Handled a 7 wt 10ft sage xp - 4 piece this weekend. Very nice but a bit pricey. Can any of you suggest alternate blanks that would give me the same feel and results at a lower price point? Thanks.

Check out the Dan Craft SigV 10ft 7wt - 3 piece or the FT - 4 piece you'll be very happy you did.

The St. Croix SCV, but they're also pricey. The Dan Craft would certainly be a good one to look at.

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I was also going to recommend the StCroix SCV models. They are very light and yet crisp and fast actioned. They cost less than the sage but are still expensive compared to some. But if that's the feel you want you may find that you have to pay for it.

Thanks for your input. I'll contact Dan craft


Regards

My 10 ft 7 wt Sig V Dan Craft really doesn't feel like the Sage XPs I tried, the Sage rods and many others have their own feel. It's not as fast actioned as the Sage, but the recovery time is every bit as fast or faster which I think is more important. It's a better rod for me as it's a cannon when it has to be, more forgiving of my limitations, and how I like to fish. Tight quarters and overhanging trees and brush that many walk past are not a problem with a rollcast or single hand spey, and that's something a lot of Sages I've fished are lacking at. I just cast/fish better with it. Been my goto rod for two seasons.

I built my 10' (9'9" really) sig V 7wt as a switch rod with a fixed 4" fighting butt. I haven't fished it yet but it casts beautifully. It's light enough to cast single handed no problem. I used Titan guides.

Tony

I have to agree with Spencer on this.I have the 10ft 7wt SIG V(mine is built with AT holographic guides and has become my #1 light salmon/steelhead rod,replacing my 10ft 7wt factory GLX) and it definitely "feels" a bit different from the XP.

The SIG V actually feels like it's a slightly lighter blank than the XP(the 3pc 10ft 7wt SIG V is actually lighter than most of the 9ft 5wt blanks I have used) and I think it recovers a bit faster(at least it feels that way to me),but it has a different action.The SIG V is definitely one of the lightest and fastest recovery blanks on the market,but it is more of a medium fast action(bends mostly in the top 1/3),as opposed to the XP,which is a bit faster action(bends more in the top 1/4 or so).The AA of the 10ft SIG V seems to average in the low to mid 60's,while the XP is right around the 70 mark(according to data that has been posted so far in the CCS data base).

I think most people who try the SIG V,end up loving it as it does seem a bit more forgiving and the super fast recovery/ultra light weight make it a serious performance rod.If you choose this blank,try to go with the lightest guides possible(like SF Recoils),or high end ceramics to get the most out of it.Titans or better yet,Fugi SIC/titanium frame guides(the Fugi's are lighter than the Titans in the SF fly guides from what I have read here) would be my choice if I was to build the same rod again(the holo guides I used are very nice,but a little bit heavier than I would like) and the ceramic ring/titanium frame would be the best of both worlds as far as performance and light weight are concerned.

If you truly want something as close to the XP as possible in action,the St Croix SCV may however be a closer match,as it too seems to be around the 70 mark in AA,and is also a very lightweight,fast recovery blank.It's more $ than the SIG V,but it "may" feel a bit more like the XP.I'll bet the 9ft6 7wt Rainshadow RX8+ is AWFULLY nice as well.Any of these 3 would be a great choice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2005 07:19AM by Tony Dowson.