Hi guys

I can see this turning into a "ford vs holden" debate ...

Don't think you could go wrong with either. I've cast the scott s4s and it cast nicely on the grass easy making nice tight loops. I've also had a fishing session with the sage one last weekend, I even caught a few fish on it, I think I preferred it slightly over the s4s but can't really say for sure having not had a fishing session with the scott. I'm also going to try fishing a hardy zenith this weekend which might also be worth you having a look at.

mate go to a hunting and fishing store they usually stock both brands although I try and by my gear from other sources but this will let you see them side by side.
im a real sage fan but one thing I would not recommend is the one elite $600 more for not much more.
also make sure you decide on the type of action rod you want first and the application you want if for before deciding that you want to spend $1000. most of the $1000 plus sages with the exception of the circa are fast actioned and this may not suit you.

It's a tough comparison...

First off I have to say I am a Sage pro who has been associated with and fished Sage's for about 20 years... possibly a bit more. I do like them. I also work in retail and happily sell both.

I think, on an argument level it's Ford's and Holden's and whatever is your preference is what you should go with. I am surprised the aesthetics of the Scott win favor over the Sage's as I prefer Sage cosmetically, but maybe that's my bias coming through or just that folks see all things differently..

I disagree that we can break this down into the simplicity of Scott's not being as fast as Sage's... going back through many model's of sage from the SLT, ZXL TXL and now circa Sage have produced many fuller actioned rods. Scott, has also, more recently, put their hat in the "fast game" with fast actioned rods... both manufacturers offer rods of various actions which will suit people's preferences.

Sage do have the Upspecked "Elite" as mentioned and whether it is worth $600 more than a standard "One" is a very good point on my income it would be hard to justify for the extra i get for the dollars, but this is dependant on your spending power. Scott also have an up- speced model (sorry i can;t recall the model number, we have one in the shop) Which retails well above the norm in line with the One Elite.

The Scott has done very well in NZ and held it's own well against Sage. Sage is obviously the #1 brand in the world, Scott a niche brand in the US. Both are great fishing sticks worth owning.

I work at Rotorua hunting and Fishing and we have about 10 of each brand in stock. I am more than happy to put some time aside for you to cast them side by side if you want to make the comparison that way. While I believe personally the Sage technology and design team is ahead of Scott's, what you prefer is the primary decision maker and nt better way to determine that than to put a line on each of them together.

(Oh and P.S: Modern fly rod technology has advanced to where dampening is now so advanced almost nothing can be ascertained by wiggling a rod in shop as it is not loaded... to get any indication of a rods inherent qualities it must be under some type of load.)

Hey Danny ....... my opinion for what it is worth & may well be wrong is that you are trying to jump the stream before you come to it.

I agree with some of your points Bazza... Certainly the Sage warranty is good and the rod will be repaired.

I also agree it is far better, as a casting instructor to be able to identify faults corrects than it is to be Steve Rajeff... the FFF syllabus is based on that!

I do disagree that ability dictates the quality of gear. Good quality gear makes everything easier for everyone... sure, 99.9% of anglers cannot do what their rod is capable of, but they will do more with better quality gear than they will with lesser gear. It's the same with music... I'm no Eric Clapton, but anything I play on my Takamine sounds better than it would on any Ashton but I will never make the sounds on the takamine it is capable of producing in the right hands... but it will make anyone sound better. No a quality rod doesn't fix faults... but they will help overcome many.

The bottom line with all top of the line gear is, almost without exception, it is all good gear. There will be some that have the edge, but it is still good gear... and while you can get to where you want to go in a Morris 1000 you will get there more efficiently, with less effort and more enjoyment in a Rolls Royce and one of them will be much easier to drive.

The offer stands. I'm not on commission so it's no skin off my nose one way or another... just an offer to help if it is of help. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide on DK1991!

Chris Dore wrote: You should take a second look at the cork, mike.

To be fair i haven;t noticed any issue with the cork on Scott's or Sage's at all.

Well, to be fair,  the Scott cork lately looks much better, but I do know that in the past, especially with the two handers there where lots of complaints on the US and UK forums about sub standard cork, must say I have had a look at some of the latest scott rods and they look fine to me! As I did say I am sure with rods of this standard you will not be disappointed with either one.

Thanks so much guys.