[yellowlab]

Does anyone have any feedback on these rods. Are they viable candidates or would you recommend passing them in favor of the Sages and/or Scotts. Im curious to see as a beginner what you would recommend as an inexpensive starting point for spey casting/steelheading... I've heard mixed reports RE: the VPS 9140. Would it be worthwhile to have one Sage versus two of St. Croix/Redington combos??

Thanks,

Paul

sorry.. I posted a dupe on the tackle page...

 

[MJC]

St. Croix 14'

Paul, I haven't used the Redington but I think the St. Croix is an excellent rod, especially considering the price and no BS warranty. I really loved the 14' 9/10 I had.

 

[Ol Rich]

St. Croix 14'

Paul,

I have a St. Croix 14' that I love. Have not cast a Redington but have cast many other rods and have not found one I would pay the extra money for. The St. Croix with a SA XLT 8/9 is a beutiful combination for my casting skill and style. The best thing is to cast as many rods as you can with someone who can help you determine which rod fits your skill and preference. A rod that I like may not be the best one for you.

I would recommend taking a couple lessons before you select a rod. Most classes have a number of rods you can cast. Come to the Spey Clave on Nov. 30 and you can try many different rod/line combinations and meet some knowledgable casters who are very willing to assist you.

Rich

 

[yellowlab]

Thanks Rich

Im looking forward to the Spey Dey. I was able to cast the SAGE 9140 (liked it alot), but Im still inclined to the St. Croix mostly due to the price and no BS warranty. I have RPLs (which the new VPS is supposedly based on) and other St. Croixs and have found both manufacturers to be good. If anyone else can suggest any other rods in the $200-$300 category that might be worth casting let me know. Id like to get my hands on them before the 30th so I have a good basis to form my final decision. BUT when it all comes down to it...isnt it most important to read the water, determine the weather, choose the fly and utmost technique, hooking and landing the fish??? Thats what intrigued me most to steelheading.. not so much tackle selection. Tackle is secondary to knowledge.

Paul:whoa:

Someone once told me: "thats why its called fishin' not catchin' "

 

[Norwegian]

I was planning to start this as it's own thread; but anyway:

This autumn I have testet the Scott SAS 13 ft 8-9, a medium level priced rod with a lifetime warranty. Several days I have tested it against a Loomis GLX of same lenght and weight.

If you love the Loomis GLX, you would find the SAS very very interesting, almost annoying similar in balance and casting performance (if you paid all those bucks for the GLX). I have casted it with several types of shooting heads, both 9/10s and 8/9s, and it carries the heavy ones as well as the lighter ones.

It should be added that rumours here in Scandinavia tells a redesigned model of the SAS will be out next year.

If you consider a medium proced rod - don't miss out on the SAS!

 

[tonyd]

Hear good things about the St.Croix from several anglers but don't know anyone with a Redington spey.Every Redington single-hander I've ever cast left me going away impressed though.You may also want to take a look at the LOOP Blackline rods.They should be in the same ballpark(price wise) and have recieved some good reviews.

 

[flytyer]

Yellowlab,

I have two friends who love the St.Croix 14 ft 9/10, which they have bothj owned for 5 years now. One fishes it with a 9/10/11 Windcutter (he likes a slower rod) and the other fishes his with the 8/9 Mid Spey (he likes a longer belly line).

The Redington is somewhat faster (not really fast, more like a fast, medium rod) than the St.Croix at a similar price. Take you pick. Sounds like you like medium-fast single-hand rod, so either of these would be to your liking.

The Sage VPS 9140 is just like the old brown 9140. And it is considerably cheaper than the new 9140, which I assume is the one you casted. It is a slow rod; however, it is not that much slower than the new 9140. Although the old brown 9140 was my first 2-hander, I quickly got tired of its slowness.

I owuld opt for two 2-handers, one for summer in a lighter line like the either the 13 footers by Redington and St.Croix, and the other a heavier line rod like the 15 footers from either of them. This way you will have a rod that is more suited to the water and flies you will be using at different times of the year.

 

[Speynut]

Paul,
Just recently came across a magazine column mentioning that Winston is coming out with a new line of inexpensive rods, the Ibis series, for around $300.

The brief article didn't mention the line weights of the spey rods they will offer but did state they will offer one or two spey/two-handers in this series. These rods are supposed to hit the market in March of 2003 if you aren't purchasing before then and wish to demo them.

I don't know much more than giving the Redington Redstarts a wiggle at the local shop, which obviously doesn't mean much, but for $250.00 they felt and looked damn good. I'd like to demo the 7/8 rod with a 7 wt. mid-spey pairing myself and see how it performs. The 7/8 rod seemed to have a pretty nice medium-fast taper and might make a nice small to midsize river rod.

If you try out one of these lighter rods, I'd be interested to hear what you think of it. John

 

[West Mich]

St. Croix vs Redington

I own a couple of the St. Croix rods. They cast every bit as nice as rods costing over twice as much. The 14' 9/10 is my most used winter rod and feels nearly identical to the old Sage 14' brown. I've used the Redington 13' 8/9. It's a very stiff action rod - too fast for my preference but you might like it. Try them both. I understand Redington's service is good. I can tell you firsthand that St. Croix's is great. The fish won't care which rod you're using.

 

[kush]

Yellowlab,

I think the 14' #9 St. Croix is an excellent place to start. The great thing in my opinion is that it is a good enough rod, that if and when you decide to step up to another rod it will stay as part of your arsenal as an excellent back up, it is a good call.

Ol Rich's suggestion of taking a lesson so as to "test drive" as many rods as possible is also a smart idea.

I have one other suggestion. You should try a older Sage 9140-3 piece, this is one of the best all-round rods ever made. It is very similar to the 14' St. Croix (in fact if you traced both of their lineages you would find they had the same designer) the difference is that the Sage will have better graphite. As for price, the 9140-3 is available very reasonably now, if you check around on e-bay or contact shops for old stock you could get a killer rod.

I have rods that number in the double digits and though the 9140-3 was my very first rod and I hardly ever use it - there is no way I will ever get rid of it. Dana and couple of friends and I were discussing the subject the night before last and we agree that the if one were (heaven forbid) limited to just one spey rod that the Sage 9140-3 would be the one. It is a cannon, handles tips well, has plenty of backbone yet is still light enough for smaller fish and water. If you can find one I can't think of a better rod.

 

[juro]

Yellowlab -

You could try a lot of rods at any of the Speyclaves coming up as well, one in January and one in February (just before the Fly Show).

Kush -

Are you referring to the euro action 9140-3?

 

[kush]

Juro,

I guess that is what you call it, it was the very first one I owned. I fish it very seldom, but when I do I always wonder why I don't use it more often as it is a sweet rod.

 

[sinktip]

I second the praise for the 9140-3. While I have never found a warm place in my heart for the old 9140-4, the -3 model was a sweeeet rod. I have been told that the 9141-4 is essentially the same rod but, thanks to Ryan, I spent some time last spring with the 9141 and it is no where near the same rod.

fyi: there is a 9140-3 listed on the forum's For Sale page by Silverdoc

Sage 9140-3 good condition with bag/tube- $300+shipping

 

[SpeyFitter]

I have the 9140-3 Euro action and I love this rod. It was Kush and Dana who recommended myself picking it up when I had the oppurtunity to buy it when it was discontinued and at a reduced price. Thank god I did buy it! I also ran into a caster from Washington who guides and he feels the 9140-3 is one of the best two handers ever made and that he has 3 of them. He also said he was looking to buy any more of them if he could find them. Sorry, but I don't think the 9141 is the a fair replacement for this rod, albeit it throws tight loops too, but it's still not the same which I think I've iterated before in the past.

Just make sure when you are buying/looking for this rod if you're interested in it that you look for the Graphite III (3) 9140-3 European action. IF you get a 9140-3 that is Graphite II (2) it is most likely the DS model and slightly softer.

Scott