MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS WERE THAT IT WAS LIGHT AND RESPONSIVE. IT FELT POWERFUL YET FORGIVING, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHEN PLAYING FISH, THE ROD WASN'T STIFF
Over a year ago, Guide Flyfishing kindly sent me the highly anticipated 10ft, #7 Sage Sonic fly rod to try. Naturally, I promised to provide some feedback on the rod, but only once I had indeed put it through its paces. Well, after 12 months spent in boats and on the bank of lakes and reservoirs across the UK, two major competitions, all manner of conditions and catching a lot of fish ranging from small stockies all the way up to some seriously big trout, it is fair to say the rod has been thoroughly tested!
So what is the Sage Sonic? Well, according to the Guide Flyfishing site, it is a ‘delightfully crisp and lightweight rod with a level of performance that stands out from the crowd with a fast action taper designed to cover a wide range of fishing applications from dry fly, streamers, to nymphing – floating lines to sinking’.
To be honest, all that sounds too good to be true, so is it? In my experience, rods sold as the rod that does it all are often too stiff, which is a rod action I avoid. I like fishing with rods which, when playing fish, bend and absorb the fight. This allows you to enjoy playing the fish, resulting in fewer lost fish. There was only one way to find out how the rod performed, and that was to go fishing . . .
I received the rod in mid-April 2021, about one month before the Anglian Water Spring International Fly-fishing Competition, which was held on Rutland.
Leading up to the competition, practice went well using the Sonic rod. My first impressions were that it was light and responsive. It felt powerful yet forgiving, and most importantly, the rod was not stiff when it came to playing fish. After a successful initial month, I decided to use the rod for the two-day competition.
On day one, I hooked and landed five fish. Day two was better, and I hooked, played and landed my limit of 12 fish. Incredibly over the two days, I did not lose a single fish, which I put down to the forgiving action of the rod. I mainly fished with RIO midge tips and straight floaters for that match. Our team finished in a frustrating silver position, but I had been blown away by the rod’s performance.
Fast forward to October, and our team had qualified for the prestigious Anglian Water International Final, again on Rutland. I landed a spectacular brown trout in ideal conditions during practice using a floating fry and a RIO Gold #7. I had total confidence during the fight that the hook wouldn’t pull as the rod bent into each of the trout’s big lunges. On day one of the match, the conditions were atrocious, with 20-30mph winds and big ugly waves. The Sage Sonic remained my first rod choice, and I was confident it could handle the conditions and sinking lines. It was hard work, but I hooked and landed four fish. Playing these fish in the big swell went well, and I put this down to the rod absorbing the tension caused by the waves and swaying boat. Many anglers fishing with fast action and stiff rods reported losing fishing in the waves.
Fast forward to October, and our team had qualified for the prestigious Anglian Water International Final, again on Rutland. I landed a spectacular brown trout in ideal conditions during practice using a floating fry and a RIO Gold #7. I had total confidence during the fight that the hook wouldn’t pull as the rod bent into each of the trout’s big lunges. On day one of the match, the conditions were atrocious, with 20-30mph winds and big ugly waves. The Sage Sonic remained my first rod choice, and I was confident it could handle the conditions and sinking lines. It was hard work, but I hooked and landed four fish. Playing these fish in the big swell went well, and I put this down to the rod absorbing the tension caused by the waves and swaying boat. Many anglers fishing with fast action and stiff rods reported losing fishing in the waves.
On day two, the wind dropped, and the heavy lines were changed for 12ft sink tips. Again, the Sage Sonic performed brilliantly, and I netted my fish limit, although I dropped two fish that day. Our team had put the Spring Silver behind us to comfortably take Gold. When the dust had settled, it dawned on me that over four days of competing in the UK’s most prestigious matches, I had hooked and landed 30 fish, only dropping two – thank you, Sage Sonic!
So far, the rod had ticked all the boxes for boat and reservoir fishing. It handled all lines the modern angler carries, and due to its light, crisp yet forgiving action, I had lost very few fish over the season.
Soon it was December, and I headed to Lechlade Trout Fishery for some bank fishing in search of a big trout. Tackled up with a RIO Aqualux and a snake, the rod coped brilliantly, casting a long line with the big fly. I hooked and landed a superb 14lb specimen. During the fight, the rod absorbed the big deep runs and lunges.
Cosmetically, the rod packs a punch too. Sage describes it as ‘Juniper’, a colour I had never heard of before. Anyway, it’s a dark green which looks really smart. The rod is fitted with beautiful Fuji ceramic stripper guides and hard chromed snake guides. The blanks are built using Sage’s Konnetic Technology, which means they are light, strong and deliver unmatched recovery, energy transfer, and line/loop control. The 10ft rod I was testing weighs 3 15/16oz and feels light in hand. As you’d expect from Sage, the cosmetics are high-end, and the rod looks and feels like a million dollars. But to be honest, I am more interested in how it performs. . . Â
I’m fortunate to have access to Sage’s range of fly rods, so I can pick and choose the rods I fish with. However, I have used the Sonic and nothing else for all my boat, reservoir bank and small water work over the past year. Simply put, there has been no reason to! It is a great all-around rod and one that has helped me put more fish in the net.
Tight lines.