Sage Xi3 Rods – 1090-4 Review

The Sage 1090-4 Xi3 is a really fast rod.

Sage’s Xi3 series of rods are, of course, the update to their very popular Xi2 line of saltwater rods.  We’ve written about other rods in the Xi3 line in the past.  In general the Xi3s are faster and lighter than their Xi2 counterparts, and they tend to bend a little more uniformly (while the tips on the Xi2s were noticeably softer than the butt sections).

We fished the 1090-4 Xi3 in the Florida Keys and on South Andros earlier this month.  We’ve also spent a fair amount of time with the 9 foot 7 weight and the 9 foot 8 weight Xi3s, and the 10 weight is definitely a different animal.  As noted above the Xi3s are faster than the Xi2s, but the 10 weight is, to put it scientifically, ‘way more faster’.  This rod is really fast and really powerful.

We think that

You’d Like The 1090-4 Xi3 If

• You like really fast rods.
• You like hauling hard and fast, and really putting your thumb into a rod.
• You need to throw a whole lot of line, like if
• You’re making long shots at big permit, or if
• You’re making long shots at tarpon and you like a 10 weight.

We think that

You Wouldn’t Like The 1090-4 Xi3 If

• You’ve got a relaxed casting stroke.
• You really like feeling your rod load.
• You’re going to be making mostly short shots at fish.

In our grueling test casting and fishing sessions, we mostly used a 10 weight Rio Tropical Clouser, a line we love for its relatively short, heavy front taper.  That line tends to load rods easily at short range, but we found that we still had to pull pretty hard to get the rod to cast well.  An aggressive casting stroke made this rod dump a whole lot of line, like the whole line, right now.

To sum things up, the Sage 1090-4 Xi3 is a really fast rod.

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