Fly Blog

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods  – Ever wonder why you might want a longer fly rod?  Ever have people tell you that you can punch through the wind and cast further with a longer rod?  Ever wonder why?

The answer to this is simple physics.  The tip of an eight foot fly rod that gets swung between 11 to 1 o’clock is going to travel a distance of 3.7 ft.  The tip of a ten foot rod traveling the same arc is 4.7 ft.  That means the rod tip is going to travel 27% further.  If you keep your casting stroke constant for both rods, then your fly is going to be traveling 27% faster!  That, my friend, is a huge advantage when trying to buck the wind or drive some distance.

The Adams was originally tied by Lenard Halladay of Mayfield, Michigan about 1922. It was named for Charles F. Adams of Lorin, Ohio, who fished it on the Boardman River in Michigan with good success. The Adams has been dyed to imitate deer flies, mayflies, caddis in flight and in smaller sizes gnats and mosquitoes. Most anglers rely on the Adams to represent a multitude of grayish and brownish mayflies and “when all else fails, cast and chance” this pattern. The Adams is probably at its best when used for the western hatch of Callibaetis in sizes 12-16. Northwest anglers fish it for black drakes in sizes 10-12. A size 16-20 Adams can also be useful when fish are feeding somewhat indiscriminately on Baetis.
– courtesy http://www.visi.com

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods — I collected what I could find around the web of user reviews of the Sage ZXL fly rod. My conclusion is that if you are a die hard LL or SLT fan you may not like the ZXL. If you have an open mind and a willing body, are looking for a nice presentation rod, and want a premium rod you might just find the ZXL to be one sweet rod.

Well we had our first play with the new Sage ZXL series rods today. This is the SLT replacement. This is a moderate casting dry fly rod, sweet action. Yes its a $650 rod, which doesn’t appeal to a lot of people on here, others like them, personal choice, we’ve had that debate here lol. But to talk about how it casts. Pretty effortless, and I get to cast a lot of rods. Its not a cannon, very approachable.

Now there is a trend among a lot of highend rods to have a dramatically soft tip, moving towards a stiff butt. Think ZAxis; Winston Biix type of action. Very noticable when your pulling line off the water, and they do protect light tippets. This rod has a tippet protecting tip, but its a much gentler transition through the midsection into the butt. for me at least that means smooth. I can relax fishign these rods, there’s no alarm bells going off through the pickup, false casts and delivery.

Lightness of the G5 rods (Sage’s tradename for this technology) is right there, pretty color. –posted http://ozarkanglers.com

Had a chance to cast one the other day. Think it was the 9′5wt..very nice rod, very smooth but not that fast..I liked it alot.. –posted http://ozarkanglers.com

I’ve read some posts by guys who tried it. The conclusion is if you like the LL, you probably won’t like the ZXL. If you like the SLT, you probably won’t like the ZXL. If you like something in the middle of those two. You’ll like it. –posted http://www.flyfish.com

I have just received my ZXL 9ft 5wt and really like it.
I am just playing with some different lines on it at present to see which one I prefer. I have fished the SA XPS on it and am about to try the SA GPX and Rio Gold for a comparison. I also have the Sage SLT and Z-Axis in 5wt 9ft and love them all. Timing and feeling your rod load will make the real difference! –posted http://www.flyfish.com

I made my first major purchase rod purchase in a couple of years this fall….. the lovely Sage ZXL 5 weight, matched to the Airflo Trout Tactical Ridge Line, this outfit is a beautiful addition to my arsenal. I’ve been fishing it almost exclusively since I purchased it and find it to be the perfect balance of power and delicacy…. it casts as far as I need it to but is soft enough to protect the 7x tippets we use on a daily basis here on the Farmington. –posted http://www.farmingtonriver.com

The new ZXL is far superior to the SLT for my personal casting. –posted http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com

Sage 376 ZXL gets my vote. You got that kind of money, you buy Sage or Winston. But I’m a Sage guy. –posted http://flyfishcalgary.com

i also have the zxl 9ft 5wgt it is a lovely rod but is it any better than the slt? –posted http://www.sexyloops.co.uk

I recently acquired a Sage ZXL rod and have found it to be the best casting rod I have ever owned. –posted http://www.ozarkchronicles.com

I got a sage 590-ZXL and I love it… Super smooth, light and very accurate. … –posted www.utahonthefly.co