Another Great Brand

Regular readers will know that there are a few outdoor brands I really respect. Scott Fly Rods has quickly become one of those companies.

One of the first things I pick up on with outdoor brands is tone and style. Much like Simms, the folks at Scott have this down. It's clear that while they know their target market. The copy in their catalog and on their web site balances the fine line between having fun, and taking your passion seriously. Scott rods aren't for the casual once-in-a-while user. These are serious sticks.

But I have little respect for brilliant brands who can't back it up. And to this point Scott delivers. With best-in-class construction, exceptional engineering, and innovative approaches all make them just a little bit better than competitors. What's interesting to me about Scott is that this approach seldom means cutting edge "out there" technology. More likely its about carefully selected components and processes so the whole is greater than the sum of parts.

One of their coolest elements is the "Classics/Concepts" series. Every year they do a couple of unique rods for some specific purpose. This year the concept rod is the Fiberhammer (cool name, eh?) switch rod for swinging steelhead flies.

I own two Scott rods already. My S3 in 9'6" 8-weight is the ideal stick for indicator fishing for steelhead. Its responsive with great line feel, but its got the backbone to stop a charging fish from making its way under a log. Although its in the entry-level series, my 6-weight A2 is simply amazing. This rod just plain makes me a better caster. I can't explain it, but there's some sort of Colorado magic pixie dust in this thing. I can cast further and with far greater accuracy with this rod.

For me, one of the best tests of a successful brand is that it leaves me wanting more, even when I don't NEED it. I want to replace my low-end TFO 3-weight with an A2 or A3. Do I need it? No. But it'll happen in time.

If you haven't had the pleasure of a visit to the Scott web site or better still their beautiful catalog -- I highly recommend it!

-Sean-