The New Sage 'One' Fly Rod

Sage is generally considered as the market leader but in the last few years the entire fly rod industry has become very intense with most of the premier rod building companies giving their range of top end rods a good overhaul. Sage has responded!

Looking back to 2004 when the Sage Z-Axis was released there was some doubt over whether or not it could ever be as popular as the famous Sage XP, but before long the Z-Axis became the greatest selling fly rod Sage had ever produced.

Now in 2011, Sage has been swift to take advantage of new resin technology to further advance fly rod performance. Sage advise… "The resign helps to better bond the high modulus graphite fibres, or graphite cloth together inside the rod". Using this new technology the rod designers at Sage have been able to supersede the Z-Axis with an amazing new family of rods they have called the Sage ‘One' series.

Utilising these powerful new resins, Sage has reduced the overall weight of the new One fly rod by up to 25%. Furthermore, using this material the designers have been able to improve the casting action as these resins enable the rod to recover in the tip during the cast much faster than before and this is achieved without the rod feeling too stiff. The new resins also add strength, stability and feeling throughout the rod blank to give the One a better overall feel to the fisherman. Sage is calling this ‘Konnetic Technology'. I should add that the new resigns also stiffen up the butt section of the rod allowing the angler to make long powerful, accurate casts with ease.

Sage point out that by retaining a better feel/connection with the flyline through the tip of the rod during the cast, the One fly rod will help the angler to cast with more accuracy as the rod tip will track in a straight line. Traditionally what happens with most fly rods is the tip will swing laterally during the cast. By eliminating the lateral swing, the fly line will track in straight line because the fly line follows the path of the rod tip during the cast. So as Sage's chief rod designer Jerry Siem puts it, "The eye sees the cast it wants to make, and it is translated to the hand and through the rod instantaneously". Sage's goal was to produce a rod that becomes a true extension of the arm during the delivery of the cast.

There is another bonus. With the amount of resin needed and the weight of the rod being reduced, the One fly rod is much slimmer in diameter than its predecessor making the One more aerodynamic. Of course by cutting through the air more easily, it allows the angler to cast for longer periods without suffering from fatigue.

When they first arrived in this country I was lucky enough to put the One through its paces on a medium sized river where we mixed up the tactics between fishing a dry fly with a dropper in the shallow water and runs, through to throwing two weighted tungsten nymphs in the big heavy water. The One preformed exceptionally well in both and as a result we managed to land a few nice fish.

While for me it is not the rod to take on small, tight tree lined streams. When it comes to fishing medium sized streams to boisterous back country rivers like the Mohaka, Ruakituri or the Hurunui and the Ahuriri, the One is a ‘weapon'! Forgiving enough that no matter what your fishing ability is, whether it be beginner or advanced, your casting distance and accuracy will improve and you will love this rod. If you fish lakes and desire to cast greater distances then I believe the One will cast as far as you could ever hope to, making it a great all rounder for most New Zealand fishing conditions. My only reservation is tight tree lined streams where I believe the action would be too powerful – but I guess you could always drop to a One a couple of line-weights down, as it will box above its weight in fish handling ability.

The Sage One in Three to Six Weight rods is supplied with a cigar style custom cork handle with Half Wells grip, and from Six Weight up to Ten Weight can come with a Full Wells grip with a fighting butt. It has a walnut insert with a bronze anodised aluminium up-locking reel seat. The rod blank itself is a translucent black ice colour with black guide wraps and a bronze trim giving it a classy finished look. To top it all off the rod tube is a hand-made black aluminium tube with a raised logo on it and it also comes with cloth bag.

If you are an angler who likes to fish with new technology, you probably won't be able to sleep easy until you've got your own Sage One. Maybe you will find it hard to justify a new rod when you could be quite satisfied with the Z-Axis you are fishing with at the moment? Here then is a great opportunity to diversify your arsenal purchasing a Sage One in a new line weight you've always fancied trying.

In store now!

Important Notice: We have introduced Sage One at $999.99, but with the volatile NZ dollar, we may not be able to hold this for long, it would pay to do your Christmas shopping early in this case.