I recently built a Z-axis 9' 8wt 4 piece. I absolutely love the rod, but am annoyed that I constantly have to re-cinch the middle ferrule roughly every 20-30 minutes while fishing. The top ferrule seems snug, but occasionally the bottom one loosens up as well.

Any one else experience this, and suggest a solution?

Thanks,
Troy

Sage generally does a good job on fitting their ferrules, but sometimes an ill fitting one will slip through. I assume you're assembly them correct? Mis-align the pieces by 90 degrees and slide together. Then, apply greater pressure while twisting them into alignment. This generally keeps them tight during a day's fishing.

It's not a bad idea to check the ferrules for looseness during a day's fishing. Maybe on a lunch break, disassemble the rod and then reassemble it.

Now if this doesn't help, you're going to need to do a little work on the ferrules. Nothing major, just some minor fitting. But before you move to that step, make sure you're assembling them correctly. And remember, according to Bruce Holt at G. Loomis, "You can't put a ferrule together too tightly." He's probably right, just make sure to do it as outlined above.

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A little U 40 ferrule lube can help the ferrules stay nice and tight also. Had a buddy's Sage TCR 6 wt middle ferrule crack from not checking the ferrules as often as he should have in AK last year.