Here in Northern California, a 9 foot 5 weight rod is what we call a general purpose trout rod. One could fish big open water like the Yuba with one. One could lake fish with one. In a pinch, one could be used for small stream fishing.
The Sage Z-Axis 590-4 is the embodiment of an ideal 5 weight rod. Sage uses it's latest and greatest of technology called G5. It has better fiber alignment uses less resins making for a lighter rod. G5 also allows for more efficient recovery, so one could deliver more line speed with less effort.
The rod is a dream to cast. It's fast action matches my stroke. The rod doesn't need a hard forward push. Just give it a hard down haul, and trust the rod to do its thing. For a fast action rod, the Z-Axis loads close in well enough to drop a #20 BWO gently, yet it has the backbone to throw a wind resistant deer hair #4 Salmon Fly dry to 60 feet.
I spent several years using the venerable XP 590-4. Now I have a rod that can perform better with less effort.
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Denny - Doin' it real since 1969. dennis@flyfishingspecialties.com
