Finally, someone has come up with some rods to challenge the Loomis GLX series in performance rods. In mid- September, I took the 490 XP (9 foot #4) alongwith me on a trip to fish the Boulder River near McLeod. Hoppers were still everywhere, so I pulled out a #8 Whit's hopper and was amazed to see how effortless it was to cast long distances, as well as very accurately with the new 490 XP. I didn't realize that I had made a mistake and pulled out a reel with a WF-5-F line and was using it on the 490 XP, but it was just delightful fishing those hoppers. Later that day I did realize that I was fishing a 5 and found my 4 weight reel and switched. By then there was a decent Baetis hatch and I fished some #20 Baetis Sparkle Duns, using a 12 foot 6X leader. The WF-4-F seemed the match the 490 XP perfectly also, especially with the smaller flies. I was impressed! The new XP rods are wonderfully light in your hand and they have a soft tip in relation to the butt and mid section so that you can cast very accurately in close by just casting off the tip of the rod. When you need the power to reach out, you have every bit you need. These are relatively fast action rods for Sage, much like the Loomis GLX rods in action. The big thing that hit me was how light these rods are in your hand. This is no clunker like some of the rods Sage has marketed in the last few years.

In late September I got a chance to use Sage's 890 XP (9 foot #8) for a week at Enchanted Lake Lodge in Alaska. This rod was equally impressive and a delight to use, catching big rainbows. Seven to twelve pound rainbows will really test an 8 line rod to its limits, and the XP held up perfectly. It had some great butt and mid section power to play those big fish and land them in a hurry. In March of 2000, I took this same 890XP along with me to Cuba in search of big bonefish, and the new XP was simply wonderful. Long double hauls into the wind seemed effortless, and the butt power for playing big seven and eight pound bones was impressive. These XP rods are what the RPLXi Rods should have been! For 2001, Sage has read our minds and introduced both 9 and 10 weight rods into the line up for saltwater use. These are sure to be big winners with all our saltwater fans. Once you try one of these new XP rods, you'll want to send us all your RPLXi's so that we can sell them on consignment for you! Why suffer, when you can be casting a stick like this?

More good news: these XP rods are priced right and we have them in stock.
When other top of the line rods from Loomis, Winston and Scott are hitting close to $600, it is refreshing to see these XP's priced at around $500 for the two piece models. The four piece models range from $555 to $585.

We have most of these new XP rods in stock right now. If you would like to try one, give us a call or e-mail us and we can have one in your hands in just a few days or even overnight!