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I would have said the Sage 290, but I have never hooked a big nookie with it, and I don't know if it really has enough backbone for the big nooks.


When my 290 was new, the 2nd and 3rd fish I hooked on it were LATE kings(I was fishing steelhead). One in the low 20's, the other high 20's. It did a sufficient job on them....Enough that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable hooking another one on it.