Posted: 4/6/2021 9:34:31 PM EDT
A while back I busted a 080-3 SPL fishing for westslope cutts somewhere in Idaho. I sent the old SPL back to Sage June of 2020. After almost a year I received the replacement via FedEx today. Eager to give it a try, I unpacked it, threw on a reel and went out in my backyard to give it a go. It is handy having a creek in the backyard sometimes.    Overall, I am very happy with the rod. I was able to make some nice casts with it. I will always be a fan of the older Sage ultralight rods; however, given how hard they are to come by. I am going to put them away for good and fish the TXL-F. I am very happy with the rod and think I might pick up a few more. Now that I live in the Southeastern US, I cant wait to try it out on some smallmouth creeks! i will naturally also take it with me when I go back and visit Idaho. |
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Originally Posted By TxAthlete42: Nice! I have an 8wt Sage I use for reds in the salt water flats along the coast. I've always been amazed at how well a 3 or 5 section rod performs. Maybe that's why they are $1k! Anyway, congrats and the long wait. Yeah, I use a 9wt when I go down to FL or for fishing for Chinook out west. Damn, all this talking about fly fishing make me realize that I need to get out and fish. |
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Damn that's a long time! I have an old Sage here that has a broken ring I need to send back. ugh. I broke an Orvis rod a while back, and it was an out of production model, so I was kinda hoping I would just get a new model. Nope. New tip section back in 2 weeks. haha, I do love the rod though, so I was happy to have it working that quickly. |
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Originally Posted By pagoda: Damn that's a long time! I have an old Sage here that has a broken ring I need to send back. ugh. I broke an Orvis rod a while back, and it was an out of production model, so I was kinda hoping I would just get a new model. Nope. New tip section back in 2 weeks. haha, I do love the rod though, so I was happy to have it working that quickly. They said that they had to wait for the graphite to build the TXL-F. This was after they contacted me saying that they couldn’t repair my old SPL because that graphite was no longer available. I suppose I shouldn’t bitch as it did not cost me anything at all. Unlike some other rod companies that charge for their lifetime warranty repairs. On a positive note, I took it out yesterday to a little trout creek. I was very happy with how the rod cast and the fish on feel. |
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Originally Posted By Adder13: They said that they had to wait for the graphite to build the TXL-F. This was after they contacted me saying that they couldn’t repair my old SPL because that graphite was no longer available. I suppose I shouldn’t bitch as it did not cost me anything at all. Unlike some other rod companies that charge for their lifetime warranty repairs. On a positive note, I took it out yesterday to a little trout creek. I was very happy with how the rod cast and the fish on feel. Originally Posted By Adder13: Originally Posted By pagoda: Damn that's a long time! I have an old Sage here that has a broken ring I need to send back. ugh. I broke an Orvis rod a while back, and it was an out of production model, so I was kinda hoping I would just get a new model. Nope. New tip section back in 2 weeks. haha, I do love the rod though, so I was happy to have it working that quickly. They said that they had to wait for the graphite to build the TXL-F. This was after they contacted me saying that they couldn’t repair my old SPL because that graphite was no longer available. I suppose I shouldn’t bitch as it did not cost me anything at all. Unlike some other rod companies that charge for their lifetime warranty repairs. On a positive note, I took it out yesterday to a little trout creek. I was very happy with how the rod cast and the fish on feel. That policy has since changed. You got in under the wire as they say. Sage changed the "lifetime warranty" some time ago and depending on what series rod you bought, the newer ones do not have that same policy. The TXL has a serious following. |
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Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: That policy has since changed. You got in under the wire as they say. Sage changed the "lifetime warranty" some time ago and depending on what series rod you bought, the newer ones do not have that same policy. The TXL has a serious following. Thanks for the info! i am wonder if it was replaced because the old SPL falls under the old lifetime warranty. I am not bitching abut the TXL-F as I took it out and it fishes great, I still would rather have my old SPL back though as I prefer it. |
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Originally Posted By Adder13: Thanks for the info! i am wonder if it was replaced because the old SPL falls under the old lifetime warranty. I am not bitching abut the TXL-F as I took it out and it fishes great, I still would rather have my old SPL back though as I prefer it. Originally Posted By Adder13: Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: That policy has since changed. You got in under the wire as they say. Sage changed the "lifetime warranty" some time ago and depending on what series rod you bought, the newer ones do not have that same policy. The TXL has a serious following. Thanks for the info! i am wonder if it was replaced because the old SPL falls under the old lifetime warranty. I am not bitching abut the TXL-F as I took it out and it fishes great, I still would rather have my old SPL back though as I prefer it. I think they removed the lifetime warranty mainly due to cost. That is a hell of a liability to carry on their books considering how long that would be. Another reason is, I think, due to material availability in the future. As graphite fly rods change as does their material, having say the old Graphite II material still around 20 plus years later is probably not going to happen. |
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Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: I think they removed the lifetime warranty mainly due to cost. That is a hell of a liability to carry on their books considering how long that would be. Another reason is, I think, due to material availability in the future. As graphite fly rods change as does their material, having say the old Graphite II material still around 20 plus years later is probably not going to happen. When I spoke with the rep, he stated that there are is a bit of a grace given with the real old rods. That makes sense as back in the day we had to fill out the card and send it in. Now everything has to be registered online on their site. When I did mine, it only asked for the model and serial number. I wonder if they even bothered to manually cross referenced it with the old cards that were sent in back in the 90s/early 2000s. |
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Originally Posted By Adder13: When I spoke with the rep, he stated that there are is a bit of a grace given with the real old rods. That makes sense as back in the day we had to fill out the card and send it in. Now everything has to be registered online on their site. When I did mine, it only asked for the model and serial number. I wonder if they even bothered to manually cross referenced it with the old cards that were sent in back in the 90s/early 2000s. I worked customer service for a fly rod manufacturer at one point. We never looked the old cards up. Would cost more in man hours than it was worth. |
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Just broke a sage yesterday in Montana but got the fish. Brand new. Tip snapped. Will se how long it takes Attached File Attached File |
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Originally Posted By paulg26: Just broke a sage yesterday in Montana but got the fish. Brand new. Tip snapped. Will se how long it takes https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/138621/20210901_130418_jpg-2076439.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/138621/20210902_113612_jpg-2076440.JPG What model Sage? Looks like a Foundation. |
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I still have a Sage 7wt and a 5wt I bought back in 84, broke the tip on the 5wt in Alaska in 89. When I got back I drove over to their factory and the guy looked at, took the whole rod and disappeared for about 20 min. Came back with a new top section and said thank for your business. Pretty cool. I also snapped my Loomis Steelhead rod, though the one I broke was no longer available they sent me close a replacement. |
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Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: What model Sage? Looks like a Foundation. Shadow x They are already sendinding the replacement piece under waranty Attached File This one broke rod 
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Originally Posted By paulg26: Shadow x They are already sendinding the replacement piece under waranty https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/138621/20210902_113627_jpg-2079067.JPG This one broke rod Originally Posted By paulg26: Originally Posted By rebel_rifle: What model Sage? Looks like a Foundation. Shadow x They are already sendinding the replacement piece under waranty https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/138621/20210902_113627_jpg-2079067.JPG This one broke rod Shadow X is an Echo rod, not a Sage FYI. |
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An update to this, I was out fishing a creek in Southern Kentucky for trout. I brought this rod and my 10.5’ 3wt. Somehow I managed to lose the damn tip section on the TXL-F. I didn’t realize it until I was back at the car. Tried to retrace my steps but couldn’t find it. I guess I need to contact Sage to see how much a new 0wt tip section will cost me. I still have an old SLT 0wt but I am very hesitant to fish it. As at this point it’s basically irreplaceable if broken. Guess the 10.5’ 3wt will have to be my creek rod for the time being. |
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Reviving with a Sage “warranty” experience. 8 weight z axis my wife bought me for my birthday back when it was a major expenditure. I was happy to have a “warranty.” Tip broke when hooked into a baby tarpon. I had to send the whole rod back. Sage said it is not warranty repair so $195 because it is a legacy rod. No grandfather to previous policy, pay or we ship back as is. I payed because of the sentimental nature, but I am not buying Sage anymore. I have been fly fishing for 40 years and have had 2 rods break. The Echo rod was $20 for a tip section and back on the water in 1 week. Sage says 3-6 months. |
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Originally Posted By Pescatore: Reviving with a Sage “warranty” experience. 8 weight z axis my wife bought me for my birthday back when it was a major expenditure. I was happy to have a “warranty.” Tip broke when hooked into a baby tarpon. I had to send the whole rod back. Sage said it is not warranty repair so $195 because it is a legacy rod. No grandfather to previous policy, pay or we ship back as is. I payed because of the sentimental nature, but I am not buying Sage anymore. I have been fly fishing for 40 years and have had 2 rods break. The Echo rod was $20 for a tip section and back on the water in 1 week. Sage says 3-6 months. I know several old time dedicated Sage rod owners and they are of the same experience/opinion as you. No more Sage for them. |
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I have the original TXL 1710-3 (1wt). It’s a lot of fun. I still have some of the older models like ZXL, Z-Axis, XP, Salt, Method, X, Salt HD, etc. . . Not looking forward to future repairs though. On another note, I sent in a Sage Spey R8 5126-4 with a broken tip on 10/19. I just got notification that the repair was complete with no charge. That took just a bit over a month. Farbank has treated me well over the years.  Across the board, Sage’s variety of models, tapers, materials tech and outright performance are tough to beat. I can’t think of another brand that has models near the top of the class as far as technical dry fly, Czech nymphing, high line speed saltwater, and Spey. |
“I don't know what the prize is. I just wanna win.” - Usernames
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Originally Posted By paulg26: Shadow x They are already sendinding the replacement piece under waranty https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/138621/20210902_113627_jpg-2079067.JPG This one broke rod Some of you guys suck....lol beautiful scenery, water and fish...... I got to get back out in the spring. |
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Originally Posted By Pescatore: Reviving with a Sage “warranty” experience. 8 weight z axis my wife bought me for my birthday back when it was a major expenditure. I was happy to have a “warranty.” Tip broke when hooked into a baby tarpon. I had to send the whole rod back. Sage said it is not warranty repair so $195 because it is a legacy rod. No grandfather to previous policy, pay or we ship back as is. I payed because of the sentimental nature, but I am not buying Sage anymore. I have been fly fishing for 40 years and have had 2 rods break. The Echo rod was $20 for a tip section and back on the water in 1 week. Sage says 3-6 months. Damn how things have changed. I haven’t purchased a Sage rod in quite some time. I guess if I ever want to get a new rod, it won’t be a Sage. |