Specifications
• Models:
Bluegill,
Smallmouth,
Largemouth,
Peacock
• Length: 7'11''
• Sections: Four
• Line Weight: 230gr, 290gr, 330gr, 390gr
• Handle: Custom pre-shaped cork, 6 1/2'' full-wells grip
• Reel Seat: Saltwater safe, red anodized aluminum
• Action: Fast
• Price: $550
September 22, 2011 (San Francisco, CA):
You wouldn't go off-roading in a Prius or
sport water skis on a powder day, so don't settle for a
trout rod if it's bass you're after. Sage understands the importance
of designing fly rods suited for specific applications, and their new
Bass II is the epitome of a specialized fly rod that delivers
spectacular results.
Purpose-built for the demanding
conditions unique to fly fishing for bass and other warmwater
species, the Sage Bass II doesn't just continue the legacy of Sage's
original Bass series, it rewrites what's possible in the
quest for bigger bugs and badder fish. The
Sage Bass II is lighter and stronger than its predecessor, delivering
a faster action and higher line speed for tighter loops, easier line
pickup, and maximum efficiency.
Read the full press release on the Sage Bass II Fly Rods...
Series Overview
New for 2011, the reigning king of
Sage's Bass II series is the Peacock Fly Rod. The name says it all:
it's the only fly rod of its kind that packs big game power in a
7'11” package, engineered to take on the biggest bass and warm
water monsters with supreme efficiency. P.I.M.P. out your fly
rod arsenal with the star of the Sage Bass II series, designed to be
the ultimate tool for Peacock, Musky and
Pike. Capable of casting giants flies with dead on
delivery, the Sage Bass II Peacock Fly Rod can quickly turn over even
the most stubborn of catches. This makes the Sage Bass II Peacock the
ideal fly rod for tying into tarpon and snook deep within the
mangroves, clocking in at under eight feet to keep you in control of
the fight when fish get down into the structure where other fly rods
simply cannot perform. In addition to improving your capacity to cast
accurately and fight hard, the ultra lightweight design of the Sage
Bass II Peacock alleviates the fatigue that accompanies using
lengthy, heavy fly rods to hook hefty fish. That means you can fish
longer and fish more effectively, especially in tight quarters.
Great rods made even better: The
other three models of the Sage's signature Bass II series have been
redesigned to offer higher line speed and greater lifting power. The
Bass II Bluegill, Smallmouth, and Largemouth are aptly named and finely tuned to excel across
the board in warm water fishing environments. No matter the
conditions or density of cover, Sage Bass IIs are capable of
catapulting wind resistant flies to the farthest reaches of your
favorite waters and pulling out bruisers with ease. From panfish
to stripers, largemouths to wipers, Sage Bass II Fly Rods are
exceptionally lightweight with uncompromising strength. And while
their applications might be varied to satisfy individual tastes, all
of the Sage Bass II models share the same core principle: maximum
leverage for optimal efficiency. At 7'11”, the Sage Bass II
fly rods aren't just tournament-ready for the few and fearless fly
competitors, they're fly rods built for every angler who wants to
hone their bass game.
Combine this cutting edge engineering
with a fly line that's tailor-made to max out each rod's potential,
and you have a supremely balanced instrument that offers an
unprecedented blend of finesse and brute strength. The fly line
is the driving force behind a successful rod outfit, and each model
in the Sage Bass II comes with a heavy-duty line (ranging from 230
grains to a whopping 390 grains). And when you do tie into a hard
hitting behemoth, the Sage Bass II's enormously powerful butt section
allows you to turn over fish quickly and pull them from the cover.
It's this interplay between the rod action, the fine-tuned line
taper, and Sage's superior graphite III material that makes the Bass
II fly rod spectacularly fun.
Stellar performance aside, it
doesn't hurt to have a fly rod that looks good. The Sage Bass II
features a new high-contrast
colorway to match their high-octane power, with a radiant Tree
Frog Green shaft and rust, gold and black thread wraps. Top it off
with a saltwater safe, red anodized reel seat for a finish that's as
crisp as the action of the rod. But don't let the polished exterior
mislead you, Sage Bass II Fly Rods are fiercely capable of handling a
lifetime of hard fishing and tough love.
The evidence of Sage's hard work shines
in every cast, and the Bass IIs are exceptionally crafted to suit
your big bass addiction. If you're
at home in the mangroves or marsh, if you love hucking flies in the
delta and ripping lunkers from cover, the Sage Bass II is exactly
what you've been waiting for. Sage pioneered a new way of
thinking about fly fishing for warm water species with their first
generation of the Bass Fly Rod series, and they've managed once again
to redefine what's possible in crafting predator fly rods for
predator fish.
Sage Bass II Bluegill Fly Rod
Weight: 3 3/8oz
Line Size: 230gr
Sage Bass II Smallmouth Fly Rod
Weight: 3 7/16oz
Line Size: 290gr
Sage Bass II Largemouth Fly Rod
Weight: 3 9/16oz
Line Size: 330gr
Sage Bass II Peacock Fly Rod
Weight: 4 3/4oz
Line Size: 390gr
sage bass ii fly rods - PRO Review by leland's keith brauneis
What's the word...
For a while there have been whispers among the diehards in warmwater fly fishing that a new series of bass rods were in the works at Sage. And thankfully it's true! The Sage Bass II Series of fly rods takes the powerful delivery and stout fish-fighting abilities of the Sage Bass Series, and adds another measure of accuracy, feel and general casting enjoyment.
Features...
With four models where there were three, the Sage Bass II Series of rods provides a warmwater fishing tool for all comers -- dads looking to introduce their kids to panfish on the neighborhood pond, or dedicated anglers who migrate south annually to do battle in the mangroves.
The new Sage Peacock rod, designed to handle for the largest flies and meanest fish you can find, is destined to become the go-to option for anglers pursuing peacock bass, mangrove tarpon, snook, barramundi, golden dorado and muskies. For this kind of hit-and-hold fishing, you won’t find a more capable fighting tool!
Action…
Anyone who has fished poppers for ambush predators knows the adrenaline that comes with a topwater explosion, and anyone who has cast a well-designed fly rod knows the satisfaction that comes with an effortless delivery and accurate presentation. The new Sage Bass II Rods allow anglers to experience the crazy excitement of warmwater fly fishing, but also to enjoy precise casts that any spring creek angler would have to tip his hat to.
The Sage Bass II rods are damn fast, incredibly powerful rods, as they need to be. But with the included fly lines, with which they’ve been designed in tandem, they are perfectly balanced. These high-diameter, short-tapered lines load these rods perfectly, and delivery stubborn flies like deer-hair poppers without pussyfooting around. Like all Sage fly rods, the Bass II rods respond best to an efficient, compact casting stroke – the kind that loads and unloads the rod crisply, generates tight loops, and provides the out-of-body experience and familiar, profound feeling of gratitude that, since you got into fly fishing, you’re the luckiest person in the world. (For more about this feeling, come chech out the
Bass Fly Fishing School at our
Sonoma Ranch.)
Materials…
The Sage Bass II Series rods are made with Sage’s tried and true Graphite IIIe material, producing a hugely powerful but lightweight blank. The resulting rods will carry a lot of line in the air and horse fish from structure, but will also load predictably so they are a pleasure to cast. The 7-foot-11-inch Sage Bass II rods fight like the meatsticks they are, but somehow cast a lot like trout rods.
More so than their predecessors, the Sage Bass II rods have a solid mid-section that allows you to make a pick-up-and-lay-down with at least 60 feet of line out the tip. Just like on the flats, sometimes you need to make a long cast in a hurry in bass fishing, and having to strip line in before you can backcast means critical seconds lost. In side by side testing, we noticed the Sage Bass II Largemouth Rod performs this task much better than its ancestor, which had a tendency to buckle and shake when asked to pick up a long cast's worth of line.
Fit and Finish
Similar in appearance to the original series of Sage Bass rods, but Bass
II rods feature red, gold and black accents over a “Tree Frog Green”
blank, achieving a familiar-though-updated look reminiscent of the glass
and cane rods of the good ol’ days. The bold red anodize on the
machined aluminum, double-uplocking reel seat is a more distinctly
new-school touch we’re happy about.
Tricked out with Sage’s standard retinue of high-end components, the
Sage Bass II fly rods feature Hopkins and Holloway chrome-plated
stainless wire snake guides and tip-tops, and outsized stripping guides to accommodate the truly large fly lines that make these rods get up and dance. The full wells grips are of high-grade cork, with a reinforced composite fighting butt.
The Sage
Bass II Fly Rods come with their respective matching floating fly lines and
a light green, nylon covered, padded carrying case with room for an
attached reel and zippered compartments for accessories. A nice, compact
package
Run-Down...
Proven Sage 3e graphite construction
Compact length and light in hand
Extremely powerful and accurate at short to medium distances with big flies
Great hook setting and fish fighting ability
Heavy duty, English Hopkins and Holloway guides and tip top
Padded nylon, PVC rod case with dividers and reel pocket
Limited lifetime warranty
Sum-Up...
First and foremost, these rods are a lot of fun to cast and
fish with. They make the good solid fun of a day of bass fishing that much more awesome, and they bestow a sense of power and control in a small,
relatively lightweight package. Feeling a good deal livelier than the original Sage Bass rods, the Sage Bass II fly rods are just a blast to cast, will “swim” or “pop” flies better than longer rods, and are way more substantial when you need a monster hook set.
Most
importantly, once the fish is hooked, these fly rods will do what fly
rods are typically very poor at doing; pulling fish from heavy cover and
beating them quickly with maximum turning power.
Thanks for reading, and check out these links to learn more!
Keith Brauneis
Creative Director
Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters
Check out the Sage Bass II Fly Rods:
Sage Bass II Bluegill Fly Rod
Sage Bass II Smallmouth Fly Rod
Sage Bass II Largemouth Fly Rod
Sage Bass II Peacock Fly Rod