Agree
i have a 250$ Sage Rod n $250 reel Sage 5/6
love it and have used a lot on Trout and Lake Whitefish
the fight is fun fun fun on these mid range rods
the reel is great and the rod does its job
some times its the fish that make's or breaks the rod or damage
Sage has replaced parts but was due to my mishandling
i have other mid range rods like TFO and like them
its about fishing and not how much you spend
have fun fly fishing
David