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Nov 26 2009

Sage 7126-4 TCX – The Death Star

The Death Star is at home here.
Photo: David Lambroughton

As use of Skagit-style spey lines continues to grow and become more refined, rod manufacturers are pushing the envelope on some of the basic variables of rod design. One of the biggest trends is that towards shorter rods that are still plenty powerful.

Earlier this year Sage introduced a new rod into their TCX lineup that really typifies this movement – the 7126-4 TCX. As you probably know, the 7 means it’s a 7 weight, the 126 means it’s 12 feet, 6 inches long, the -4 means it’s a 4-piece rod, and the TCX means it’s really, really fast.

We had the opportunity to fish the rod in prototype form at BC West this past August for the better part of a week. The butt section on this thing is incredibly powerful – matched to a Skagit-style line in the 525 to 575 grain range, it’s perfectly capable of launching a T-14 tip and a big fly to the far side of the broad runs on the Lower Dean. It’s light so fatigue isn’t a problem, and its short length is particularly well-suited for those of us with relatively compact casting strokes.

Yes, in prototype form this rod quickly became known as the Death Star due to its ability to calmly deliver blasts to the far side of the galaxy. So who wouldn’t like the Death Star? Well, most anglers would agree that the 7126-4 has more power than it has feel. If you really like to feel a deep bend in your rod or if you just like a slower action, this is definitely not the rod for you.

On the other hand, if you like short, fast, powerful rods, the Sage 7126-4 TCX is a game-changer that you need to get your hands on.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris says

    January 17, 2011 at 5:41 pm

    Have been reading your comments and recommendations re the Sage 7136-4 Z-Axis. It sounds like a great rod for BC dry fly fishing. Can you recommend a reel that balances well with it.? Thanks.

  2. andrew says

    January 17, 2011 at 6:54 pm

    Hey Chris, thanks for stopping by. Absolutely, the 7136-4 is a great rod for fishing a dry. I fish a Sage 6010 on mine – that reel has maybe a little extra capacity for the 7136, but it’s really light for its size so I think it balances great.

  3. jan says

    October 25, 2011 at 12:01 am

    Have been reading your comments about the 7126-4. I am a Spey rookie and think about my first spey rod. Is the 7126-4 also a fine toll in Scandi style? In single-hand fishing I like the TCX’s a lot. Thanks

  4. andrew says

    October 26, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    Hi Jan,

    I personally have not fished the 7126-4 with a Scandi line – I’ve used only various flavors of Skagit heads on it. My one comment would be that learning spey casting on a ultra-fast rod can be a bit of a challenge – you tend to feel the load less, and have a much smaller timing window with each cast.

    I happen to like very fast single-handed rods, but two-handers that are a bit slower – I like to feel the load more with a two-hander. But that’s just me!

Trackbacks

  1. Sage 7136-4 Z-Axis Review – The Perfect Summer Steelhead Rod says:
    December 11, 2009 at 10:00 am

    […] This is not a super-fast rod. Compared to other Sage double-handers, it bends pretty deep into the butt section. If you really like to feel your rod load, you’ll like the style of the 7136. On the other hand, if you like fast, super powerful rods, you’re going to want to check out the new 7126-4 TCX, which has already been nicknamed the ‘Death Star’ and will be the subject of a future post. […]

  2. Scott Fiberhammer Review says:
    January 21, 2010 at 9:20 pm

    […] The Other End of the Spectrum – Sage 7126-4 TCX […]

  3. Sage 7136-4 Z-Axis Review - The Perfect Summer Steelhead Rod says:
    March 24, 2010 at 2:20 pm

    […] This is not a super-fast rod. Compared to other Sage double-handers, it bends pretty deep into the butt section. If you really like to feel your rod load, you’ll like the style of the 7136. On the other hand, if you like fast, super powerful rods, you’re going to want to check out the new 7126-4 TCX, which has already been nicknamed the ‘Death Star’ and will be the subject of a future post. […]

  4. Switch Rods - TCX Rods from Sage and Steelhead Scandi Heads from Rio says:
    September 16, 2010 at 6:02 am

    […] The TCX switch rods come on the heels of the very popular 7126-4 TCX (aka  The Death Star). […]

  5. Spey Casting and Fishing Articles says:
    December 3, 2010 at 9:20 am

    […] Sage 7126-4 TCX […]

  6. switch rods says:
    January 31, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    […] not: Sage 7126-4 TCX – The Death Star document.write('x3Cscript type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" […]

  7. Darth Vader - Mississippi Hunting and Fishing Forums says:
    January 11, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    […] Star was the nick name for a fly rod in the Sage line-up a few years ago. https://deneki.wpengine.com/2009/11/sage-7…he-death-star/ __________________ Aimlessly drifting with great […]

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