Fly Fishing - Wading Boot Review: Simms Rivershed Vibram Sole

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

The trend these days in rod building seems to be a common goal of building the fastest rod possible. Of course, there are plenty of situations where a faster rod is advantageous. In stiff winds, throwing bigger flies, long distance casts, nymphing etc. are all scenarios where a stiff rod excels. On the other hand, when you are fishing smaller flies with lighter tippets and want a delicate presentation or need the rod to load on a short cast, a stiffer rod is a disadvantage. The stiffer rod tends to make the fly "crash" down, sometimes sinking it & tends to break off flies easier because it doesn't have the shock absorption and getting a stiff rod to load on a short cast is very difficult. As a result, I like a more moderate action fly rod. I guess I am in the minority as there aren't nearly as many of these moderate action rods available. One of the moderate action rods that is out there is the Sage ZXL. I love this rod, it has a nice soft tip and flexes slightly into the middle section (not all the way to the butt) but still has enough power if you need to punch a longer cast. In really windy conditions, it is not the best rod, but for most trout fishing situations where the casts are 15-50 feet or so and when you are fishing normal size flies, this action is perfect. It is also super lightweight giving that "light in the hand" feel. It truly is a great fly rod for most trout fishing situations. I personally fish these moderate action rods in 5 weight on down and leave the stiffer models for my 6 weight or bigger rods. What do you guys like in rod actions for trout fishing? A lot of people tend to lean toward that faster action rod, if you do, why do you like it, if not why not?

lungdoc · Location: Cumberland, RI

I purchased my first Sage ZXL, a 3 wt, last year. It is a wonderful rod for gentle presentations at close distances, but capable of casting 40-60 feet if needed. I also own two of the SLT rods in 4 and 6 wt. Unfortunatley Sage discontinued this line which I found to be more of a medium-fast taper and as such a little better when the wind kicks up.

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

I quite like the Sage SLT as well and have a 9' 5 weight that I fish all the time and it is a great rod as well. I also have a 9' 5 weight SP which was the model before that and I still love that rod. The one thing about the new Sage ZXL series though that the SLT or especially the older SP don't have are the newer generation 5 graphite that is super lightweight which makes it feel light in the hand.

sim82 · Posted: Fri 06/05/09 8:50 am Post subject: zxl

I purchased a ZXL a year ago, 3 wt. with a WW ULA P and Sharkskin set up it works wonders. Able to cast larger flies, even caught a 7 pund Atlantic salmon with it last year. Works great with light dry flies too. I was surprise though to see the flex only coming down half way, but a nice surprise.