Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Spey Day with George Cook

A few brave souls casting some sweet sticks from Sage and Redington

On a snowy March morning Ryan and I drove (Ryan drove, I was Miss Daisy) up to Bend Oregon to meet up with George Cook for Georgie's annual Spey Day event of 2016. George puts on this private event so dealers and their employees have the opportunity to come out and test drive all Sage and Redington two hand spey and switch rods equipped with the latest RIO spey lines. No pressure to cast like a champ in front of the general public; just a few guys on the river taking as much time as they want getting to know the rods that they talk about on a daily basis.

Andrew’s Overall favorite:

This hasn’t changed for me at all in three years now. It was the Sage ONE 7136-4. There is not a rod that is easier to cast out there. It is just such a joy to cast and fish all day. If I had just one rod, this would be it. (Let’s hope that I never have to have just one though).

Ryan’s Overall Favorite:

Mr. Wiggles for the win! The Accel 7126-4 was awesome! A med/fast action rod that is smooth, powerful, light in the hand and super responsive. I have been leaning towards shorter spey and swicth rods these days as they are better fits for my casting stroke and the water I fish the most. This rod would absolutely cover most any condition you could run into for winter or summer steel. Plain and simple, Mr Wiggles is the bomb!

Super sweet smooth loops with the Accel

Andrew’s Surprise favorite:

The Accel 7126-4, a.k.a. “Mr. Wiggles” blew me away. I couldn’t believe how comfortable and responsive it was. It reminded me of the old Z-Axis, but the handle is smaller and more comfortable, and it feels lighter and more responsive. I absolutely love it now, and I hadn’t given it much thought before. It isn’t as fast as the ONE, but faster than the MOD. It is in the favorites list for sure. Just because it isn’t Konnetic Technology doesn’t make it any less of a sweet stick.

Ryan’s Surprise Favorite:

The Sage One Trout Spey 10’9” 2wt. I thought this stick would just be too wimpy, but it has amazing casting distance and control and is unbelievably light and crisp. This would be so much fun to fish soft hackles, dries, and small streamers on. If you are looking for some small ball fun, this is it!

Andrew’s Sleeper favorite:

Andrew ripping some off

The Redington Dually 8119-4. I was expecting it to be heavy and clunky. After ten minutes or so, I was formulating reasons (excuses) to buy this rod when I already have three switch rods. This is light and powerful, and is just right for small coastal streams with big, strong winter fish. I feel a little under-gunned with a 7wt switch on the coast in February when the potential for a 20# chromer is very good, but this fills the gap and is fun to cast.

Ryan’s Sleeper Favorite:

The Accel 7114-4 Switch! I love switch rods, and have had my Sage One 7116-4 in my hand almost every day on the water since I bought it. This Accel is so sweet and smooth. Again very light like the One, but a bit softer. This would be a great all around switch 7wt for anyone.

Andrew’s Redington Favorite:

The Chromer 7126-4 is such a sweet rod! I had cast the 7136-4 a few times and really it, but the shorter spey rod had a nice feel to it and really stuck out as a rod that I could get used to. My casts were flying long and straight with ease.

Ryan’s Redington Favorite:

Going to be a broken record here: The Chromer 7126-4. As I stated above I really have started to favor shorter spey rods and this one proves it once again. Light in the hand, smooth but powerful casting, the best of both worlds. I have been a fan of the Chromer 7136-4, especially at the price it retails for, and I think I like the 7126-4 even more!

Andrew’s Least Favorite:

The Sage Pulse 7130-4 was my least favorite in the bunch. I can say with confidence that any spey rod that Sage or Redington makes today is far, far nicer than any rod that I learned to cast with nearly 15 years ago. This rod is stiffer than I prefer and it feels unresponsive. I still would fish it with confidence as it is powerful and can launch casts with accuracy, but it was my least favorite rod in the bunch.

Ryan’s Least Favorite:

Well, I might catch some flak for this, but the MOD 7130-4 and 6130-4 were a bit of a disappointment to me. Some guys at the spey day liked them, but these rods were just missing something to me. I am not going to say they are bad rods, maybe just that for the price they disappointed me the most. They are moderate action, but it doesn’t have that umpf and “soul” that good moderate rods like the Winstons or Burkheimers have. They just felt a bit lifeless to me and that is no bueno for a $1000+ rod.

Another great Spey Day with George Cook!

We are both looking forward to doing this again next year as any day that we can spend on the water casting different rods is a bonus. If you have any questions about any Redington or Sage spey/switch rod, feel free to give us a call, there is a good chance we spent some time on the water with it recently.