The Sage Spectrum Reel is a premium large arbor reel from Sage featuring a single-revolution drag knob and a sealed-carbon drag system which prevents the entering of water, sand, and salt. This outstanding fly fishing reel is designed with fully machined 6061-T6 aluminum of the aerospace grade. This reel from Sage is certainly a fully machined, true performance fly reel. We will be discussing all the features in details in this article which is about Sage Spectrum Reel Review.
If you are interested in knowing more about this awesome reel from Sage, you might want to go through this article where we will be reviewing this high-end reel with proper information. You’d also be able to compare this fly reel with other amazing reels from the same manufacturer.
Sage- Who Are They?
src=”https://www.flyfishingelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/sagelogo.jpg” alt=”Sage Spectrum Reel Review” width=”371″ height=”134″ />Sage is the company behind the manufacture of the amazing Sage Spectrum Reel for fly fishing. The company was initiated started in 1980 by Don Green who worked as a fly rod designer and was later joined by Bruce Kirschner. When Sage was started as a business in Bainbridge Island, Washington 38 years ago, it was recognized as Winslow Rod Company because Winslow was a small town in the location.
The company is still based on Bainbridge Island, WA and has hired 175 employees who are working in a thirty-thousand square foot of space. When it was first started, there were just 6 people doing the entire thing in a 1500 square feet space.
Sage was established by Don Green keeping a single mission in mind, i.e. to build the best fly fishing equipment in the world. The company specialize in the manufacture of world-class fly reels, fly fishing rods, large and concave arbors, etc. with their ultimate goal of maintaining the maximum accuracy. To produce their outstanding fly fishing equipment, they always partner with some of the best component manufacturers all over the world.
Sage Spectrum Reel Review
The Sage Spectrum Reel from Sage is modeled after the popular 4200 series from the same manufacturer. This lightweight fly fishing reel features a concave spool surface offering you the perfect drag-assisting smoothness. With its affordable price tag, you won’t believe what kind of features you will get with this tremendous fly reel since it has the capability to compete with several premium fly reels.
Features of the Sage Spectrum Reel
The features of this amazing fly fishing reel are mentioned below:
Drag System
This fly fishing reel offers a solid adjustability with which you can obtain over 25% of the total drag by turning it halfway. Along with that, this single-revolution reel from Sage also consists of a nice stop at its bottom with 0.14 pounds. Although Sage has tried its best to prevent this reel from suffering the drop-off, they have still failed to offer enough drag to the reel. This reel just contains 2.65 pounds of drag strength, which is certainly not enough for better performance.
Spool and Retrieval Rate
This fly reel offers sufficient backing capacity to your fly fishing line by picking it up slowly with the maximum 8.75 inches per turn.
Weight
The Sage Spectrum Reel weighs just around 6.6 ounces which makes it a lightweight reel.
Materials
This fly reel is designed with fully machined 6061-T6 aluminum used for aerospace. Its surface is properly anodized to avoid corrosion and cold-forged and tempered to offer outstanding strength and rigidity to the reel.
Ergonomics
The Spectrum fly reel certainly offers a solid feel to the angler. It features a drag knob with a smaller handle, which can perform the task properly, but not as much as expected.
Sound
This fly reel doesn’t produce so much sound and stays pretty quiet which helps you to catch the fish easily while fly fishing.
Pros of the Sage Spectrum Reel
- Sage offers a lifetime warranty for this awesome fly reel.
- The fly reel is highly durable.
- It is also a lightweight fly fishing reel which you can carry effectively.
- This fly reel is priced at an affordable price tag.
Cons
The Sage Spectrum Reel doesn’t offer enough drag, which is the only downside about this fly reel. But, it certainly offers more features out of your money and you won’t believe the features you get with this fly reel as compared with other high-end, premium fly fishing reels.
Our Recommendation
The Sage Spectrum Reel can be a good fly fishing reel choice to suit with your fly rods, and fly line, but if you are thinking about getting this fly reel, you might have to worry about not being able to get the required drag strength. This is the only bad thing about this fly reel, and in overall, it is certainly one of the best fly fishing reels available out. This fly reel can stand out at the top among the several lightweight and durable large arbor fly reels.
Comparison With Other Sage Reels
While just talking about the fly reels manufactured by Sage, you will be able to find some of the most popular and highly reliable fly reels among the fly fishing community. Here is a quick comparison of this tremendous Spectrum Reel from Sage with the other high-end Sage fly reels.
Sage Click Series Fly Reel
Similar to the Sage Spectrum Reel, this Sage Click Series Fly Reel is also made up of 6061-T6 aluminum. Unlike the earlier one, this fly reel features enough drag strength with adjustable click and pawl drag system for the prevention of over-spooling.
This fly reel may not be superior in comparison to the features of the Spectrum Reel, but it is priced at a similar price tag as that of the latter one. However, this fly reel has four different options available to choose from.
Sage Fly Fishing Spectrum MaX-9-10 Wt. Reel
Sage Fly Fishing Spectrum MaX-9-10 Wt. ReelThe Sage Fly Fishing Spectrum MaX-9-10 Wt. This reel is another large-arbor fly reel from Sage which is able to pick up your fly line quickly. It also offers a greater drag strength and backing capacity which is certainly superior to the lacking drag strength in Sage Spectrum Reel.
Similar to the Spectrum Reel, this fly reel also consists of a single-revolution drag knob containing numbered and dented configurations. However, this fly reel is tagged at a very hefty price tag.
Sage Spectrum LT Fly Fishing Reel
The Sage Spectrum LT Fly Fishing Reel is similar to the Spectrum reel in many cases. It doesn’t feature enough drag strength like the latter one but still costs a lot more despite being a lightweight version of the Spectrum reel.
However, it offers a better and quicker drag configuration than the Spectrum reel.
Sage 4200 Series Fly Reel
Sage 4200 Series Fly ReelThe Sage 4200 Series Fly Reel is the parent fly reel of the Spectrum reel since the latter one was modeled being inspired with the earlier one. The Sage 4200 Series Fly Reel has now been discontinued, but it still features a high-performance drag system superior to the Spectrum reel.
The Spectrum reel could be one of the worst reels in terms of drag strength among all the fly reels from Sage. Similar to the Spectrum reel, this reel is also cold forged and tempered to offer maximum rigidity to the reel surface.
Comparison Chart Sage Reels
| Product Name | Arbor Size | Weight | Material | Drag System | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Spectrum Reel | Large Arbor | 6.1oz | Fully Machined 6061-T6 aerospace-grade aluminum | Sealed Carbon | |
| Sage Click Series Fly Reel | Ultra-large arbor | 2.25oz, 2.38oz, 2.50oz, 2.63oz | 6061-T6 aluminum | Click & Pawl | |
| Sage Fly Fishing Spectrum MaX-9-10 Wt. Reel | Large Arbor | 7.6oz | Fully Machined 6061-T6 aluminum | Sealed Carbon | |
| Sage Spectrum LT Fly Fishing Reel | Large Arbor | 6.1oz | Fully machined 6061-T6 aerospace grade aluminum | Sealed Carbon | |
| Sage 4200 Series Fly Reel | Large Arbor | 3.75oz, 4.125oz, 6.125oz, 7.5oz | Fully machined 6061-T6 aerospace grade aluminum | Sealed Carbon Floating Tripod |
Conclusion
With the completion of our review of the Sage Spectrum Reel including full details about the reel, we believe you’ve got sufficient information regarding this tremendous fly reel from Sage. If you are thinking about getting a lightweight and durable fly reel, this fly reel could be the perfect choice for you. But, you need to remember that you’d be obtaining one of the worst drag strengths among popular fly reels along with this Sage Spectrum Fly Reel.