Went to try out some 7wts the other day and decide that an 8wt. would be the better choice. I tried some Sage and some Loomis rods. I like softer feeling rods because the protect lighter tippet. The Sage rods seemed to be softer then the stiffer feeling loomis rods. I guess it is all for personal preference. But the Sage Launch 890-4 for $220 is pretty hard to beat plus it comes with the sage lifetime warranty! If you have some extra money i would go for the Z-Axis that is one sweet rod!
Ups and Downs
Ups: Good backbone in the rod. Protects lighter tippets. Durable
Downs: Nothing to line up the pieces of the rod when you put the rod together. Little bit on the heavy side
Field Test!
Took the 890-4 launch out to fishing the Potomac river for smallmouth and largemouth bass from the kayak. The rod was handling the bass bugs great and i hooked into several good sized smallmouth the rod handled them perfectly. The rod was a great help to cast the fly away from the boat to where the bass were rising. Only thing i have trouble with is setting up the rod and getting everything lined up.
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars
The Barbless Hook 