Is the Sage X fly fishing rod worth it?

Maybe to some, maybe not to others.  Here is everything you need to know about the Sage X fly fishing rod.

Sage X Fly Rod Review

It’s not easy to just throw a thousand dollars down on the table for a fly fishing rod.  No, it’s not easy at all.

But, if you are someone that spends a lot of time on the river, it just might be time for you to upgrade from your Redington Vice rod you got on a budget, three years ago.

And no, that’s not me putting the Vice on blast.  I’m impressed with it’s stamina…

But there comes a point in time where a new fly rod is a necessity, not just a want.

Maybe you are thinking that the Sage X is the ticket, or maybe not.

But, I will tell you everything that I do know in this fly rod…

Here’s what I liked about the Sage X. 

• Lightweight
• Extremely smooth
• Deadly accurate
• Elite quality
• Good in the wind
• Great warranty

Here’s what I didn’t like about the Sage X.

• Expensive
• Not great in tight quarters (small rivers with trees)

I am a fan of this rod.  The performance is unmatched.

The price tag sucks though.  I feel your pain if you’re considering getting it.  I thought about it for a long time… I quickly realized that I should have done it a long time ago.

But, that’s the way it goes.  I do love the rod now though, so it all worked out in the end.

Features of the Sage X

The quality of rod that it has to offer is incredible.  It’s made in the United States for one.  For two, it features Konnetic HD Technology in the blank.

And if I’m being completely honest, I don’t even completely know what that is.

What I do know however that it creates an incredibly smooth casting rod.

And I also know that it’s supposed to keep the rod and the fly from moving in lateral directions – which it does.

And I also know that this rod is insanely powerful.

This should be expected when you drop a thousand bucks on a rod, but that’s not the point.

The point is that you can send large streamers and flies 60 feet plus with deadly accuracy.  I mean, spot on accuracy.

Now, does that mean that anyone that picks up this fly rod will have the same results, not at all!  But, if you are somewhat experienced in the game of fly fishing, you’ll have no trouble casting with the Sage X.

If you are a beginner however, I would recommend checking out a different rod (medium action).  This might be a bit too much to handle at the start.

Whatever, back to the review.

I love this rod.

Did I mention that yet?

Well, along with the power and accuracy, casting with the Sage X is an absolute dream.  It really is.

I’m not sure if it’s the Konnetic HD Tech that Sage makes their rods with or whatever it is, but it’s smooth.

And the loops are very tight.

Which is exactly why this rod is so accurate, especially at long distances.

The energy that flows through the rod, from the butt to the fly is perfect.  Everything just flows like the breeze.

Except it goes exactly where you want it to go.

And lastly, the final thing that I like in this fly rod is that it’s very lightweight.  It truly doesn’t feel like there’s a whole lot in the hand, even though I’m throwing 9 feet of carbon around in the air.

Oh wait, one more thing.

The Sage X is really good in the wind.  This is pretty standard for most fast action fly rods, but I thought that I might mention it, if you are someone that fishes in the wind a lot!

Not So Cool Stuff

I said it a lot up to this point, but the price tag hurts.

I’ve since realized that it’s just the price you pay for elite end fly fishing equipment.

But something else that I don’t love in this fly rod is that it’s not great for fly fishing small streams in Montana or the Rockies.

Well, I actually take that back.  It’s not the best when there are a lot of trees and branches surrounding you.

It can be used for fishing small streams, just as long as you don’t have anything restricting your casts.

I personally like to use a smaller fly rod rod when I’m fishing for Trout in the Rockies.

But, each to their own.

The Mistakes That I Made

When I started fly fishing, I made some mistakes.

The first one was thinking that just because a product is insanely cheap with all the bells and whistles, means that it’s good.

That is just not the case.

In the beginning I got a cheap fly rod on Amazon.

It broke within a month.

Bought a cheap fly vest.

Fell apart halfway through the fishing season.

Bough myself a cheap reel.

Guess what happened.

It broke.

I’ve since come to the realization that yes, there are some decent quality budget fly rods and other fly gear out there.

And “said” budget item may perform really good for a while.  Who knows, maybe even a season.

But year after year?

Hour after hour, on the lakes and rivers…

Is that budget fly rod going to hold up?

Probably not.

There’s an easy solution to this.

Get nice fricken fly fishing gear!

Why would you not?

The performance is almost ALWAYS better.

The quality and materials are almost ALWAYS better.

The warranties are almost ALWAYS better.

You are doing yourself a disservice by not getting the best gear that you can possibly get!

Seriously.

Can you imagine yourself, standing on the edge of a wide river, rapids tumbling over the rocks, sun is out, cool mountain air, casting an extremely smooth fly rod?

With zero hassles at all?

Precisely accurate?

Worry free?

Come on…

It sounds perfect.

Conclusion: Sage X Fly Rod

In all, I do believe that the Sage X fly rod is worth it, especially if you have been fly fishing for a couple years now.  Or at least somewhat understand the fundamentals of fly fishing.

The performance and quality is just unmatched.

Yes you can find rods that perform just as good, but you also might be paying an additional $200 for it.

That’s all I’ve got for you in this one.

Thanks for reading!