 Sage Fly Rods have been on a roll as of late. Their new ONE rod has changed the game when it comes to light, incredibly accurate, quick, yet sensitive fly rods. To date the ONE rod has been Sage’s most successful fly rod series introduction. This is quite an accolade considering they continue to be one of the major innovators in fly rod technology. They aren’t resting on their laurels either. Now at Western Rivers Flyfisher their latest fly rod, the CIRCA. For us, this has been a rod we have been begging for from Jerry Siem and Sage Fly Rods. After our crew had the opportunity to put one of the CIRCA fly rods through the paces on our annual shop trip, we can honestly say that the CIRCA is the rod we had hoped for.
I have always been a fan of more moderate action fly rods. Most of the crew that works for Western Rivers has similar preferences to a degree. For me since I’ve been around a little longer than the bulk of my staff it’s a byproduct of my generation that grew up with older graphite fly rods that are generally slower than today’s standard quick rods. Only recently have I seen fly rod companies build quicker fly rods that are light, yet have a better feel to them; a quality that we find much more appealing.
Fast action fly rods definitely have a prominent place in our sport, yet for the waters we have in the west and especially in Utah a quick rod simply isn’t ideal on many of the streams we fish on a daily basis. In Utah many of our fisheries are medium to small in size and have some decent trout lurking in their shadows. Not far from us we also have a number of challenging popular spring creeks that demand casting accuracy, light tippets and at times rather small flies. These water types and the challenges they present require a fly rod with a more moderate action; a forgiving tip, yet they still need to be accurate. Winton and Scott fly rod companies have excelled at such rods, while Sage has been on the fast side of rod actions over the past decade or two. When I visited Sage last summer, Jerry Siem gave me some hints about a more moderate action fly rod they were working on. Given how impressive the ONE rod has been, I left somewhat titillated about the prospect of this new rod from Sage.
In late July, Van Rollo paid us a visit and gave us our first taste of Sage’s latest introduction, the CIRCA. It incorporates their Konnetic technology as does the ONE, which in Sage marketing terms “redefines accuracy”, yet unlike the ONE the new CIRCA is quite subtle in the hand with plenty of deceptive power to manage challenging conditions, long leaders and fine tippets. This is exactly what we were hoping to see from Sage.
When a company introduces a new rod line, historically we just get to trim the lawn with them for a brief “casturbation” session. On rare occasions we are given the opportunity to fish a new fly rod before it comes to market. In this instance Van gave us the green light to take a 589-4 CIRCA on our annual shop trip; the perfect size for working the challenging waters of Idaho’s famous Railroad Ranch. After three tough days there was no question of our impression of this smooth rod; light, subtle power, and like the ONE is, the most accurate rod of its kind on the market today.
For those of us who are familiar with my staff and our shop, Western Rivers Flyfisher, we have a reputation for knowing fly rods, not only for our own personal use, but more importantly for our customers. After doing this for 25 years we have the experience to put the right fly rod in your hands so that your time on the water is more enjoyable regardless of where you cast a fly. We also are very aware that there is a very personal aspect to fly rods and we’ll take the time to understand what that is before putting a fly rod in your hand to cast or prior to shipping you one should you not have the opportunity to stop by and work personally with us. What I may prefer may not be right for you since I’m very specific in my style of fly-fishing. The fly rods I like and use are suited to the waters and techniques I enjoy; fishing dry flies and emergers to rising fish. That is why when you look at the staff at Western Rivers Flyfisher there are some common rods we fish, but there is also a fair amount of variety since our personal preferences do vary. My point is, when we all collectively glom onto a rod, that speaks volumes to its character. We felt that way about the ONE, after several weeks of fishing the CIRCA, we feel this is going to be another successful rod launch for Sage as well.
If you are looking for a fly rod that is versatile, moderate in action, light, accurate, and very sensitive in the hand you should consider the new CIRCA. Similar to the ONE fly rod series it raises the bar in rod technology and performance. Since the LL from Sage went away, we’ve been waiting for this rod from Sage. We can now add this rod to our preferred list of fly rods that address the wide variety of waters we have here in Utah and the West, especially for those who do most of their fly-fishing on foot. |
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