Big Fish- What kind of rod to use?
Post date: Dec. 15, 2021 7:24:06 PM
Do you want to actually hook and land big fish or do you simply want to cast for distance?
This may seem like a strange question to some but it really is not. Many fly fishers want a rod that allows them to make the longest cast possible. If that is what you want, there are few rods that will beat the SAGE R8 CORE, the old SAGE X, the SAGE METHOD or the SAGE XP. If you are in a location where you can use larger tippets, It is fine to use really fast rods and they can be a lot of fun. However, if you are after big, wise old fish that spook at 1, 2 , or 3X tippets and you need to use a 4X or 5X or smaller tippet and size 20 flies to entice them, we recommend that you forget ultra-fast, stiff rods because more often than you want to, you are going to break the fish off when it gets close to the net. Now, if you don't mind repeated LDRs (long distance releases) then keep using really fast rods.
If you wish to be able to make long casts, generate plenty of line speed, and actually bring those big fish to the net, please consider the SAGE R8 CORE or the EPIC Graphene rods by Swift Fly Fishing. The LOOP CROSS S1 was a superb rod and we still use a medium -fast one created by the people from Sweden that founded LOOP and who simply live to fly fish. (Thank you Christer and Tomas.) These are true fly fishermen that design "Fly Rods for landing fish." Sadly, LOOP has changed hands and no longer makes this rod.
The proof is in the performance. In the Spring of 2012, I took a trip to the North Platte River (Miracle Mile and Greys Reef) in Wyoming, the Green River below Flaming Gorge in Utah, and the Beaverhead in Montana. I landed a higher percentage of hooked "Big Fish" than I ever have with any other fly rod! (This is the advantage of using a medium-fast middle flex fly rod!) The weather was cold (down to 15 degrees with 40+ MPH winds). The 6 weight CROSS S1 protected 5X tippets incredibly well. Today, the best rod that we know of that meets these characteristics is the EPIC Graphene rod. This is currently our go-to big fish rod!
The SAGE R8 CORE and the EPIC Graphene nanotechnology rods do compare very well . We like rods that protects tippets when that big fish is hooked. The pictures below were caught by the first custom LOOP CROSS S1 in the world. I made it for myself. (many others have been made and sold but this is #1).
All of the fish below, plus approximately 70 other fish, were caught on this trip with that one rod. Many of the fish were between 20 and 24". Today, the closest rod made to this LOOP is the EPIC rod mentioned above. The EPIC rods are actually lighter than the LOOP
Performance and tippet protection, a great combination.