Rod Review: Sage ESN 2100 and Greys FX2 2 wt 10'

Time for another rod review. This time I'll do a little side by side review comparing what is arguably one of the best European style nymphing rods, the Sage ESN 2100 (2 wt 10'), with the entry level Greys Streamflex FX2 2 wt 10'. Both are four piece rods.

As one would expect. These are very much specialty rods designed for sensitivity and presenting nymphs with fine tippet in a variety of conditions. However, because of this specialization both are manufactured in limited quantities and repairs and replacements can take time--as I discovered. Add this to the fact that Greys has been discontinued in North America, and you are looking at what may be considered a "one time buy".

Aesthetics:

The ESN is a beautiful rod. Sage has really pulled out the stops and built a highly functional rod in a gorgeous package. I won't bother to quote the company blurb, but this is like the Ferrari or Aston Martin of nymphing rods. Dark forest green glossy body, dark green wraps, immaculate finish on all components, and a solid single ring up locking reel seat. It incorporates one Fuji ceramic stripping guides and 10 hard chrome snake foot guides to the tip. It comes in a a super light 79.3 g (2.8125 oz). Add in a beautiful cocobolo reel seat insert and perfect half well cork handle and you've got one sexy piece of kit. (MSRP $695 US)

If the ESN is a Ferrari, the Greys is an economical family car. Dependable, a little stylish and made overseas. Not to say that the rod is in any way ugly. I described the 3 wt Streamflex in a previous review as "top notch" for fit and finish and the 2 wt XF2 follows this mold. The only visual difference is the anodized reel seat insert "cage" seen in other rods on the market. This rod has a single ceramic stripping guide and 9 chrome single foot guides to the tip. This rod comes in at 90 g (3.17 oz), and also features a half well handle made of slightly lower quality cork than the ESN. (MSRP $300 US)

Performance:

In spite of their common application both rods are different beasts.

The ESN has a ultra fine top section progressing to a stiff strong butt. The tip flexes extremely well to protect fine light weight tippets, while the butt makes controlling larger fish a simple task. In a lot of respects it has all the hallmarks of a typical modern Sage rod: it's fast, recovers quickly and casts crisply and cleanly. My largest fish to date with this rod has been in the 14" range and at no point have I ever felt under gunned.

The Streamflex is much closer to a traditional rod in that the action is more uniformly progressive through it's length, although it's butt section like the ESN is more stout than with a traditional rod. The tip is soft and flexible and has protected fine tippet from breaking on some very large fish indeed. While I have landed fish in the 24" range with this rod, controlling larger fish with it is a bit of a workout.

Opinion:

Any rod review is going to have a strong subjective element, but I'll give you my opinion anyway. Leaving aside the price differential for a moment, both of these rods are excellent for the purpose for which they are designed--namely sensitively fishing for smaller trout with fine tippet and light nymphs. Both of course will do more than that, and this is where one might be better suited for your needs than the other.

If encountering larger fish is an issue and you need to throw a longer line as in French style nymphing, the edge has to go to the ESN. It's action and stiffer butt section lend themselves well to these applications.

If a comfortable casting stroke and wet fly or downstream presentations are more important, then the Greys gets the nod. It's slightly slower action and increased mid rod flex make casting very easy and I feel there is less chance of losing fish to the dreaded "bounce" on wet fly presentations.

If budget is a concern then the clear winner has to be the Greys. At less than half the price you've got a great nymphing rod that will allow you to do everything the more expensive ESN is designed to do in a well built package--but hey, if you can afford a Ferrari to shuttle the kids to soccer practice, then go for it. For what it's worth I'm keeping both.

Typical Rod Configuration(s) Used:

• Lines: Rio competition nymph; Rio classic 1wt DT; Generic Trout Legend competition line
• Reel: Hardy Flyweight
• Leader: 20' Nymphing Leader/tippet

Similar rods used/tested:

• Greys original Streamflex 3wt 10' and 4wt 11'

Greys Streamflex 10' 3wt Rod Review

I'm planning on doing a series of rod reviews based on my experiences with rods that I currently own or have really enjoyed using in the past. I'm going to keep the reviews general in scope and hopefully provide enough information to help someone in the market for a new or used rod a leg up on their research. Of course it stands to reason that if I've kept a rod in the arsenal, there is a good chance that the reviews will generally be positive.

The first rod up is the original Greys Streamflex 10' 4pc 3wt rod (now replaced by the new XF2 Streamflex line). The Greys brand is owned by Hardy, and represents their foray into the middle range of the market. You won't find any $10,000 reels under the Greys name, but you will find a range of products geared towards fishermen of more modest means (and I place myself firmly in this camp). In addition to this rod I own two of the now discontinued GRXii reels and a great heavy weight wading jacket. Most of the Greys products are manufactured in Asia, and the Streamflex is no different.

The components are fairly standard for rods in this price range with chrome snake, tip and stripping guides, a stabilized tiger wood reel insert and an anodized aluminum up-locking two screw reel seat. The colour of the blank is a subdued olive bronze with gold wraps, and the reel seat matches with a bronze matte finish. The fit and finish on the rod is top notch without any of the epoxy sagging you sometimes see from other offshore manufacturers--not surprising considering the Hardy connection. The two ring seat is a nice touch on the rod and the small rubber washer between the two helps keep the reel locked in place nicely. The only criticism I can level with respect to the components is that the size of the top guide is a bit smaller than I would like for passing knots, and the first stripping guide is a little far from the reel. It's a bit annoying to have to stretch to reach the line when it accidentally slips from your fingers.

The rod comes in at a modest 3.31 oz or about 94 grams. At that weight it is comparable with most rods in this price range, but some of the features such as the reel seat probably add a bit to the weight. I haven't noticed any significant issues with respect to the weight and casting and nymphing over an eight to ten hour fishing day isn't an issue. Lighter rods are available, but I think that the rod strikes the right balance between features and weight.

The rod was originally designed with Euro-nymphing techniques in mind and so not surprisingly it has a nice soft tip section. While a stiffer mid and butt section is typical on many of the rod offerings for euro-style nymphing, the Greys has a much less aggressive taper and allows for more feel and flex in these sections than other rods in this class. For my style of nymphing, where tactile sensitivity plays a significant role, I find this to be a real plus in the rod. The downside of course is that this flex can make controlling and lifting larger fish a bit more difficult.

Outside of nymphing the Streamflex performs well as a dry fly rod and excellently for wet fly presentations. It delivers accurate casts over good distances and roll and spey casts are very easy to perform. This jury is still out with respect to streamer fishing, but I've found it no better or worse than most of my rods in this weight rating. This is probably as it should be because in my opinion rods in this weight range are probably not the best for a lot of streamer presentations.

Typical Rod Configuration(s) Used:

• Lines: 3wt DT Cortland Sylk; 3wt Sage DT Quiet Taper; 3wt SA III Sink tip; 3wt Cortland Como-clear
• Reel: Hardy Fly Weight
• Leaders: Tapered 12-18' (Dry and Wet); 12-22' (Nymphing); 5-12' (Streamer)

Similar rods used and/or tested:

• Echo Shadow PE 3wt 10.5' 4pc
• Snowbee Diamond 3/4wt 10' 3pc

Line Review - Cortland Sylk (4 seasons on)

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of many of the fly lines made or distributed by Cortland. However, there are a few gems in their line-up including the old school 444 (Peach), the 444sl Camo Clear, and the more recently added 444 Sylk.

The Sylk line initially received a lot of press as a synthetic silk line substitute. It's slightly stiff makeup, thin diameter and subtly mottled finish apparently does a passable imitation of the real thing, but it wasn't any of these features that drew me to the product. Indeed, my interest was only aroused when I watched an episode of the locally produced Sportsfishing BC. In it the host peeled the Sylk line off the reel in bitterly cold weather to demonstrate how it "pooled" on the deck of the pram without coiling. Having suffered through many lines that coil like slinkies in the cold (including other Cortland offerings), I was immediately smitten.

After a fruitless search in the local shops I had one of them order the line from the distributor. This turned out to be a crucial mistake as the line took four months to arrive (I discovered later that "small" orders through the Canadian distributors were only shipped with larger purchases and my line fell victim to this problem). Not content to wait, I went on-line and was fortunate to find Herndon rods across the line in Washington state who stocked the line as a complement to their custom bamboo rods.

One line out of the box looks very much like another in most cases, but the Sylk line was a bit different. Unlike most modern lines the first thing that struck me was the subtle cloth-like texture to the finish of the line. The mottled olive gold colouration was also a contrast with the generally brighter monochromatic fly lines available. A quick crimp test on the line indicated no significant "instant" memory issues, and the line diameter was as thin as promised.

On the reel the Sylk line performs as promised with respect to line memory. Even after being spooled on a small diameter Hardy Flyweight for an extended period, the line comes off the reel without coiling. The line shoots very well out of the box and with only the occasional cleaning it has continued to do so for the past four seasons. Its casting profile is definitely enhanced by the relatively narrow line diameter and good weight/length ratio, and on the medium to medium-fast action graphite rods I favour it casts very well. I have tried both WF and DT designs and while I rarely have to cast them any distance, I would give the slight edge to the WF design for my casting style with higher weight rods and the DT for the light and ultralight rods (profile information is available here ).


The Sylk line has a lot of advantages over other floating line varieties, but some of these same advantages also create shortcomings. For example, while the line is an excellent cold water/weather performer, it doesn't do as well in the heat of summer and some have complained that it becomes "sticky" in the heat. While I don't live in a climate where this is a significant issue, I could see this being a problem in areas where the average summer temperature is the high 20's (Celsius) and above. Another issue is with regard to the narrow line diameter, which results in a low floating line--definitely a consideration for some presentations. A final issue of note is with regard to the coating on the line. While this makes for a low memory line, it also means that it doesn't stand up to abuse from abrasion, nicks and the occasional boot against the rocks.

I think it's safe to say that the perfect "all-purpose" line has yet to be invented, and given the variety of rods and fishing conditions out there, I don't think I would want one. For my part I have found the Sylk line works very well on most of the slower traditional action graphite rods and softer tip nymphing rods that I own (eg. Scott g-series, Sage SP & VPS-light, Grey's Streamflex, et al). I particularly like this line for small cold water streams with tight cover that require fairly accurate casts over shorter distances. Based on it's narrow diameter, low floating characteristics and subtle low memory construction, I feel this line is best suited to dry and wet fly presentations in moving water conditions. While I occasionally use this line for stillwater applications in the five and six weight range (particularly in cold weather), higher floating more aggressively tapered lines are perhaps better suited to most stillwater fishing conditions.

Aaron

When is a fly rod not a fly rod?

No this isn't some sort of inscrutable Zen Koan--although it could be. A fly rod is not a fly rod when it's a Japanese rod called a Tenkara.

Modelled after long bamboo fishing poles used over the centuries in Japan, the modern Tenkara rod combines graphite materials in a telescoping rod format. There is no reel or guides, only a tapered line running from the rod tip to the tippet material. In many ways it is similar to pole rods fished the world over for species ranging from carp to bonefish, but this one is designed specifically with fly fishing in mind.

I ordered my first Tenkara rod about a month ago based on some online conversations I had with Mike Conner and CM Stewart. Both sang the praises of these unique rods for wet fly and soft-hackle fishing, but also mentioned Czech nymphing applications. I was intrigued and could immediately see application on my home streams for small trout and coarse fish. I ordered the 12' Ebisu 6:4 rod based on the style of fishing I do and to some extent based on the potential size of fish I would hopefully encounter. This is the mid-range in terms of "weight" offered by the importer, Tenkara USA. The ratio shown indicates the number of stiffer sections (6) and the number of more flexile sections (4), thus the Ebisu in this configuration would approximate a medium fast fly rod.

When I opened the mailing tube (received within days of ordering) and extracted the rod from its short case, I was immediately struck by the quality of manufacture. There were no epoxy drips or bumps in the sections and the attractive green section tops make for a rather modern looking piece of kit. The handle on this rod it the traditional pine as opposed to cork. Smooth and knot free, it sits quite comfortably in the hand. The design of the rod is such the cap at the bottom of the handle opens to allow the user to extract each section for cleaning or replacement. When retracted the business end of the rod is protected by a simple cap. Of all the various components the cap is a weakness in that there is no built in storage for it and it must be carried separate from the rod--I give it about 6 months before I lose it on some outing.

Extended, the rod tops out at the advertised 12'. The final section has a small piece of knotted cord fixed to it, and it is to the cord that the "line" is attached. When I ordered the rod I also picked up the recommended tapered furled line. While I like the way the furled leader turns over, I found that its tendency to coil when breaking off a snag and the subsequent need to carefully stroke the line up to 30 times or more to straighten it was too time consuming--particularly on my heavily canopied, bracken strewn home waters. I've since switched to a 5' tapered poly-tip couple with a 6' length of 8lb co-polymer down to 4' or more of 5x or 6x tippet. While not a very elegant set-up, I've found that it suits both the short flick cast used with this rod and the basic controlled drift presentation. In future I will be experimenting with a few different line and taper combinations to see if shortline modified spey casting is possible.

In my next post on the Tenkara I will be looking at a few of the techniques that can be used with these long rods, and where they work and don't work. In the meantime here is a little preview...


Aaron