dry fly rods

Flyfishing with either the Sage Circa or the Scott F2 is a pleasure on smaller streams. We all know that nothing compares to the excitement of landing a wild, trophy sized trout in a big freestone or tailwater river. For this, modern anglers have been given a wide variety of specialized, high performance tools including ultra fast action fly rods and powerful, large arbor reels. For many of us though, this kind of fly fishing only takes place part of the time. Sage Circa Fly Rod The Circa is Sage's new slow action offering that feels a little bit like fiberglass or bamboo, but is built with their cutting edge Konnetic Technology. This makes the Circa an extremely accurate, lightweight, and durable small water tool. It tracks better than any other rod in its class, giving the user the ability to place flies right where they need to be. For a more detailed description and review of the Circa, read “Sage Circa Fly Rod Review”. Scott Fiberglass F2 Fly Rod The Scott Fiberglass F2 fly rod is made of Scott's proprietary unidirectional glass, which allows the F2 lighter, slimmer, and more accurate than its fiberglass predecessors. It can be fully loaded with less line than other graphite rods, making it effective at short distances and in small spaces. The deep flex of the F2 makes it a great choice for fishing with a double tapered line rather than the more popular weight forward floating lines. Read the review of the F2 here for more information. Conclusion These two rods fall into the same category and have the same intended uses, but that is where the similarities end. The Sage Circa is light and accurate, but still feels like a modern graphite rod. The fiberglass construction of the Scott F2 gives it an extremely lively, springy feel that puts an immediate smile on almost everyone who casts it. What the F2 lacks in performance and accuracy (when compared to the Circa) it more than makes up for with incredible feel and pure joy. Having fun is the primary goal when angling for small trout in small water, and it is almost impossible not to have fun with an F2 in your hand. The extreme accuracy of the Circa may equal more fish in hand at the end of the day, bu the F2 will definitely equal more smiles. The small creeks, streams, and lakes that feed into the main watersheds of the Rocky Mountain West gave many fly fishermen and women their introduction to angling in a pristine setting full of small, hungry trout and absent other anglers, and it can be great fun to return there during the summer months. For these places, the newer, high performance rods and reels used for trophy fishing in big water are too stiff, long, and cumbersome to execute the delicate presentations required to fool the often wary trout that live beneath the undercut banks and overhanging branches of small streams and creeks. Make sure to stop by Vail Valley Anglers to cast both rods side by side, expand your quiver, and get back to the basics of fly fishing with a slow action small water trout rod. *Please note these rods may no longer be available to purchase* Andy “Otter” Smith, Guide and Content Writer.