A few months back, Mike O’Connor and I had the opportunity to fish the Sage TCX on the California Delta. After the first few casts Mike and I were completely amazed by the high line speed this rod is able to generate. Crafted from Generation 5 Graphite, this rod takes distance casting to the next level and beyond. Need to throw big casts, big flies, heavy-grain lines, or deep nymph rigs? This is the weapon of choice…
Since it’s recent introduction, Desert Sportsman has outfitted many anglers with the TCX. The overall impression of those anglers has been the ease of casting and incredibly light nature of the rod despite it’s magnum power. We have seen casters of all skill levels perform very well with this rod.
The TCX is a great looking rod with extra-flor grade cork, premium hardware, and a stunning vibrant green color. We have teamed up with Abel to offer a “TCX Green” finish on a variety of their reels suited for the TCX rod. Please contact us for more details…
Another incredible trip to Minor Bay Lodge on Wollaston Lake in Northern Saskatchewan has come and gone.
We left Scottsdale on Tuesday the 15th of July for cooler temps, good times, and huge pike. The 15th was spent traveling; we wouldn’t arrive at the lodge until the following morning. Upon arrival at the lodge we were greeted by our guides and the shore staff. With a warm breakfast in our stomachs and the latest 8, 9, and 10wt rods rigged it was finally time to hit the water.
Our group included 16 customers and 3 staff members from Desert Sportsman, the fishing was phenomenal, everyone on the trip landed a pike over 40″ on the fly. The largest fish was an obese 47″ taken by Chris Baiker. A group of four took a fly out to Cairns Lake, their fishing that day was nothing short of epic. Landing 39 board fish, (a pike larger than 36″) they successfully landed more boards in one day than most do in a week.
After being put through the trials of monster pike, several pieces of equipment really stood out as “built for the job.” We can’t say enough about the Sage Z-AXIS, and the new Winston BIIMX. Match either of these rods with the Clouser taper from Rio and you will have the power and guts to send large flies to monstrous fish all week long. The fly selection can be extensive and this year was no exception. Most of the top producing flies were typical pike flies in the 3/0-6/0 size range, with several color combos. The new flies from Enrico Puglisi were outstanding, incredibly durable many of them lasted for more than 100 pike, and with their lifelike movements it didn’t take long to reach 100 pike.
Great moments create great memories, and this trip was full of those. After four full days of pike fishing our group returned to Scottsdale, tired, sore, and rewarded for our efforts.
We have already booked next year’s trip to Wollaston Lake and spots are limited, if you are interested in joining us in 2009 please contact the shop.
