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02/22/11

bonefishing hawaii:

the sage tcx switch.

 

got my hands on the new sage tcx 6119-4 switch rod, so naturally i had to take her out for a spin a couple of times this week to see what these rods were all about.  i fished one on the grande ronde last fall, but never got the chance to really “get to know” it.  the sage 7126-4 tcx is an absolute cannon (and one of my personal favorites) so i expected nothing less from the “spawn” of the deathstar. 

 

after a few sessions on the water, all i can say is wow!  i have a number of switch rods in my arsenal, but this one became an instant favorite after the first full day of casts.  it is exactly what many out there are calling it, a baby spey rod that can throw some line.  the rod, like all switch rods will launch a single hand overhead cast, but where this rod really impresses is in the two handed arena.  i lined it with a rio skagit short 375gr. and liked the set up so much that i haven’t had a chance to line it up with anything else yet.  perhaps i will try a scandi on it this week, stay tuned.

 

i chose to get the six weight for possible smallmouth bass and trout this summer and smaller water summer steelhead in the fall, but i can see this rod becoming a go to stick for bones around these here parts too.  it may become my hi kai bomber of choice.  the rod performed extremely well with the critters that i have caught with it so far.  it probably won’t be the best for big bones in sketchy reef places (the seven or the eight may fit that bill), but the sage 6119-4 tcx is perfect for the little micro/rat bones that have been out and about lately (talk about a kick in the pants).  i’d say this rod is perfect for bones under five pounds in places with “breathing room” like hi kai.  it will certainly handle larger fish but i have a feeling it may be a little light to land bigger fish in the time that i prefer to land them.

 

the only drawback i’ve found with this rod so far is that it leaves you wondering about and wanting the five, seven, and eight. i’ve only been doing this two hand stuff for about two years now and casting skagit style with skagit lines even less, so i’m no expert on the matter (just an average guy looking for a good time and constantly working on getting better).  however, when a rod is such a pleasure to cast that it actually dictates where, how, and what you fish for rather than the fish and conditions dictating where to go and what to use... it's pretty safe to say, "the girl's a keeper."

 

rod: sage 6119-4 tcx (spawn of deathstar)

reel: abel 3n (deep green, of course)

backing: power pro 65lb. white

running line: rio powerflex core shooting line .30 intermediate

line: rio skagit short 375gr.

tip: 10ft. clear intermediate

leader: 5ft. 20lb. fluorocarbon

fly: orange charlie and tan charlie

get used to seeing this set up, i have a feeling it will be in quite a few blogs to come.

 

 

to the pics...

 

what the locals call "pan size".  baby spey meets baby omilu (bluefin trevally).

 

also got the giant aha (giant needle fish), though this one was kinda missing the giant part.  not bad size though and super fun on the tcx switch, jumped all over the place.

 

watch that beak and teeth.  these guys go crazy and have been known to cause injury.

 

micro bones are a hoot on this rig.

 

rats are too!  i actually had to move a little to get this guy under control quickly... that tells me the rod may be a bit light for bigger creatures (as many of you know, i hate to move)... we shall see.

 

an ultra sweet, ultra crisp, ultra light weight two hander from sage.  the funnest thing on the water since the advent of the giant squirting rumba cucumba.  good times.

 

clay.


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