hey skaha,you mentioned short and powerful rod is there other rods out there comparable to the more expensive sage to your knowledge. thanxs
--Kind off prefer 7-10 wt rod but problem with most they are 9 ft.
--I only suggested the sage as it is tournament legal length specialty rod.
--Most USA manufacturers used to make 8 ft rods so if you can find something 6wt or above 8 ft it should work.
--also suggest mastery headstart as is a shorter line and forgiving caster with heavier weight forward... often recommended for beginners because of castability but good in wind or casting heavier poppers. mouse etc.
--On softer rod you can point rod parallel to fly line and strike... set the hook by quick pull of the fly line rather than trying to set the hook with the rod which will not have the backbone of a bass casting rod.
--Older used 8 wt like the fenwick Algonquin... not same as mentioned Diawa Algonquin might do the trick as they were 8 ft or steelhead rod with broken tip as these have lots of backbone in lower section of old glass rods... assuming you have to pull the bass out of heavy cover... if fishing Skaha you could use regular trout gear... just remember to bring a Net... If you try to horse these fish in with the rod you could easily break the tip.
--I'm sure with the popularity of the new sage there will be rods offered soon by most manufacturers and not a s pricey