Leland on Sage Fly Rods
Sage has been as committed to performance and innovation as any fly rod manufacturer in the world. Their dedication to research and development has produced some of the finest fly fishing rods ever conceived. Models like the XP and RPLX helped put Sage in a class reserved for only the best manufacturers. And many argue models like the Xi2 and the Z-Axis have sent more than a few companies scurrying to catch up.
Sage, under the guise of company founder Don Green, has been pushing the envelope with state of the art materials from the moment the company opened it's doors in 1980. Sage was the first company to incorporate the use of IM6 (Graphite II) graphite in their fly rods. Through out the years Sage's use of graphite evolved, from graphite II and then to graphite III, and finally graphite IV. Today, all their high-end rods contain Graphite IIIe, a blend of both graphite III and IV. To date, graphite IIIe has the highest strength to weight ratio on the market. From the outset, the company's goal has been to create rods that generate high line speeds. As thousands of Sage owners will attest, the design of their rods enables the fisherman to have extraordinary line control. Casting a Sage fly rod means placing your fly where you want it, not where you hope it g'es.
In 1994 Sage brought in Jerry Siem to take over rod development and design. Siem, a Minnesota native, has been responsible for the development of the XP, SLT and Xi2. These fly rods quickly found themselves on rivers, streams, and flats all over the world. They are characterized as exceptional casting rods that allow both the novice and the expert to enjoy them tremendously. With the advent of the TCR in 2003, then Xi2 in 2004 and now the Z-Axis, Jerry has raised the bar for what is known as "fast action rods". Sage has nine separate rod lines (excluding their impressive Spey rods), encompassing the spectrum of applications.
Located on Bainbridge Island Washington. Sage was once a company composed of less than ten people, and has now grown to over 130 employees. All of the rods in the Sage line are manufactured under the same roof. On average, it takes thirty-five days and over one hundred separate hand steps to produce a single rod. All Sage fly rods come with an unconditional lifetime warranty.
