Leland on the Sage Z-Axis 5126-4 Spey Rod
Here’s light-action spey-roddin’ that is both REAL and fun … and real fun! This Sage 5126-4 Z-Axis will invite the hard-core spey-rodder to not only focus on adult steelhead, but to get his or her next trout-fix on the swing as well. The 5126-4 Z-Axis is light in the hand, as a 5-weight spey rod should be,
but stout enough to handle a Rio Windcutter 4/5 or 5/6 with smooth responsiveness. The Skagit-style caster will like this rod with Rio’s Skagit 350 body, and its appropriate sink-tips. Whether you’re swinging bead-head leeches on a sink-tip, sparsely dressed soft-hackles on an intermediate tip, or skating caddis on a floating tip, it’s all about the tug of the grab, right?
Leland on Specifications
At twelve and a half feet, this 5-weight spey rod is the perfect tool for trout and summer-run steelhead.
Built on the Generation 5 graphite, the 5126-4 Z-Axis weighs in at just over 6 ounces, has fast-action, and fits into a 41-1/2 inch tube.
Specifications:
- Line Size: 5
- Rod Length: 12'6"
- Sections: 4
- Weight: 6 1/8 oz.
- Handle: 2 - Handed Grip
- Reel Seat: Uplocking Aluminum Reel Seat
- Action: Fast
- Tube Size: 41 1/2 in
Leland on Sage Z-Axis Spey Rods
Do yourself a really big favor before going out and just buying a spey rod other than a Sage Z-Axis … cast one! Don’t just give it the “in-shop shake”, actually strap a line on one and cast it. Now grab that other rod that you were thinking of getting, of similar weight, length, and action, and cast it. See, we told you!
The entire line of Sage’s Z-Axis spey rods, 5126-4, 6126-4, 7136-4, 8129-4, 9143-4, 10150-4, and 10160-4 are light in the hand, smooth in the load, and powerful and responsive in the cast. We don’t think that you’ll feel any differently about them. These are flat-out fun fishing tools!
• Generation 5 technology gives you a perfect balance of power and delicacy
• Fast yet incredibly smooth and responsive tapers
• The fit and finish is what you’d expect from Sage
Leland on the Sage Z-Axis Series
The Z-AXIS Fly Rod! Mr. Wizard is back and talk about pressure! You know the design team at Sage was sweating some serious bullets when they looked to replace the XP. For more than six years the XP fly rod series has been the industry standard by which fast action fly rods are measured and now it has been replaced. Enter the Z-Axis. We know you’re going to be completely awed by this Sage fly rod series! These rods are lighter and although they generate the fastest line speed of any fly rod, are easier to cast (if that is possible) than the XP models. The added advantage of the extreme line speed is accuracy and control of your fly. If you want to talk trackability . . .
Even though we now expect in-the-hand lightness from today’s fly rods, we never thought the Z-Axis weightlessness could be achieved without giving up strength. Oh how we were wrong! To bore you with a little technical talk,
by replacing the glass hoop fibers (the fiberglass center) with lighter, stronger graphite fibers, Sage found that during the baking process the graphite fibers bind together. These now bonded fibers give rise to a
stronger fly rod blank and the
lighter graphite fibers, well you know, the lightness! Sure we are simplifying the whole process but we know when you first pick up one of these rods you will have the same reaction, WOW. You are going hear more clichés than you can shake a stick at (we couldn’t resist just one) about this rod series but just remember,
if you want the lightest, most accurate fly rod on market, then reach for the Z-Axis. As Sage says it in one word “Magic” … and we couldn’t agree more.
Leland on Sage Fly Rods
Sage has been as committed to performance and innovation as any rod manufacturer in the world. Their dedication to research and development has produced some of the finest fly rods ever conceived. Models like the SP and RPLXi helped put Sage in a class reserved for only the best manufacturers. And many argue models like the XP and SLT have sent more than a few companies scurrying to catch up.
Sage, under the guise of company founder Don Green, has been pushing the envelope with state of the art materials from the moment the company opened it's doors in 1980. Sage was the first company to incorporate the use of IM6 (Graphite II) graphite in their rods. Through out the years Sage's use of graphite evolved, from graphite II and then to graphite III, and finally graphite IV. Today, all their high-end rods contain Graphite IIIe, a blend of both graphite III and IV. To date, graphite IIIe has the highest strength to weight ratio on the market. From the outset, the company's goal has been to create rods that generate high line speeds. As thousands of Sage owners will attest, the design of their rods enables the fisherman to have extraordinary line control. Casting a Sage means placing your fly where you want it, not where you hope it goes.
In 1994 Sage brought in Jerry Siem to take over rod development and design. Siem, a Minnesota native, has been responsible for the development of the SLT and XP. These rods quickly found themselves on rivers, streams, and flats all over the world. They are characterized as exceptional casting rods that allow both the novice and the expert to enjoy them tremendously. With the advent of the TCR in 2003 and now the Xi2 in 2004, Jerry has raised the bar for what is known as "fast action rods". Sage has nine separate rod lines, encompassing the spectrum of applications.
Located on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Sage was once a company composed of less than ten people, and has now grown to over 130 employees. All of the rods in the Sage line are manufactured under the same roof. On average, it takes thirty-five days and over one hundred separate hand steps to produce a single rod. All Sage rods come with an unconditional lifetime warranty.
Sage on the Sage Z-Axis Spey Rods
Z-Axis (Fast Action): Sage Z-Axis Spey rods are a new introduction to the spey world. Gone are the heavy overburdening rods of old. Featuring a
fast action yet incredibly smooth action and significantly reduced weight, these rods are designed for maximum performance with modern lines and casting techniques.
Sage on the Sage Z-Axis Series
"Magic! Replacing what is quite possibly the most popular fast action fly rod in the world takes a lot of . . . well, research and development. It also takes something so good you can confidently move forward without a backward glance. In short, it takes a fly rod with nearly magical properties.
Introducing the incredible new Z-Axis Series F a s t A c t i o n R o d s
So, how did we do it? How did we create a rod that’s significantly lighter, stronger and easier to cast for anglers of all skill levels? The answer, much to the marketing guys’ dismay, isn’t a simple buzzword or an easily described new material. In fact, the latest version of our Generation 5 (G5) Technology is defined by improvements across the entire rod-building process.
To start with, our exclusive analysis software helped us to better evaluate the performance requirements of every inch of rod blank, allowing us to eliminate all unnecessary material. At the same time, we made significant advances in our Aligned Fiber Technology, which, most significantly, replaces traditional glass hoop fibers with lighter, more responsive graphite. This, of course, required us to develop new construction techniques to align and compress these rods for maximum strength.
To take advantage of these developments, Jerry Siem went back to the drawing board (and out on the water) to create improved taper designs for each Z-Axis rod. The G5 process gave him an opportunity to reach previously unattainable levels of line feel, response and performance. It also allowed him to design rods that better fit the modern casting style, with the tip strength to bail you out on a missed stroke and the power to more easily punch flies into the wind. The result? An entirely new level of fishability.
But don’t just take our word for it. By all means, visit your nearest fly shop and take the Z-Axis for a test spin. We think you’ll find it’s the lightest, longest-casting, most accurate fast action fly rod you’ve ever tried. It might not be magic, but it’s pretty darn close."
Sage on Sage Fly Rods
"Some say Sage rods are legendary for their magical properties, their propensity for placing flies just above the ripple. We don't know about magic, but we do know that every Sage rod is made by hand and we make rods for anglers of every stripe . . . At Sage, every piece of angling equipment we make is designed, tested and hand built with one goal in mind: Maximum fishability. It's a term we came up with a few years back to describe the kind of performance that helps you cast better, fish more effectively and have more fun. In short, every Sage rod, reel and line is specifically designed to help you make the most of your precious time on the water."
Sage on Fly Fishing
Kids at Play Remember when you got so excited you couldn’t sleep the night before fishing? Or how your hands shook with anticipation trying to rig up? Or the hopes held in a morning’s thrilling first cast?
Of course, after a lifetime of fishing, it’s awfully easy to become jaded. Tales of huge fish in exotic destinations are a long way from the kid who, fearing he’d sleep past dawn, lay on his back in the tent, holding tennis shoes above his face. In the unlikely event he should actually drift off, the shoes would bounce off his head to wake him. And that was just to catch first light at the local bluegill pond.
In the soul of every angler lives the kind of fun we felt as kids. It’s what keeps our love for fishing alive. A psychologist might say we’re harboring some kind of Peter Pan complex, but for us, it’s what fly fishing is really all about. It might also explain why people are always asking anglers when they plan to “grow up.”
We feel the same kind of excitement about introducing our new Z-Axis rods. We knew it wouldn’t be easy to replace our much-loved XP line, but after spending the last three years in deep R&D, we are positively giddy about these rods. When the people who work here start fighting over who gets to fish the prototypes, well, you know you’re on to something.
We’d also like to introduce you to J.D. Love and Brian Horsley, who provide the kind of on-the-water-every-day input that’s essential to creating rods with maximum fishability. J.D. and Brian are “serious” anglers, but even after decades of guiding, both retain a kid’s excitement about fishing. Our kind of people. Whether you last felt the anticipation that leads to sleepless nights and shaking hands a week ago or a lifetime ago, may you experience it again in the upcoming season. When are we going to grow up . . . Hopefully never. See you out there."
