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Bass Rod Trifecta

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Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby briansII » February 16th, 2016, 4:45 pm

I currently have 3, species specific, "bass rods". The third just showed up before lunchtime today, so I thought I would do a comparison on my lunch break.

Here are the contenders.
1. Sage, Largemouth Bass Rod(original model). MSRP $550. 00(line inc.)
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2. Redington Predatror 7'11" 8wt. MSRP $279.95

http://www.redington.com/fly-fishing-rods/predator/

3. St Croix Mojo Bass Fly Rod 7'11" 9wt MSRP $149.95
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For starters, the St Croix is brand new, and only test cast. If my impressions change after fishing it, I'll add an update. Also, this comparison is limited to a short, side by side casting session, with some visual and tactile impressions. All rods were cast with a Sage Largemouth Bass line.

Visual and tactile. All rods are nicely appointed, but the Sage color took a bit getting used to. I noted the reelseat hardware on the St Croix looks "cheap", but seems to hold the reel well. There's a small blemish at the tip top guide too. The Redington and Sage are near flawless, and have nice hardware. The grip on the St Croix is noticeably bigger(I have small hands)than Redignton and Sage, but not uncomfortable. Wiggle test shows the St. Croix flexes easiest, with the Sage and Redignton flexing about the same, but with a different profile. Without a reel strapped on, the Redignton feels slightly tip heavy compared the Sage, and the St Croix feels like it has the lightest tip.

Casting. I lawn cast each rod, with a leader, but no fly. I had two rods rigged(I have a 3rd reel setup but didn't have time to look for it), and swapped the reels to different rod combos so I could test each one side by side. My impressions are, the St. Croix is the softest/slowest of the bunch, with the Sage coming in next, and the Redignton being the fastest/stiffest. The St Croix has a progressive flex, all the way down to the butt section. The Sage has a somewhat soft tip, but a very stout butt. The Redignton feels stiff from tip to butt. All handle the 330 grain floating line, which is close to AFTM 11wt rating. All rods cast the entire 80' line with relative ease. One thing that I do when fishing topwater bass, is I pick up and lay down a set amount of line. For comparison, I laid out about 50-60' of line and made repetitive casts. The Redignton and Sage lift and recast that amount with little effort. It took a bit more effort with the St. Croix, but once dialed in, it was effortless too. Overall, I personally liked the Sage best, then the Redignton, and the St. Croix a very close third. I like fast rods, but the Sage's softer tip gives me better feedback. The stout butt section makes the Sage feel like the powerhouse of the bunch. The Redington and St. Croix are close. I comes down what you like more. The relaxed action from the St Croix, or the stiff tip to butt on the Redignton. By the way, while the St. Croix flexes deep, it has some guts in the lower section. I'm anxious to get this one on the water. It could easily move up a notch on the list.

.......and when comparing any gear, it's about as subjective as it gets. I have spent a lot of time with the Sage LMB rod, and that's likely why it comes out on top.

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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby NorcalBob » February 16th, 2016, 4:52 pm

I thought you had enough swag and not going to buy more????!!!!! :booty: ;)
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby stanbery » February 16th, 2016, 5:22 pm

NorcalBob wrote:I thought you had enough swag and not going to buy more????!!!!! :booty: ;)


I think that is YOU Bob!! :funnyup:
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby briansII » February 16th, 2016, 5:31 pm

"Swag" is gear over $250. This was only $149(a lot less with cc points used), and can be considered essentials like toilet paper, floatant, and beer. :P

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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby NorcalBob » February 16th, 2016, 7:14 pm

Yeah, but I never said that I wasn't buying any new swag!!!! :booty:

stanbery wrote:
NorcalBob wrote:I thought you had enough swag and not going to buy more????!!!!! :booty: ;)


I think that is YOU Bob!! :funnyup:
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby Papasequoia » February 16th, 2016, 11:45 pm

I was just about to seal the deal on the Sage largemouth, but now I think I should wait until the final report from the water, so you should probably go fishing so that you can finalize this report. :D Btw, what do you think about using any of these for stripers?
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby briansII » February 17th, 2016, 10:05 am

Papasequoia wrote:I was just about to seal the deal on the Sage largemouth, but now I think I should wait until the final report from the water, so you should probably go fishing so that you can finalize this report. :D Btw, what do you think about using any of these for stripers?


Might be a few weeks before I get out with the new rod. A local lake just "turned on", but it's still a while before the topwater action gets going.

The Sage is a proven striper/multi species rod. I haven't caught any big stripers on it, but I have no doubt it would handle them no problem. Paired with the Sage bass line, or Rio's Outbound Short, it will cast just about anything short of a barn door. The Redington hasn't seen much time on the water, but I have caught a lot of smaller bass and stripers with it. It's a strong 8wt, and plenty of rod. I'm looking forward to putting a fish on the St Croix. With it's flex profile, I'm very interested in how much heat I can put on a good sized fish......gotta hook one first though. FYI. I don't use these short "bass rods" with a sinking line. I stick to my 9' rods for that. These are strictly floating line, and topwater flies, rods. I'm sure they would be fine with a sinker, but it's not something I've ever tried.

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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby flybob » February 17th, 2016, 10:09 am

BriansII, I have the Sage Bass II "Bluegill" version....and I love it!
I primarily use it from my float tube, and rarely cast more that 50' with it, using big * #2 weighted wets and streamers, as well as big fluffy poppers, which for me, are the hardest to toss! (bad aerodynamics).
I guess for me it is all about the muscle of the rod and at only 7' 11".
Back in October, I fought this puppy for 15 minutes! I have no clue how much it weighed but if I were to guess, probably close to 10 pounds.

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If you have ever caught a big cat, they do not run, they DIVE, and the deeper the water the deeper they dive!
Your job is to haul them back up, every time they dive! So there is no way to get and angle on them with the rod, it is pure backbone that does all the work, and makes this rod so great!

I have caught some pretty good sized bass with it, but to date, this cat has been the largest and most epic battle of my short FF career.

I was seriously considering moving up to the SMB or the LMB version, but at 550.00, I really can't justify it.

And FWIW, I tried a few 8wt lines with it, but in the end the rod does cast the best with the Sage Bass Taper Line (230 gr) that came with it.
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby Papasequoia » February 19th, 2016, 8:06 pm

briansII wrote:
Papasequoia wrote:I was just about to seal the deal on the Sage largemouth, but now I think I should wait until the final report from the water, so you should probably go fishing so that you can finalize this report. :D Btw, what do you think about using any of these for stripers?


Might be a few weeks before I get out with the new rod. A local lake just "turned on", but it's still a while before the topwater action gets going.

Fine, be that way. :twisted: I couldn't wait so I pulled the trigger on the Sage largemouth which comes with the Sage Bass taper line. Now all I need is a place to fish - I think I might finally get some use out of the float tube. I never really got into using it for trout that much, but for bass it should come in handy.
Nature always wins.
> miles = < people
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby flybob » February 20th, 2016, 11:03 am

Papasequoia wrote: Now all I need is a place to fish - I think I might finally get some use out of the float tube. I never really got into using it for trout that much, but for bass it should come in handy.


When you are ready, I can give you the coords, to a sweet place just up the road from you.
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby briansII » February 22nd, 2016, 10:33 am

Papasequoia wrote:
briansII wrote:
Papasequoia wrote:I was just about to seal the deal on the Sage largemouth, but now I think I should wait until the final report from the water, so you should probably go fishing so that you can finalize this report. :D Btw, what do you think about using any of these for stripers?


Might be a few weeks before I get out with the new rod. A local lake just "turned on", but it's still a while before the topwater action gets going.

Fine, be that way. :twisted: I couldn't wait so I pulled the trigger on the Sage largemouth which comes with the Sage Bass taper line. Now all I need is a place to fish - I think I might finally get some use out of the float tube. I never really got into using it for trout that much, but for bass it should come in handy.


Congrats. You'll be very happy with that setup. BTW, I did get out last weekend, but unfortunately forgot to take the new rod along.

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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby Papasequoia » February 24th, 2016, 4:34 pm

So, this came in the mail today.

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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby Papasequoia » February 24th, 2016, 4:37 pm

Let me also add that it took me less than 60 seconds to upload that picture to Photobucket then copy and paste the link here. That's it. Nothing else. Almost as fast as Facebook. I did not re-size the picture - you don't have to do that anymore. Easy Peasy.
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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby briansII » February 25th, 2016, 10:13 am

Very nice. That will get the job fun & done. When I see you in May, I'd like to compare it to the older model I have.

Posting reports to the forum is easy for me. I use photobucket, and have a lot of pictures and videos stored there. I decided to go with the low level paid version, and it's made things a lot faster/simpler. For me, it takes a LOT longer to type words, than download pictures to PB, and post them to forums. BTW, I have a facebook account, but almost never post things to my account. Not sure why.....guess I'm old school. ;)

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Re: Bass Rod Trifecta

Postby flybob » February 25th, 2016, 10:58 am

Nice Jon!

Now you just need to set it up with nice LARGE Arbor reel and you will be good to go!
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