Fly Fishing

dublhaul1 · Location: Northern Vermont

I recently bought a Scott STS 3pc 9wt off a buddy of mine...it casts great, shoots line like a cannon, and seems to have been taken care of. But last summer I took it striper fishing, and our guide almost wouldn't let me bring in on the boat. Said it was too brittle and would almost certainly break and that he has heard the same thing from many other guides. I used my rod that day anyway, and it didn't break...but now I am wondering, should I be worried? Has anyone else heard this about Scott rods?

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

That is classic! Not really sure what your guide was talking about with that rod. I own that same rod, the 3 piece 9 weight STS...killer rod! I have had it now for almost ten years and since moving to the east coast a little over three years ago have put some serious mileage on it (and it already had some pretty good use before that). I have caught everything from albies to bonito to stripers to bluefish on it (and some steelhead, and even some trout when throwing big streamers). Have used it on jetties and beaches which are far harder on gear than boats...but have used it plenty of times on boats as well. So far I have yet to break that rod (knock on wood). and i break a lot of rods....in fact i have always thought of that as one of the more durable...also have several guide friends who have said the same thing about the STS. It was one of Scott's most popular rod series and they actually re introduced it a few years back as a retro limited edition it was so popular. so as far as it being brittle i disagree. I actually own a Scott STS 8 weight as well that has been very heavily used and it even has a fracture on one of the female ends of the ferrule where the rod wraps and epoxy have come off and it has had that for about five years and caught tons of fish including a steelhead my dad landed in BC that was just under 30 pounds with the fracture and it didn't break! There are plenty of fly rods out there these days that are brittle especially with the newer ultra thin walled lightweight graphite but the Scott STS is not one of them. I will say one thing though, it does have external ferrules so it is easy to miss it if they get loose, and you can break the rod if they are loose but that has nothing to do with the rod being brittle. So, I would fish the rod with confidence.

dublhaul1 · Location: Northern Vermont

Thanks for that...I really do love this rod...so it's good to hear a vote of confidence! I bet you hit the nail on the head - that it's the ferrules that need to be secure or it would "weaken" the rod...I guess that's true of any fly-rod.

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

Yeah it is important for any fly rod to have the ferrules secure but with an external ferrule like the one on the sts, it is a little harder to tell when it is not tight. There are ways to help solve this like adding ferrule wax or taping the ferrules although i am usually too lazy to do this. I just try to check them every so often especially in windy conditions and after they have been put in a rod rack on a boat since both of those things make them loosen up a lot easier.
Anyway, the Scott STS is a kick a** rod, enjoy it!

dublhaul1 · Location: Northern Vermont

Thanks again, come ice-out I'll post pics of my STS laid across some very large pike...and that should put an end to my fears!