The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back
Sage Manufacturing is a fly fishing empire.  Sage rods are legendary.  Sage is also one of the most prestigious names in fly reels and fly lines.  If you are a fly fishing shop getting in good with Sage is like a blessing from the Pope.  That is because the ship quicker, repair faster and generally have their act together better than any other rod builders.  They allow only the best dealers to carry their products.  They control huge market share.  Sage rods are all made in USA on Bainbridge Island, Washington.  In the last couple of years there has been a trend of other U.S. rod makers to take there production "off-shore" to lower production costs and retail prices.  Some consumers like that approach.  Sage even dabbles in that market with there subsidiary company Redington.  All of a sudden Sage finds they are loosing market share.  Consumers feel they are getting a better "deal" on the foreign made rods.  What to do...take the production over seas and reduce costs or strike back with American craftsmanship and ingenuity...offer a higher quality line of rods at competing prices...repel the foreign invaders...take back the market share with superior rods made at home.  They decided to keep the jobs here.   The two new lower priced offerings from sage (FLi Series and Launch Series) offer impeccable workmanship and very smooth, powerful actions at the same price or better price than any of the higher class off-shore made competitors.  
Check them out.  See if you agree.

spawning process or by catastrophes such as floods.  In areas where fish are spawning, eggs are often more prevalent than aquatic insects in a foraging trout's diet. 
   Deschutes Redsides dine all winter on white fish eggs.  Alaskan rainbows get a seasonal boost from the roe of spawning salmon.  Trout and steelhead often congregate down stream of the redds of spawners of their own race.  All salmonids, especially Rainbows, Cutthroats, Dolly Varden and Rocky Mountain white fish are egg eaters.

   Fish eggs come in many sizes and colors.  White fish eggs are 1/8" diameter and are transparent yellowish pink.  Eggs from spawning resident rainbows are usually 3/16" in diameter and are translucent yellowish orange.  Steelhead eggs are about 1/4" in diameter and exhibit the same coloration as their land locked cousins.  Coho salmon eggs are nearly identical to steelhead eggs.  Chinook salmon eggs are the same color but range to nearly 3/8" in diameter.  Chum salmon eggs are slightly larger but lighter in color.

   All eggs change color as the embryo inside them develops.  Trout and salmon eggs go through a similar metamorphosis.  First the tiny eyes of the fish inside the egg forms a dark spot.  Then the darker reddish-orange yoke sack starts to form.  In later stages the silvery form of the fish is seen through the outer membrane of the egg.

   If the egg is unfertilized it dies quickly and turns an opaque whitish-pink.  Silt collecting on the outer skin of the egg can give it a grayish cast.  If the egg is allowed to drift long enough, it will be attacked by fungus and algae and become greenish.  Trout and steelhead may become selective to these different egg nuances.  

  Hot Glue Eggs are formed by applying colored hot glue to the hook shank and turning the hook to form a bead.  A marabou tail is added to make the fly legal as a fly.  The tail is often removed.

  "Glo Bugs" (and McGlo-Bugs)  have been proven as the fly fishers premier egg imitation from California to Alaska.  They are tied from a special high loft yarn.  This yarn is placed on top of a short hook, parallel to the shank and secured with several wraps of strong thread.  The yarn is compressed under the wraps of thread.  The two ends are pulled up tight and clipped close to the hook.  The resulting release of compression forms a spherical ball with all of the yarn fibers radiating from the hook.  When soaked in water, many colors become translucent.   Egg Flies