The company making Sage fishing rods started in 1980 by rod
designer Rod Green (a formerly Fenwick and Grizzly rods designer) on Bainbridge
Island, near the Olympics Mountain, WA, USA, originally with the name of
Winslow
Rod Company
but soo
changed
to Sage.
Thinking that the best rod tapers were those which kept a reserve of power
for the extra fishing conditions, Rod Green created the first series of fly
rods named RP (Reserve Power).
They were immediately talked about and recognized as superior
quality
rods by the experts.
Following the creation of the product, Sage took a marketing expert on
board in the person of Bruce Kirschner (formerly of K2 Skis) who became a
Sage partner. His sale philosophy was simple: Sage fishing rods should be
sold through a network of selected quality
retailers who could give professional advises at any time. Or, put
it differently: specialty products
for specialty retailers.
Rods History
Briefly, here are the Sage fishing rods which followed: graphite
II RP; then
graphite III RPL and by 1985 these
rods set the standard for the high perfomance rods.
Then the LL Series (moderate action), then the salt-water RPLX
fly rods (1986)
followed
by the two-handed rods. By the
end of '80s Sage was the world number producer of fly rods. In the early
90s' the RPL, RPLX, LL, TH and DS Series.
In 1994 the SP series which basically
coincided with the movie "a River Ran Through
It" (the movie was shot in 1992, by Robert Redford and was played
by Brad Pitt), and because of that movie thousands of new people flocked
to the sport and made that year the best sales moment not only for
Sage
but for
the
whole
fly fishing industry. In 1994 Don sold the company to Joshua Green Corporation
of Seattle but kept the position of Vice President of Research and Development.
In 1997 came the new SPL ("best
of show award in the Denver trade show); the same year improvement of the
RPLX and RPLXi. In 1999 came the lighter
weight and narrower tapered fast action XP.
In 2000 came the RPLXi 5-piece
travel rods. In 2003, the new medium-fast action SLT seres
and the ultra-fast action TCR series.
In 2004 the Xi2 Series saltwater
rods with the new Generation 5 Technology (G5), basically a completely new
way amaking blanks as a result
of three years of studies. in 2005 three new rods using the g5 technology
were introduced to the market: the TXL ,
the Launch and Fli series.
Today, there are 9
(as per July 2008) series of Sage Fly Fishing Rods to cover any fishing condition.
Sage believes that there are mainly two kind of anglers: those who prefer
a moderate action rod and those who prefer a faster action rod. As a consequences
they design their own tapers and use a special technique (G5) to
create entry level to top of the range series.
Tip! All Sage Fishing Rods from line weight #7 and upwards can be used
in salt water because the reel seat comes anodized and so protected.
Bass Series: specialty fly rod, for the serious Bass
Angler,7'11', 290 & 330 grain, $350, fast action
Fli Series: value fly rod;for the faster casting angler,
7' to 10', #3 to 10 & 12, $255-450, fast action
Launch Series: value fly rod; entry level, 7'6'' to
9', #3 to 9, $175-205,
medium-fast action
SLT Series: premium rod, 6'3'' to 10',#4 to 10, $535-665,
medium fast action
TCR Series: premium rod, large trout streams, saltwater
flat and ultra-windy conditions, 9' to 10', #4 to 10, $740-780, ultra
fast action
Two-Handed Series:for Spey anglers, 12'
to 16', #5 to 10, $450-895, medium and fastaction available
plus subcategories
TXL Series: premium rods; the ultimate light line experience,
7' to 7'10'',#0 to 4, $515-525, fast action
Xi2 Series: specialty fly rod, for saltwater,
9' to 9'6'',#6 to 16, $655-750, fast action
Z Axis series and Z XL Series: premium
rods; cutting edge performance, lighter stronger and easier to cast, respectively
8'6''
to 11', #3 to 10, $585-670, fast action: and 7'6'' t0 9', #3 to
6, $655-675,
medium action
Sage products also include fly reels, travel bags, rod cases and more.
Contact for Sage Fishing Rods:
Sage Manufacturing
8500 Northeast Day Road
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
USA
Tel. (206) 842-6608 or toll free at (800) 533-3004
