The Sage ONE was introduced to us early on and we were greatly impressed.  The first thing the Red's Fly Shop crew noticed about the Sage ONE was the incredible lightweight. We will admit, we were a little skeptical about the power and fishability of the rod after they were able to cut so much weight from its predecessor, the Sage Z-Axis (which was a great rod and this made us even more skeptical).  Contrary to what we expected the ONE performs awesome with plenty of backbone and didn't have that wimpy feel that we were afraid of when we felt the mass weight.  The line speed is great and this rod rates right up there with most of the premium models in the distance and line speed category.



The Red's Guide Staff has a new love affair... the Sage ONE.  Most of our staff has retooled and are now packing the Sage ONE for most applications.

FREE Rio Gold Fly Line with Sage ONE fly rods!

With purchase of this fly rod you can enter Promo Code GOLD to receive a free Rio Gold Fly Line!

The main thing that this rods seems to excel at is accuracy.  It truly does make very straight, accurate casts with very little left/right stray from the target.  We do a lot of competitive casting at our facility at Red's and even host some casting tournaments at times and this rod will no doubt become one of the top choices when bragging rights are on the line.  We put it through a "ring course" which you can see in the photo gallery.  Even out to 60' it held a near perfect line even when we knowingly made some errors.

The only thing to take note of on this rod is that it is a very fast action rod (not unpleasant), but it is fast action which means most of the casting is done with a very short quick tip stroke and not a long relaxed patient drift.  This rod is not recommended for beginning anglers or anglers that prefer to feel the rod load under the weight of the line.  It is ideal for anglers that like to see their performance with tight loops and high line speed.

Fly Reels for the Sage ONE:

Most commonly, consumers buy fly reels that are approximately half again the cost of the the rod.  So for instance, a fly rod that is $500 typically matches well with a reel that costs somewhere around $250 give or take.  On the Sage ONE, we most commonly pair it up with 3 different reels.


Sage 4200 Series Fly Reel

Abel Super Series
Abel Creek Series - #2 for the 5 weight
Lamson Litespeed Fly Reel
Sage 4200 Series Fly Reel



Fly Lines for the Sage ONE:

We have 2 suggestions on floating fly lines for trout.  This is based on our experience and consumer input. 

Rio Gold - a high performance line that has a non-textured slick coating and is very good for experienced casters that don't necessarily need to "feel" the rod load in order to get a good cast.  This is our best selling floating fly line.

Scientific Anglers GPX Textured - another high performance line that is 1/2 a line weight heavier than traditional lines making fast action rods feel slightly more forgiving.  You will be able to feel the rod load a bit more.  The textured surface seems to float high, mend well, and we see great customer satisfaction with this fly line.

Other Fly Rods in this Category:

There are some other rods in this category of high performance.  Each has its own set of pros and cons but all are fantastic fly rods and you will be pleased with any of them. Other considerations might be the G Loomis NRX Trout Rods (main rival to the Sage ONE - very similar fast action), the G Loomis Streamdance GLX is another premium fly rod in this class.  It has a smoother slightly softer action.  The RL Winston BiiiX is also a rival.  Most consider the BiiiX to have a smoother softer action.  All have similar lifetime warranties, Sage and Loomis typically have faster repair times if a breakage were to occur. 

Why the Sage ONE versus other rods?

The Sage ONE is great for anglers that want an all around high performance fly rod that can handle a large variety of tasks.  For instance, an angler that wants an 8 weight rod that is great for Bonefishing the flats but also wants to steelhead fish too, the Sage ONE is a better choice versus the 890-4 Sage Xi3 Saltwater Rod which is great for distance casting in the wind but not great for mending on rivers.  Same goes for the angler that wants to fish dry flies, nymphs, or streamers and maybe all in the same day.  The Sage ONE 590-4 is more versatile than the Sage 99 Series which is great for nymphing and the Sage TCX which is more of an extreme fast action rod.  The Sage ONE tends to blend performance with versatility whereas some of the more specialized models are good at one thing, but lack in others.

The Most Popular Models of Sage ONE Fly Rods

We have a few models that tend to sell exceptionally well versus the others.  Every rod in the lineup is fantastic, but the consumer tends to lean towards a few models in particular.

Sage ONE 590-4 - The utility rod.   A bit light for big streamers and heavy sink tips but it handles dry flies, strike indicators, and most every trout fishing scenario with flying colors.  Our best seller in the ONE series.  Perfect for the angler that wants to deliver a fly accurately at any distance.

Sage ONE 690-4 - The streamer stick.  Perfect for bigger flies, indicators, sinking lines, and fiesty rainbows.  Take it to Alaska, the Big Hole, Missouri, and anywhere else that you are going to fish big wet flies.

Sage ONE 890 - This rod is best choice for an angler that wants a high performance fly rod for fishing flats and steelhead on mid sized water.

Sage ONE 896-4 - Steelheaders rejoice.  This is the most popular rod for Steelhead fisherman that want a high performance rod that can put flies on the far bank, roll casts, stack mends, and anything else that pops up.  This rod performs well in Saltwater, but doesn't slip under the wind like the 890-4.

Advanced Fly Casting

We have a couple of videos that might be useful if you are buying this rod.  Since it is a very high performance fly rod you will probably want to polish your casting stroke as well to take full advantage of its craftsmanship and energy.

Double Haul Fly Fly Casting

Advanced Reach Casting Techniques

One and a Half Cast Technique

Dry Fly Fishing Tips for Caddis

Sage Fly Rod Warranty:

The Sage fly rod warranty covers breakage and their are some exceptions including fire, theft, and loss.  The angler can send in the broken rod directly to Sage and for a handling fee of $50 Sage will repair or replace the rod.  They have a great crew and turnaround times are some of the best in the industry.

Rod Cases and Rod Tube

The Sage ONE comes with a nice aluminum tube.  Many anglers choose to get a Sage Rod and Reel Case as well so that they don't have to take their reel off of their rod each and every time they want to use it. 

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