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Sage Trout Spey HD - A Comprehensive Review

7/7/2019

Sage Trout Spey HD
The Trout Spey game has been gaining steam across the country. Two-hand rods downsized to fit trout applications provide the off-season fix for salmon and steelhead anglers, and a fun new approach for your average fly-fisherman. While typically seen as streamer rods, trout speys are extremely versatile, and can be set up to fish a variety of different situations from dries to nymphs and wets.

For the past few years, the Sage One held the lead as perhaps the best trout spey on the market. Being one of our favorite rods at the shop, we were looking forward to see what Sage was going to come out with to replace the One. A quick preview of the Trout Spey HD during our June event revealed a rod that not only met but exceeded our expectations.

Sage’s new Trout Spey HD truly represents the benefits and advancements found within Sage’s Konnetic HD technology. The higher density composite results in a rod that is lighter, more sensitive, and more responsive than the One. Not only does the rod excel in performance, but it looks great as well. The conifer blank matched with dijon wraps, vera wood insert reel seat, and cork inlays pays homage to rods of Sage’s past. Available in five different models, ranging from 1wt through 4wt, there is a rod suitable for every situation.

Model Review
1109-4 10’9” 1wt
The perfect light trout rod. Great for wet flies, light nymphs, and dries. A blast on smaller fish, but still holds plenty of power for your average and larger than average trout. We like the 1wt when fishing small dries on light tippets even to big, wary trout.
Line Recommendations:

Scandi: Sci-Angler Spey Lite 150-210gn
Skagit: OPST Commando 175-225gn

Rio InTouch Skagit Trout Spey Head #1/2 200gn
Airflo Skagit Scout 180-210gn

2109-4 10’9” 2wt
Our favorite all-round trout spey. Stronger than you’d think, the 2wt is perfect for wet flies, nymphs, dries, and small-medium sized streamers. The 2wt is our rod of choice on the Delaware river system, capable of landing large fish while still possessing enough softness in the tip to protect light tippets.
Line Recommendations:

Scandi: Sci-Angler Spey Lite 210-270gn

Beulah Elixir Switch 250gn
Rio InTouch Trout Spey #2

Skagit: OPST Commando 200-275 Rio InTouch Skagit Trout Spey #2 Airflo Skagit Scout 210-270gn

3103-4 10’3” 3wt
The perfect rod for tighter streams or tossing shorter skagit heads with streamers. Great for single-hand casting as well, and suitable for larger trout and bass. We like the short 3wt for smaller streams where large trout are present.
Line Recommendations:

Scandi: Sci-Angler Spey Lite 240-300gn

Beulah Elixir Switch 275gn
Rio InTouch Trout Spey #3

Skagit: OPST Commando 225-300

Rio InTouch Skagit Trout Spey #3
Airflo Skagit Scout 240-300gn

3110-4 11’0” 3wt
A great all-round rod for larger nymphs, medium sized streamers, and large dries. Good for average sized trout and larger, and for bass as well. We like this 3wt for general purpose streamers for trout and bass.
Line Recommendations:

Scandi: Sci-Angler Spey Lite 240-300gn

Beulah Elixir Switch 275gn
Rio InTouch Trout Spey #3

Skagit: OPST Commando 225-300

Rio InTouch Skagit Trout Spey #3
Airflo Skagit Scout 240-300gn

4113-4 11’3” 4wt
A great rod for those hunting larger fish, or for when the water is up and streamers are the name of the game. Matched with a short skagit head, sink tips and larger streamers are no problem for the 4wt. We like the 4wt during higher water or when throwing bigger, heavier streamers for larger fish.
Line Recommendations:

Scandi: Sci-Angler Spey Lite 270-330gn

Beulah Elixir Switch 300gn
Rio InTouch Trout Spey #4

Skagit: OPST Commando 275-350

Rio InTouch Skagit Trout Spey #4
Airflo Skagit Scout 270-330gn

Sage Trout Spey HD

18 Comments

John

7/9/2019 08:37:30 pm

Thank you for the updates on the new Sage Trout spey HD rods.

Looking for a recommendation on what weight rod would be good for NJ trout and even lake fishing as well. Great Job on the update

Erik - Tight Lines

7/11/2019 03:28:44 pm

Thanks for the comment John. We would recommend either of the 3 wts for a good trout and lake rod. The shorter of the two would be a good choice if you plan to primarily fish streamers, and the longer 3 would be good for all-round or if you plan to fish larger rivers.

Marc Griffiths

10/8/2019 07:37:26 pm

Which line would you recommend for #4 HD Trout Spey:
Scout 330 grain or Rio Skagit Trout Spey 325?

10/13/2019 02:42:03 pm

Hi Marc,
How do you mostly plan on fishing with the rod and line? Is it going to be geared mostly around streamers or are you looking for it as an all-round line?

Marc Griffiths link

10/14/2019 03:06:50 am

Hi Erik,

Two lines mentioned only for streamers with Level-T. Thinking of getting a 325 Rio Scandi Body for general purpose.

Thanks
Marc

10/15/2019 04:47:11 pm

Hi Marc,
Both of the mentioned lines would work well for your desired purpose, however after using them I have found I prefer the RIO as it casts nicer and the smaller loops travel through the guides better when fighting fish. The orange rear-taper on the RIO is also an added bonus when fishing in low light conditions, as the black marker on the Airflo can be tough to see when stripping in to re-cast.
Thanks, Erik

10/30/2019 02:54:34 am

Many thanks Erik

12/23/2019 03:13:37 pm

Hi Erik,
I tried the Skagit Trout Spey 325 grain on the 4wt and find it a little heavy and slow for my taste. I prefer a bit more line speed. A Scout 270 and Skagit Lite 240 I already had worked OK, but are a tad light. Thinking of trying a Skagit Lite 270 (14 ft) or Scout 300? Any thoughts on those - have you tried the SA Skagit series on this rod.
Thanks
Marc

2/25/2020 06:36:42 pm

Hi Marc,

Recently I had the opportunity to try the 300 Scout on this rod. It definitely produced more line speed than the 325 Rio however it was not much of a drastic difference. Although I have not had the opportunity to fish the Skagit Lites on the 4wt, I do believe the 270 should be a fairly good match but will probably be similar in feel to your 270 Scout. If you were to invest in one of the two I would recommend the 300 Scout as it will be the least similar to any of the lines you currently own. Between your 270 Scout, the 300, and the 325 Rio Trout Spey, you should find one that fits your casting style and preferences.

Thanks, Erik

2/28/2020 11:42:04 pm

Thanks Eric, the 300 grain Scout turned out to be a perfect match for me. No trouble casting 10 ft T-11 or T-10 and T-14 Airflo Flo tips. A 270 grain intermediate SA Skagit Lite head also worked very well with 3D MOW tips. This system sliced through wind, made little splash and got me down an extra foot or two.Also stayed deeper during the swing, so good for runs and pools of uniform depth.

Thanks again
Marc

Isaiah Wright

1/21/2020 01:04:44 pm

I am thinking of using one of these on the larger streams in the MN Driftless. 1 or 2wt?

2/25/2020 06:58:35 pm

Hi Isaiah,

I would say it depends on the type of flies you are going to be fishing and the size of the fish you will be catching. If it's mostly small to medium sized flies and small to medium sized fish, I would recommend the 1wt. If you are mostly fishing a little bit larger flies, to medium to large sized fish, I would say the 2wt. The 1wt still has plenty of power to cast decent sized flies and land larger fish (I have landed a fair number of 20"+ trout on my 1wt), but the 2wt is definitely better suited to doing so. If its smaller fish (8-16''), then I would say the 1wt. It's still fun catching the small guys, protects light tippets well, and can still throw a bigger fly if needed.

Thanks, Erik

Scott Noyes

3/17/2020 06:12:32 am

Eric - I am very pleased with the short 10'3 3wt HD I purchased from Tight Lines. I test drove it on the Mustconetcong over the weekend. I loaded it with a Sci Anglers Spey Lite Skagit in a 240 gr line. I add OPST 7.5' tips which add another 60gr. This rig is well balanced and fishes great out to 60'.

I am looking to sell my old model Sage Trout Spey 3wt. Pass my contact on to any buyers.

4/4/2020 08:03:08 pm

I tested the 11' 3wt with Scandi lines this weekend and found it to be amazing. the rod is really a gun on the water. I tried it with both the SA Spey Lite Scandi in a 300 and 330 gr. It carried either line equally well, depending on how much bend you like. I would used the 300 gr line for general use and 330 gr for bigger water with wind. I would only use a Skagit on this rod in the winter when I have to go deep. Go with a Scandi!

4/4/2020 08:07:12 pm

I tried the 4wt on the water this weekend with a Scandi 330gr.. It casts a tremendously long line. It is a 4 1/2 weight and on the heavy side for trout. A big water rod for big streamers.

ten Cate Harm

6/28/2024 12:03:57 pm

Hi Eric,
Maybe you could help me out with the following issue.
I own the 3110 and I don’t think of it as a typical Sage-rod. Sage calls it a ‘fast-action’ rod but in my opinion it is rather ‘slow’ (I mostly use the Rio skagit 275 with light 10’ MOW’s). Now I’m wondering or the 3103 would be the faster rod of the two #3 wts, especially because of your opinion that it would be the better one for casting streamers. I use the rod for seabass fishing on the shores of the Netherlands and if the 3103 is significant faster than the 3110 I consider to buy the shorter one. As I couldn’t find a comparative research on the web about this issue and seeing that you know both of the rods, I am asking you for an answer. Many thanks in advance for that answer and greets from Harm.

7/18/2024 07:50:56 pm

Hi Harm,

Sorry for the delayed response; I was on a trip out of the country for the past two weeks. First, I might suggest trying a lighter tip than Rio's Light MOW Tips. I am personally not a fan of using the MOW's for trout spey as I find they are a bit too aggressive and heavy unless you are throwing big flies. I personally like using Rio's Replacement Tips in either the 10' 5wt (55gn) or 10' 6wt (65gn) sizes when fishing trout spey with skagit lines. They are tapered, unlike the MOW tips, are much less clunky, and don't bog the rod down, which I think might be what you are experiencing. Regardless, today I took out both 3wts and cast them with the Rio Skagit Trout Spey Head in 275gn with Light Mow tips and also the Rio Trout Spey (Scandi) 265gn. Casting the skagit, the difference was minimal, with the 3103 feeling slightly faster. As differences are generally more evident with a lighter line, I threw the scandi just to be sure. With the scandi, the 3103 was marginally faster than the 3110. With that being said, the 3110 threw both lines better at distance. My previous comments about the 3103 being better with streamers is moreso a comparison of its abilities with a scandi, not in comparison to the 3110 or the other models. In my opinion the rod matches better with skagit lines than it does scandi because of its shorter length. Overall, while the 3103 is a bit faster, I wouldn't say that it is significantly so. If you are just looking for something with a faster feel, I think jumping up to the 4wt would be a better bet. It will still throw the 275gn, and if you are doing two-hand overhead casting, I think the length of the 4, or the 3110, will be an advantage over the 3103. If you have any specific questions, let me know.

Thanks,
Erik

7/19/2024 10:29:21 am

Wow, Eric,

That is an answer! Thank you so much for taking so much effort to answer my question! Now I know what I can expect from the two rods, thanks to your comparison. Cristal clear! It really helps me a lot and now I know that I’d better not buy that 3103. You saved me a lot of money. I know, except from you, nobody dat has the ability to put those two rods next to one and other and test them like you did.

I expected that my 3110 would be like a more light-weight Igniter, also because of Sage’s claim that it is a fast rod, but it just isn’t kind of that. I won’t make that comparison no more and I’ll try to take everything out of that rod that is in there (and that is surely a lot!) and enjoy catching my seabass with it.

Thanks again.

Best regards

Harm

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Sage Trout Spey HD - A Comprehensive Review

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Sage Trout Spey HD - A Comprehensive Review

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Where anglers come for reports, stories and so much more....

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(April 15 - Oct. 15)