curtis bias

I bought the ZXL. 8.5 foot 5 wt. - I really like it. It is a very natural rod for me to cast. A friend of mine says that he has spent some time with the 4 wt you are thinking about and described it as "one sweet rod". He mainly fishes Winston rods, and has a buncha' rods that he fools around with from time to time. I can't say if you will like the ZXL or not, but it suits me just fine. I've never cast a better rod.

This is a super nice rod compared to what I have been using. The rod has a nice natural feel to me. If I had to describe it in a word, I would call it smooth. this is a precise casting rod with enough guts to get the fly out where I toss it. I was dropping the line tip into my baseball cap consistently at about 40 to 50 feet while lawn casting this evening. - I think I am going to like this rod very much. Just have to give it a bend test with a few fish to see how sensitive it is, and how it performs when it counts.

Well, I ended up buying the 8.5 foot 5 wt. I'll let you guys and gals know how I get along with it once it arrives (and I catch a few fish with it).

Thanks for the feedback- The price tag is just making me balk a little bit. I've never had a rod over $100 before. I'm just starting to get picky about what I fish with and developing some sense of what I like in a rod.

I'm looking at buying a new rod. My wife will let me spring the coin for a Sage. I've narrowed my choices down to either the Z-Axis or ZXL in a 9 foot 5 wt. configuration. A little background: I fish a St. Croix Triumph 9 ft. 5 wt. from time to time when going after cold water species. I use it for dry flies, nymphing, and casting streamers. If the streamers get heavy, it casts like a dog, but otherwise is a decent rod. I've caught some fish with it. I also fish with a Scientific Anglers 9 ft. 5/6 wt rod that comes with the SA fishing kits. I love this rod for warm water fishing with a 6 wt line. This rod has a slower action than the St. Croix. The St.Croix is listed as a moderate action rod. I think I am enjoying slower action rods more than the faster stuff. I also cast a 8.5 foot 5 wt flight and thought it was a good rod. Felt just right. I just heard that the sensitivity of the rod suffered a little. The guy in the shop recommended a ZXL instead. The price difference is staggering.The Flight is $280 the ZXL is close to $700. I'm fishing for cold water species most often on small rivers. Max casts are maybe 30 yards. Most fishing happens much closer than that. Maybe 20 feet away or less.- What do you guys think? Z-Axis or ZXL? Which stick is going to put the biggest smile on my face?

I wear them. Bought them on sale. I fished in a blizzard in January and have had them out in June. No complaints so far. They keep me dry.- I love them.

What are you asking for the coat? It is my size. As far as trades go, what are you looking for or interested in?

yo!

In my opinion, you may be underpriced on a few of these. Of course, I don't know what people pay for hand crafted fishing nets these days. I do know what people pay for wood, and I do know what shop time costs. I'm guessing that you aren't making any real profit, but are having a good time in the shop.

Those are really nice looking nets. I appreciate your work. I'm a wood working junkie too.

PM or e-mail me a price on that Cabela's RLS2. Thank-you.

I'll be hitting the Little Missori once the weather turns a bit cooler and I can pry myself away from my day job. I heard the fishing there was quite good during the winter months. The guy I talked to said that if you can't catch and release 50 in a day, you aren't a very good fisherman. I feel better now that you guys say you didn't catch much there when you went. - It looks like a nice place to wade fish to me and it is close to my home.

If this is the same rod I am thinking about, they are very nice rods. Even better if you replace the reel seat with something that isn't graphite or plastic. I have two of them. If anyone wants to replace the reel seat, give me a shout. I can tell you exactly how to do it. The reel seat isn't put on the rod in a conventional way.

Do you still have these?

Yeah, but it was a fun trip anyway. I talked to a buddy of mine that is a guide. He also said we should have been farther up on the White if we were after better fishing. By the way, I zeroed too, but I had a good time ahnging out with some great folks.