The New XI3

The Xi3

The Xi3 is the choice for thousands of saltwater anglers worldwide. Here's what Travis had to say about the gear that he brought along for his latest trip to Mexico...

I just recently had a great week of permit fishing in Mexico. I brought three of Sage's new Xi3 saltwater rods: The 790-4, 990-4 and the 1090-4. I used the 790-4 for Bonefish, the 990-4 for Permit and the 1090-4 for Cuda and Baby Tarpon. I matched the following lines to these rods: Rio Tarpon Tapers to the 990-4 and 1090-4 and the 790-4 was spooled with the Rio Bonefish Taper. For the conditions, these lines seemed to work best.

The Xi3 was designed for the hardcore saltwater angler. They are very fast and powerful so that anglers can excel in challenging, maritime conditions. My first day I had a little trouble adjusting to the rod since I do not fish the salt more than a few times a year. It took a little while to get used to the stiffness, but after some practice, casting tight, strong loops became the norm. The line speed was amazing and the 9 weight had no problem powering my crab accurately through the wind. The 10 weight turned over huge flies with ease and the 7 weight had no problems throwing into the gale. After hooking up, these rods provided the necessary backbone to do battle.

Travis permit double

Ahh Mexico...

I have fished a lot of saltwater rods, and I was truly pleased to have these new Xi3's in the quiver. Constructed with the latest graphite technology, these rods just burst with responsiveness. The fast taper is not for the beginner caster (or the faint of heart) but for those of you looking to get to the next level, this is the stick for you.

-Travis

- 2010 Mexico Trip Gallery