# Rods



## AR-Flycaster (Feb 17, 2008)

On our most recent fishing trip we traveled to Belize. This was a trip I had looked forward to for nearly a year. This was to be a trip of a lifetime, and I was going to share it with my Father and some of my good friends. From the stories we had been told we were all ready to see large schools of tallying bones. What we found however, was a wind blown beach and very few fish. 

What was to be a fun fishing trip turned into an equipment test. 

Some of our group found the wind to be more than they could handle, and on those days spent their time in San Pedro exploring the town.

I on the other hand made the best of it and put some fast action rods to work. I have been a strong advocate of the Sage Rods for a number of years, but had in recent years begun to use the Temple Fork Rods. This was a chance to put them to the test side by side. Some of our party had just become life members in FFF and had received the Sage xi2. This is truly a fast action saltwater rod designed for just this sort of setting. I had my new Axiom from TFO. The Axiom is a fast action rod and should handle the wind with out a problem.

For the next five days I traded off using the Sage one day and the TFO the next. I am happy to say that the Sage handled the wind just about as well as the TFO.

It should be of no surprise to any one that has cast a TFO rod that they can launch a line into next week; however, in the wind that we were experiencing it was still possible to do so with accuracy. 

I did not enjoy the number of fish I had expected, but I did land fish each day and on my last day, just hours before our plane was to take off, I strung up my 6wt TFO professional series rod for one last cast. I am happy to say that it had no problem shooting out the 60 feet of line needed to reach a cruising bone. What a sweet note on which to end our trip.


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## FlyLipps (Oct 3, 2007)

AR,

Thanks for the post, don't really get enough equipment test comparisons on this site. Sorry Belize did not live up to its hype, it has always been at the top of my dream destinations, hate to hear it wasn't all that great. 



I know how you feel about a rod capable of casting well in a strong wind. i have cast a few Temple Forks but have never cast the Axiom, nor the Sage xi2 for that matter. Have, however, never heard anything but praise about the Sage. I throw a little known rod here in America, Beulah, it is very fast and quite reasonable as far as pricing goes. However just the other day I met a striper guide in from Maine, he was an Orvis rep and allowed me to test his 8wt. Helios. I had no knowledge of this rod but absolutely loved the way it cast. Was shocked when upon looking up the rod on the internet, found that it had a price tag pushing $800, might have hung on to that rod a bit longer had I known its true value!!!! But it really did cast nice, and it was extremely light.



Glad to hear you ended the trip on a high note, and thanks again for the post.

Greg


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