As we reported earlier, Sage has recently been introducing a bevy of new products, including four new series of fly rods. In addition to these already announced products, Sage is introducing two new series of reels that it is calling "technologically superior". With new features like innovative drag systems, increased line capacity and line pickup speed, these new reels seem to be aimed mainly at big game anglers, despite being offered in sizes that will appeal to trout anglers and the like.

Sage 8000 Series in 'stealth' and 'storm'.

The 8000 PRO series was designed by Sage to offer a substantially increased level of fish stopping power and drag control to anglers who depend on their drags (unlike trout anglers, count me among the guilty, who have fancy drags on their trout reels that are very, very rarely needed). The 8000 PRO series introduces a unique, new dual drag system that gives anglers the ability to fine tune the control of their drag. It's best to let Sage explain:

It's safe to say that most of us who fly fish consider ourselves to be outdoorsmen. That said, most of us have become accustomed to a level of convenience in our fishing excursions. The typical fly fisherman loads up his car with gear, drives to and parks by the river he intends to fish and, after a relatively short walk, is knee deep in said river. The experience is one we've all developed a love for, but is also one that we can't truly call our own. Even in the west, a more "legitimate" version of the outdoors those of us from the lesser East yearn to have out our backdoor, popular rivers see considerable pressure and the river experience is a shared one. Now, that's not to say that the shared fly fishing experience isn't a valuable one. It, without question, is. It's just to say that the shared, more easily accessed version of a trout stream differs significantly from its backcountry counterpart.

Why Fish the Backcountry

Fly fishing in the backcountry offers the fly fisherman an opportunity to see and fish water that the vast majority of fishermen will never experience. In fact, compared to the streams and rivers most of us typically fish, the backcountry offers an opportunity to see and experience a natural environment that very few people will ever experience. The solitude and rawness of nature as it strays from the roads and highways that interrupt it is decidedly different than the more conveniently accessed version of nature most of us are accustomed to. And it's well worth the walk.

If the image of solitude and the idea of seeing a version of nature more removed from human influence isn't enough to lure you into the backcountry, then surely the idea of better fishing must be. On waters with healthy, self-sustaining trout populations, the quality of the fishing typically increases as the distance from roads and parking lots increases. Fish that live in a more remote wilderness are more naive to the wiles of the trout fisherman and, as a result, feed more aggressively and much less selectively. If you're into matching the hatch with size 28 dry flies, perhaps the backcountry isn't for you.