I have been thinking and dreaming about this one for months. This might just be one of the most amazing five weight by Sage ever. I made a ton of pictures (again!) but I just can't get enough of this beauty. I have test casted this sweet Circa rod for a few hours with the Gold wf5 and it blew me away. I could load the rod in 10-20' perfectly or lay out 70'-80' casts with a relaxed stroke easy.
This rod is a dream (the way I built it, and I say it from a functional standpoint mainly). As for the very special aesthetics, I simply love the olive color of the Circa and I think the dark olive wraps&yellow signature wraps, the dark hardware, the gorgeous buckeye burl dyed yellow stabilized wood insert along with the yellow hand writing (first time inscribing in yellow) make this rod striking but understated and elegant.
I think I'm keeping this rod but I will gladly build more rods on this amazing blank on request. I listed the rod specs along with the finished rod price below. Thanks for looking everyone!
This rod is a dream (the way I built it, and I say it from a functional standpoint mainly). As for the very special aesthetics, I simply love the olive color of the Circa and I think the dark olive wraps&yellow signature wraps, the dark hardware, the gorgeous buckeye burl dyed yellow stabilized wood insert along with the yellow hand writing (first time inscribing in yellow) make this rod striking but understated and elegant.
I think I'm keeping this rod but I will gladly build more rods on this amazing blank on request. I listed the rod specs along with the finished rod price below. Thanks for looking everyone!
Blank: Sage Circa 589-4
Reel seat: Lemke uplocking black anodized aluminum/dyed buckeye burl wood spacer
Handle: Flor grade cigar cork
Guides: Titanium plated hard chrome snake guides&classic style stripping guide
Winding check : Nickel silver plain blued
Hook keeper: Classic strap&ring blued
Wraps: Dark olive silk&yellow signature wraps
Rod bag: Dark green handmade bag
Rod bag: Dark green handmade bag
Rod case: Silver satin aluminum with cap (rod info) and logo stickers
Price: $785
5 comments:
I think one of my friends has this rod. I don't recall it being such a great caster. Maybe I didn't cast long enough to see & feel the rod's capacity.
I did cast the 489 and was amazed how nice it casts. From what i can remember it didn't cast real short very well (3-5 meters) but the rod came alive after about 7-8 meters.
Talking about casting short:
I strung up my Epic 480 with a 5 weight line and did some casting yesterday. Wow, casting was a joy. So smooth loading and amazing loop control. With the 5 weight line casting short was a breeze. Casts up to 10-12 meters was wonderful. Haven't really pushed the rod to longer (15+ meters) casts, but that's probably not what the rod was made for. Will try it later one day.
I'll try to shoot some video soon.
To me the Circa casts great at any distance. The Gold wf4-wf5 works great and have also tried some Guideline and Loop flylines in 4wt. These work awesome, way more proper that the Gold due to the "Scandi" taper. Remember, I did specify I built the rod to be more responsive than the factory rod. And it is. Light as a feather and amazing low swing weight.
Epic 480 works great as well with the Gold wf5 but awesome with Loop Opti and Evotec in 4wt. I pushed the Epic 480 at over 20m and it throws. Probably the best glass 4/5 wt. blank that can do it well at all distances.
I am always blown away how these scandi taper lines work on any softer action rod such as fiberglass or the Circa.
I don't remember casting a Loop line so I can't tell how they cast. Maybe I should look for one soon.
The info on Loop's site says that both lines have pretty short heads. Probably a slightly 'heavy' line?
A friend of mine is a fan of the Guideline Presentation line. Also a shortish and slightly heavy line.
The Opti Stream (8m head) will shoot like crazy due to the very short rear taper and thin running line (great for really tight space) but the Evotec 100 is a little more tuned down version and a more all around line.
Yes, they could feel a little heavier due to the shorter head (8-11m usually) but they will work great in tight corners where it's hard to efficiently load a rod with a longer belly line and they weight the same a with a longer head wf line.
The Barrio SLX is another great line that I'm willing to buy soon for the Circa and the TCR. The 33' head is awesome for switch, roll or overhead casting. The SLX is also pretty affordable and has a nice coating. Cheers!
Have heard a lot of good things about Barrio lines. They are indeed a lot more affordable than the SA's, Airflo's and Rio's.
I'll try one as soon as I need a new line. Just too much lines that are in good condition right now.
Post a Comment