Sweet Stick

Last week I filled the last remaining (I hope...) hole in my arsenal. I love my Scott A2 9' 6-weight, but it's a little much for teeny dry flies to 6" rainbows. That rod's more geared to nymphing, windy days, or big flies like Hex or terrestrials. I've had a few outings where I'd wished for a nice 4-weight. Plus, I picked up a Ross CLA 1.5 that I lined up with Rio Selective Trout in 4-weight. So, it needed a good home.

As I've mentioned, I'm a big Scott fan. Both my A2 and my S3 (9'6" 8-weight) fish so well. They improve my casts, and up my numbers. So, an A3 in 4-weight was a natural candidate. Luckily, my local shop, Colton Bay, just became a Scott dealer! Had a lot of debate with my buddy Mike Schultz -- and if you need gear advice, go see Mike, he knows his sh*t -- about 8'6" or 9'.  Simple solution; go cast both.

Mike was advocating the 8'6", although he'd not had the chance to cast it in the A3. I thought I might benefit from the longer stick. After we both threw a few with both rods, the conclusion was the 8'6". Surprisingly, both rods were great, but the shorter stick seemed to have just a little more "pop". But both were AWESOME. Whether you're a beginner, or experienced vet, the A3 series seems to make everyone just a little bit better. It's relatively fast, but not overwhelming.

And, best of all -- it's made in Colorado, and Scott is owned by William Clay Ford (yeah, that Ford) of Michigan. I can buy a great product AND support the U.S. industry? Sweet!

Hoping to get in some river time with dries this weekend, if the forecast cools down a little. Looking forward to gettting this sweet stick out there.

-Sean-