Last year, we were fortunate to get a hold of the Sage METHOD 7126-4 spey rod
for a week long testing on some hot Dean River steelhead at B.C.
West. We loved it so much that when it came time to look for a new trout
swinging stick we looked to the METHOD spey rod’s little sister, the
METHOD switch series. We’re super glad we did and here’s why.
Sage METHOD Switch Rod Introduction
Like the rest of the world, we were a little heart broken when we
first got wind that Sage’s popular TCX line of switch rods were going to
be replaced. Why fix something that ain’t broken, right? Well, to make
something better, that’s why! Like many folks, we were under the
impression that the new ‘METHOD’ series of rods were going to be even
stiffer than their TCX predecessor, which we were a bit concerned
about.. However, after reaching out to the rod gurus at Sage, we learned
that the METHOD was designed to perform as an ultra-fast action rod
(like the TCX), but with MORE feel! We pulled the trigger once we
learned that, and needless to say we have fallen in love all over again.
Sorry TCX, but I think we should see other switch rods..
All METHOD Switch rods are 11 foot 9 inches long (same as the
previous TCX switch line), and range from 6 weight to 9 weight. We love
this length as it really hits our take on switch rods as ‘mini-spey
rods.’ We find the idea of being able to switch from spey casting to
overhead casting more of a ‘dream’ than reality. Any rod performs best
if lined with only one style of casting in mind and we have found the 11
foot 9 inch length to be nearly perfect for two handed casting in tight
quarters.
We got our hands on the METHOD Switch 6119-4, that’s an 11 foot 9
inch 6 weight (whatever that means in spey terms now-a-days), with our
big western Alaska rainbow trout in mind, and we absolutely love it..
Here’s why.
Design
The 6119-4, like the rest of the METHOD switch, spey, and single hand
rods is bright ‘magma’ red in color. We were a little hesitant the
first time we saw it, but we have to admit, it looks pretty darn cool.
For those of you asking yourself, ‘it’s a little bright, won’t that
spook the fish?’ Our answer would be, ‘I think you’re standing too close
to the fish.’
As far as aesthetics, the 6119-4 features a classy down locking reel
seat and high end components that we’ve learned to expect from
everything Sage.
In our opinion, the design of the grips are spot on as well. We found
the top hand grip to be just the right length needed for that compact
stroke used most often with shorter rods, while the bottom hand grip is
extremely comfortable right out of the gate.
Weighing in at a mere 5 7/16 ounces, the 6119-4 feels extremely light in the hand, allowing for longer fishing days.
Casting Performance
The first word that came to mind after casting the 6119-4 was crisp.
Although only a 6 weight, we were impressed at the power available in
such a small package. We half expected to have to work to load the rod,
but to our delight, it loads extremely easy. We’ll hand it to our
friends at Sage, it does seem to have more ‘feel.’
We threw a number of sink tips on it as well from 10 feet of T-8
upwards to 7 feet of T-14 all with great success, with a T-11 MOW tip
feeling really, really, good. We even chucked some heavy lead-eye
articulated flies with ease!
Line Match
We started out casting an Airflo skagit switch
450 grain head and never looked back. We found the 450 to load the rod
effectively both on short lazy casts as well hero casts. However, with
that said, your humble editor would admit to having a slower stroke than
some. For those with a faster or more traditional casting style (i.e.
kiss and go casts), a line in the 420 grain range might be more
appropriate.
Reel Match
We paired the 6119-4 with Sage’s new Evoke 8 reel (stayed tuned for
our review) to make for quite a sexy setup. At 9.90 ounces, we found the
Evoke 8 to be perfectly balanced with the skagit head outside of the
rod tip of the 6119-4. Not to mention it looks super, super cool.
Conclusion
You might have noticed, but throughout this review we didn’t list
what we didn’t like about the 6119-4. That’s because we couldn’t really
find anything! Honestly! The 6119-4 fit the bill perfectly for the trout
we encounter at Alaska West. It was even up to the challenge of
battling a few chum dogs!
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