Fly Fishing

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

I get alot of private messages about fly fishing gear. Many time in reference to gear swapping and also in regards to just general questions from friends and fliesandfins.com members saying "Hey what do you think about this fly reel or that fly rod or this vest or this line etc.." I have found that much of the time I don't know enough about most of the brands and manufacturers and products and in many instance I know very little or nothing at all; especially if it has to do with niche fly fishing applications such as spey lines, 14 weight rods for offshore gamefish, fly reels for, wading shoes for the flats, fly fishing kayaks etc... There are simply too many types of fly fishing going on these days and too many gear and product and manufacturer options for any 1 person or even small group of people to give valuable and unbiased feedback. So, because I really am not knowledgable enough to offer advice on all products and even if I was, it's only my opinion; I came up with a better idea that is inline with the fliesandfins.com. Who better to make a review than all of us ... Meaning, if you see a review and you have any information about the product/manufacturer/brand that you think might help other fly fisherman than put in your .02 cents. Much like the branch sites of fliesandfinssouth.com, fliesandfinseast.com, fliesandfinswest.com and fliesandfinsnnorth.com, that focus on "tips and questions" as they relate to each of the specific regions, the value of these reviews is in the collective and social sharing of information. And, the same theory applies .. in the sense that if you know anything at all about a product/manufacturer/brand and you post your .02 cents, than through time you might need unbiased and quality information about a product/manufacturer/brand that you don't know anything about .. and other members .02 cents will be valuable to you. It's hard to find unbiased reviews these days .. and there is no way on earth 1 person or a small group of people could possibly know everything about all products/brands/manufacturers .. so, the only way to really truly attain quality reviews is through the collective opinions of all us .. So, there are no rules .. in the sense that your opinion is your opinion and all opinions are valid. So feel free to share the good, the bad and the ugly ..

So .. "Scott Fly Rods" .... I don't know anything about them and have never fished with one .. Maybe other members have some input?

tshaw · Posted: Wed 12/26/07 8:55 pm Post subject: Experience with Scott Rods

I have been using Scott rods for over 20 years in both fresh and salt water. They make quality rods and stand behind their products. The STS series for salt water are classics that cast well and are great for stripers, snook, redfish, permit, and tarpon. I have Scott freshwater rods in line weights of 4, 5, and 6 and have been very happy with their performance. For years I used the 4 weight for size 20# to 6# dry fly fishing. I fished this rod so hard over a period of many years that I wore a groove in the snake guides. Scott replaced all the guides for a modest fee. The saltwater rods have a "fast" action and the freshwater rods a "moderate to fast" action. If you are looking for a casting/fishing tool with this style, you should consider a Scott.

alex · Posted: Wed 12/26/07 10:21 pm Post subject: Scott Fly Rods

Hey jeremy here is some research I have been doing on Scott Fly rods. It was started in Colorado by Harry Wilson in 1973 and became well known for there innovation being the first to make a nine foot four weight in 75 and also the first to build a five piece graphite rod. They carry a wide array of fly rods to start here is what they carry today..
S4 all water: made of three different carbon fibers with really quality components made from titanium. blanks four piece 3-8 weight 8-9'6'
G2 freshwater: medium action with internal ferrules four piece blank 2-7 weight 7'-9'
F freshwater: full action fiberglass blank made for small mountain streams and tight casting spots. 1-4 weight 6-7'5'
Sc freshwater Bamboo: famous rod builder Bernard Ramanavskas designed and built these rods with extremely high end components made by masters in Japan. 2 piece 2 tip rods 3-4 weight 6'5"-7'-5"
x2s all water: four piece blank 6-9 weight 9' all blanks
T2s double handed rod: light blanks four piece 5-10 weight 10' -16' monsters. The 16 foot i would be very interested in trying
Ls2 double handed rod all water: medium fast action blank 6-9 12'-15
E2 all water: fast action blank for high line speed 3-8 weight 7'6-10'
A2 all water medium fast blank slim ferrules two piece blanks 3-10 weights
Then there classic and concept rods
saltwater series 6-12 weights all 9' foot blanks and other bass sticks for tournament action. They are a company that carry almost all the rods necessary for all anglers, and as a fellow rod builder I greatly respect there products and I am curious what other people like and dislike about them. I am very interested in there two handed rods especially there 16' foot monster and would love to hear what people think. Alex

Boz · Location: Portland

Way to break it down Alex.

I have zero personal experience castin/fishing Scott rods. However the lines of people waiting to cast the Scott rods at last years Flyfishing show should be an indication that they are on to something.

The line to test drive there rods was longer than all other brands combined... This year I will go early and give them a try...

Pzulick · Posted: Thu 12/27/07 10:34 am Post subject:

The A2 is one of the best values out there, in my opinion. Great price, excellent product, made in the usa, and by all accounts, fantastic customer service. I'm actually bummed I didn't check them out sooner, and ended up picking up a couple of other rods for not much less that in hindsight don't even compare to the A2.

bfc06 · Location: Portland, Maine

Last spring I got a 4-piece 9'6" 9 wt E2. It's been a hell of a rod for me, though have only had it one season. It's a fast action rod and I actually do notice the extra half foot when I'm casting, especially when picking up line. I asked the salesman what might be a disadvantage of the extra half-foot and he said that I might lose a little power if I'm pulling a big fish up from the depths. I've got 400 grain depth charge to go with it and one double haul usually throws most of the line. One very small detail I'm sorry the rod doesn't have is the dots on the different sections to help line-up the guides; obviously not a big deal at all, but my other rods have this.

kray · Location: Casper Wyoming

Hey Jer, next to winston scotts are my favorite fly rods. Extremely unique actions and looks. The Scott G2 is the ultimate dry fly rod. And there F series is the smoothest slow action creek rod i have ever fished. Great Rods

clouserhead · Posted: Sat 01/05/08 11:20 am Post subject: Customer service

I love Scott rods but myself and my buddies have sworn off them because the customer service has been poor. I talked to the owner of Scott at a show recently and he assured me this had changed. So i'm about to buy one of their new salwater rods.

Randy