I know i have a track record of building up fly fishing gear, and then selling it. Fair enough, and i'm guilty of doing just that.

I can't fool myself though. I might have though what I was praising was pretty good and thought others would like it. Plus, I didn't have anything better to compare it to. So, at the time I did think it was great.

Now we come to the Sage LL rod. I've picked up a bit more experience and I know what I like and what i'm looking for. I was looking for that magic I read about. Guys say the rod is an extension of their arm. I never felt that. I always had to work hard to get a rod do what I wanted, and if I screwed up a bit, the cast showed it right away. Where was the magic? I wanted the magic, and I was going to continue to buy and sell rods until I found it. Even if I had to stand on the corner and beg for rod money.

Of course, because of the title of this thread you know what i'm going to say next.

Yes, i've found the magic in the Sage LL 586. I can't believe I was going to sell it before I fished with it. It truly does feel like an extension of my arm. It seems I can't make a bad cast with it. I look where I want the fly to land, make a cast without thinking of anything, and the fly lands where i'm looking. The rod just flows with no thought on my part.

Am I crazy, or does this happen to you guys too?

For those of you who haven't cast an LL rod. Seek one out and give it a try. Maybe it will be the magic rod for you too. Maybe it won't, but I firmly believe we all have a magic rod that suits us best. Don't stop looking for it.

Pete,

That's great... glad you have found that connection. I've had two LL's and they were sweet casting/fishing rods, but they lacked that connection for me. I tend to favor slightly faster rods, except for 2-3 wts which I also tend to like quite short... 5'-7'6". For me, in general it's more med-fast action rods that become an extension of not only my arm, but my mind and soul. SP's, SLT's, my 4wt BIIx, and my 5wt modified LT3 (Delaware Special) have becoame almost the entirety of a collection that was once 2 dozen tubes deep, and made of everything available...

I hope you have many memorable outings with that rod.

TL's~

The SLT is very nice. It was the best I found until this LL.

I asked Sage why they quit the LL, and they gave me a strange answer. They said everybody had one by the time they quit making them.

The same reason they quit making the SP, SPL, SPLCA, SLT, XP... the american market equates 'new' = 'better' ... and the market drives the development. Same thing is happening with Winston, they are still making the WT and LT, but dealers are primarily stocking the Boron lines...

At times progress goes backwards.

Everybody who owns a Winston BIIt brags about how light it is. It is light, but the 15 year old Sage LL 8'6" 5wt weighs the same as the BIIt 8'6" 5wt. 2 1/2 oz.

The BIIt has a real soft tip, and very stiff butt with the boron in it. I can feel the transition. An overly soft tip flexing into a very stiff butt doesn't feel smooth to me.

The Sage LL flexes smooth from tip to butt. That's how a rod should flex to me, and I don't feel any company has improved on it.

In my opinion anyway.

Although I do primarily favor fairly linear progressive tapers (graphite, boo, glass), I do like how the transitions in the BIIx and the McFadden modified LT3 (kinda BIIx ish but in LT Graphite) can be used as very dynamic casting tools. They effectively have a broader range of capability, but require more conscious effort to do so... it's like holding 3 different rods in 1.

I agree, but I guess that's what I was trying to get away from. I can cast the LL with no thought. That makes a very comfortable day on the water.

However, tha's me. I do pretty much the same type of fishing everyday. I know you do more of a variety than me and need rods that can do many roles. Just like Joni does too.

My fishing is simple and one rod and action suits it perfect. As long as it's the right rod.

It seems as I get older I like to simplify my life as much as possible.

I can relate to that... it a not nearly as old as you kinda way

You do realize the ocean of $hit you'll take if you flip this one anytime soon now don't you?

Amen to that!

Yes I do. I'll deserve everything I get too.

It won't happen.

My first rod was a 9' 5wt LL, great rod! the only down side I found was that it lacked a little power in the wind but other than that its one of my favorites as well

Funny you should say that. I can cast this rod in the wind better than any rod i've owned. The 8'6' would be a bit stiffer than a 9', but I don't think that's it. I think it's the rod suits me so well that my timing with it is better, and I develop more line speed.

That's a guess on my part, but some of the rods i've had in the past were awful in the wind, and i'd pack it in and go home when the wind came up. Some of them were fast rods too like Scott S3 and Sage XP. I couldn't feel the flex in those type of rods and couldn't time them. They just didn't suit my tempo.

Yesterday was a red flag warning day. Which as you know means high winds. I fished all day without my thought of the wind.

It's funny for me what you said about the wind, because I was just thinking about how good the rod was yesterday in the wind. I had to respond.

This is for me though. I'm sure a stiffer rod works better in the wind for most people.

Exactly. Scientifically speaking, a faster action rod is more capable in wind when the human element is removed. My casting style doesn't take full advantage of super fast action rods either, hence I own very few.

What lines have you tried on the LL? I believe I had the best luck with DT's and TT.

For dry flies i'm using a Cortland sylk in 6wt DT. I believe the sylk lines run light, so I tried a 6wt and it seems perfect.

I also tried a Rio Selective Trout II in 5wt WF. It seems good too, but I like the sylk better.

If I nymph I use a Rio Nymph line in a 5wt.

My LL is a 2 wt, but I really don't care for DT and TT has never done anything for me except on a Fenwick 5'3" I have. That is the only rod that likes that stuff.
I don't care for the overall size of DT. I feel it is resistance in the guides, specially on the smaller rods and the bigger rods, why would I want DT.
I do fish small streams but will turn around and fish Stillwaters or the Snake where distance does count..
Granted, I don't take the 2 wt to the Snake, but I do the Provo and I love the Orvis Superfine on it (and my 4 wt Lami and my 4 wt Bamboo)
It is a thinner diameter line also, but only comes in WF.
But I don't think the LL is a fast action. More a medium to maybe a medium fast.
My favorite 5 wt line right now for my Winston JWF is the Air Flo Ridgeline, followed by the Selective Trout II followed by the Gold. And that goes for Dries, Wets, and Nymphs. For my 6wt, WINDCUTTER II Awesome stuff.

As always do what ever works for you and your casting style, it is a great rod and thats a fact jack

I didn't get in on the 586 LL when they were easy to find , but I did get a 4711 LL and love it. It is so smooth casting and light in my hand with a Lamson LP1.5 and a xps wf line , I love it.

I did get a VPS LL 586 though and it is a real good rod. I think it is my favorite rod. I also have an XP 586 and a 590. and there again I like the 586LL the best.

And for the guy that said he likes the short rods, I have a TFO 6 foot 2wt. It has to be the most fun but also the most difficult to cast rod I have ever owned. I love catching those 12 to 14 inch rainbow with it but I hate casting to them with it.