Sage TXL Fly Rod Review
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By:
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admin
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Mood:
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- Fly Fishing Rod Reviews
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Date:
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Feb 01, 2010
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Music:
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None
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Product Review of the Sage TXL Fly Fishing Rod
There are a couple of small streams within thirty minutes of my house that are loaded with feisty rainbow and brown trout. I have been an avid fly fisherman for more years than I care to admit, and I have progressed through all the different stages of the sport. Many years ago I first fished these local streams with a 9-foot, 6-weight rod, but I have slowly refined my techniques for approaching small water.
The long and heavy rods were just too cumbersome to effectively fish these little gems and when I did hook a fish, there wasn't much of a fight. Over time, I have gone to shorter and lighter rods when fishing tight spots like my local fisheries. I thought I was in heaven when I first tried out an 8.5-foot, three-weight rod, as I could really feel the pull of the trout. The rod's shorter length made casting and hook-setting a breeze when there is little room to operate.
Although I love my trusty 3-weight, I am always looking for new challenges. When my friend who works at the local fly shop told me about the Sage TXL rods I was interested. I always thought a one-weight was the lightest rod available, but the TXL comes in 0, 00 and 000-weights. It seemed like a gimmick to me, but during a moment of extreme weakness, I forked out the $540 for one of these lightweight beauties.
I could bore you with all the details about how I have a blast chasing tiny trout on my favorite little streams with my Sage TXL 7-foot 10-inch, 00-weight rod, but let's just say that I can drop a dry fly on a fish's head with a subtlety that I did not know was possible. The true versatility of this rod came to light on a recent trip to a bigger river in my state. I broke two rods in three days and I was left with my TXL to pull through the last outing. Streamer fishing was out, but I was still able to punch light nymph rigs through some steady wind and I landed some really nice trout. There is just enough backbone to allow for applying the pressure needed to quickly land big fish quickly on light rods.
An extremely lightweight rod like the Sage TXL is a tool that allows savvy anglers the chance to present both dry flies and nymphs in a very delicate way. It is thrilling to land a big fish on a "00" weight fly rod, but the little guys are a lot of fun, too. If you are bored with the same old fly fishing routine, an ultra-ultra-light setup could be just to ticket to livening up your favorite recreational activity. A great place to buy the TLX online is Riverbum.com.
Other Sage product reviews of interest:
Sage Launch Review
Sage 6000 Reel Review
Sage Xi2 Review
Sage 2500 Reel Review
Sage Z Axis Review
Sage VT2 Review
Sage Flight Review
Sage TCX Review
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