Either way, the 6-weight Sage Foundation lacked feel for my up close and personal casts, but like I said, that’s very typical of fast-action rods, especially at such a reasonable price point. A couple months after the show, Sage was kind enough to ship me a 5-weight FOUNDATION outfit which includes a 2250 reel, RIO Gold Fly Line, backing, leader, and combo rod/reel case. It’s the very foundation of what defines a Sage rod – Performance - taking your game to another level.
*Your purchase helps to support the work of Gear Institute. The rod was functional as a dry fly rod, and as a nymphing stick. The Foundation failed to top any performance category, but it stuck close enough to make it a respectable ‘quiver of one’ trout rod for the angler who pursues trout in a variety of conditions. Dan Nelson is GearInstitute.com's Managing Editor & fly fishing editor. It’s all about the blank. It fell well in the middle of the pack, behind the Foundation, H3F, and Nimbus. It offers good casting distance, but can’t come close to matching the Sage Method.
And casting out around 60 or 70 feet — even in swirling cross winds — the rod wasn’t letting me down. Start there. Read our full Sage Foundation review for more detail. It’s usually a bit easier to cast longer distances and throw bigger flies into the wind with a fast-action rod if you have a firm and authoritative casting motion .
And, I must admit, whenever I’m making short casts, I’m usually trying hard to avoid movement if not outright hide from a fish I can see. The Sage Foundation isn’t Sage’s fastest rod, but it is still a fast action rod, especially when compared to some of the other models in this class. The Sage Foundation uses Sage’s older Graphite IIIe composite materials — that keeps costs down while still providing good performance in a versatile trout rod. It short, it’s true jack of all trades, master of none. Fast-action rods are sometimes called tip-flex rods because they’re built to have more bend in the tip section. It can deliver tiny dry flies delicately and it can toss big nymphs efficiently. Despite everything arriving together, I reviewed the reel separately here....so now it's the rod's turn for critique! To get a hold of me, take a "firstnamelastname" guess at ©2020 Man Makes Fire by Wicked Cool Words LLC. The Sage Foundation perfectly fits the definition of a versatile trout rod. Equipped with a high-performance blank (Graphite IIIe), the FOUNDATION has a fast action providing excellent casting power and effortless control. Head to your favorite river completely outfitted with the Sage Foundation Fly Rod Outfit. The rod is a touch heavier than some of the others in this class, but not by much, and its smooth flex in the upper mid-section helped achieve a balanced swing weight. .
During extensive testing, the Foundation was able to reach all the water we targeted, though some of the longest casts took a significant effort and near-perfect double-hauling skills during the cast.While not the best distance caster, the Sage Foundation proved a good middle-road contender in accuracy, besting all but the H3F and Nimbus here. Sage Foundation Outfit Review: The Rod The Sage Foundation Outfit offers excellent fast-action performance at a competitive price point. You'll be surprised at what you can do, what you never thought you would like, and you'll appreciate your world more than ever before. 20 to 40 feet) and was decently precise on longer casts. The Sage Foundation Rod on its own retails for about $325. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close Heck, you'll be a better person -- part of Earth instead of just on it. It doesn’t compete with Made-in-America reels that cost more than $250 in overall fit and finish, but the sealed carbon drag is smooth and super easy to adjust. Sage is best known for its high-end (and relatively expensive) fly rods, but the company has created an affordable midrange fly rod/reel combo in its Foundation Outfit. How does it fish?The Sage Foundation is a fast-action rod, which means it is stiffer in the lower 3/4 of the rod than a slow, medium or medium-fast rod.
So it’s not like my short casts are models of awesomeness when I’m on the water.Once I started pushing past 30 feet, the Sage Foundation felt fantastic. The rod wasn’t as smooth and efficient when throwing big streamers, but it was doable in a pinch.The Foundation has a good balance and swing-weight if casting within its sweet-spot — throws of less than 50 feet, with small to modest-sized flies. Man Makes Fire publishes in-depth outdoor gear reviews designed to help you find the right gear for your outdoor adventures.
The Foundation 7wt 9'0" is the perfect choice for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, steelhead, streamer fishing big browns, and flats saltwater fishing when the winds are calmer.
He is based in the Pacific Northwest. As per Sage, this is a fast-action rod built for diverse fishing conditions. Here is what we learned.Still, how does the Foundation rod cast? Equipped with a high-performance blank (Graphite IIIe), the FOUNDATION has a fast action providing excellent casting power and effortless control.