Sage 2014 Fly Reel Preview - Evoke, 2200, 3200

"Does it Evoke any emotion?" (tweet this)

Sage has always been known for making great rods. Recently, they released some pretty good reels too. I expect this year to be no different. Sage has three exciting releases for us this year, and certainly seems to have more new releases than anyone else in the marketplace.

Sage Evoke

The Evoke is Sage's newest weapon. It looks like Sage took aim at the Lamson Arx with this one - with a full cage design and an open bottom for palming (I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to palm a high-end drag, but it's there if you want it). It's built on the 6000 series drag, which is well sealed, but not overly powerful. The Evoke will have a large arbor for fast retrieve. It's going to be an excellent reel to pair with Sage's great selection of two-handed rods. It looks pretty cool too - a little "Loop-ish." The Evoke comes in 2 sizes: an 8-weight, perfect for smaller switch rods and a 10-weight model ideal for steelheading. I'm sure it will soon be followed up with a larger model for higher grain weights. The 8-weight has a starting price of $575.

Sage 2200 and Sage 3200

The new Sage 2200 replaces our beloved 1800 while the 3200 series replaces the 2000. Unfortunately, they've gotten rid of the awesome drag system of the 1800 and replaced it with that of the 4200. While I don't expect that this will a great saltwater reel, it will be sealed and have the same pleasant sound as the 4200. I'm guessing the weight will be reduced (I'm betting on about 1/2 an ounce of difference between the 2200, 3200, and 4200 respectively) and machining will be better. Based on the numbering, it looks like the spools will still be interchangable, and perhaps also interchangeable with the 4200. The 2200 will maintain entry level pricing with a very affordable $129, while the 3200 will start at just $199.