. To me, the 99 has all the requirement that you listed, and a few more. I cant understand why so few of them have been sold in SA, when it is so ideally suited to so many of out local requirements. Ok, you like the "One", so lets smile about that.

ONE is longer, more sensitive, lighter (I think - since the 99 is no longer made) and more accurate.
Cannot think of one reason why I would want a 99 over a ONE, but then that is personal opinion.
???

[Andre]

Yes, it's 3 inches longer. Not sure why they chose to make it 9 feet 9 inches, but my guesswork, is such that a slightly longer rod might not have the pulling power of the slightly longer. Weather or not the 3 inches makes that much of a difference, Im not sure. If one looks at what the 99 is designed for, it does make sense. Its a steelhead rod, and designed to cast multiple heavy flies. What we call heavy flies, for still water, are a lot lighter than steel head flies. The tip of the 99 is very sensitive. Certainly sensitive enough to detect the subtlest of yellowfish pecks. The strong mid section is designed for mending long lines, which is necessary when looking at the type of water where the steelhead are found, so a long cast over moving water, and several long mends is easy. The butt section is very powerfull, which provides the pulling power. Remember the old days when we used the Greys missionary? well the problem was always pulling the fish against the current to the net. Not so with the 99, easy. When it comes to long casts on stillwaters with three flies and the long leader, I overline it by two line weights (presumably to compensate for the weight that steelhead flies would have) to get the middle section working, and it chucks out line with ease, with a nice open loop to catch the wind. So, put these into perspective...a very sensitive tip to detect takes, and protect light tippets, a very interesting mid section for long casts on still waters, and a strong butt section to enable heavy fish to come to the net with urgency.
To me it is the bizzz....I promise. Re the "One", perhaps I should give it a try before I slag it off. I haven't done anything other than the "parking lot casting test", which to me tells you nothing.
Re accuracy, that is 90% angler and 10% rod...unless of course the rod is an absolute hound, and then accuracy would be the least of your problems.

ONE is longer, more sensitive, lighter (I think - since the 99 is no longer made) and more accurate.
Cannot think of one reason why I would want a 99 over a ONE, but then that is personal opinion.
???

[NeilRowe]

Gary

I have two 10' 6wt rods you have not mentioned. TFO Jim Teeny and Sage VXP. The TFO is a machine and easily casts a full line. Use it for light salt water work. The VXP works well as a stillwater or Yellow fish rod. Both are budget rods but worth consideration, imho.