Ross Love

A couple of new reels arrived for the quiver - and both just strengthen my loyalty to the Ross Reels brand.

The first is a CLA-6 for my spey rod. I wanted a reel large enough to hold a Rio Skagit Short line, and balance out my Scott ARC 1287-3 rod (at 12' 8" that's a fair bit of rod). I own three other CLA's, but all are smaller. This new one's like an extra-large, extra-beefy version. Seems like it will be perfect to throw on the spey stick. Very impressive, especially at the price point. Funny though, the market calls it a "guide favorite". Knowing a few guides, I think this ironic. For client gear, most guides seem to aim toward good quality with a keen eye toward reliable performance. In a reel that means that they can hand them to clients of all levels of ability and awareness and expect solid performance throughout the season. Ultimate precision isn't typically the goal; a good dunking and a sand bath will kill that reel quickly. This reel meets these goals perfectly -- rugged, performance that will last for years without bells and whistles you don't need.

The second is an Evolution LT 4 and spare spool. This one's going to be for my streamer rig for chasing trout and smallmouth. One spool will get a Rio 200 grain sink tip, and the other a Rio Outbound Short. I'd seen this reel in a case at a recent show, but wasn't prepared for how impressive it would be in reel (ha) life. What an amazing piece of design and machining. Light, durable, and super cool looking. Shocking how light it is for a size 4. It will be great balanced on a 9' Scott A3 7-weight streamer stick! As mentioned previously, I do a lot with precision machined parts in my day job and this thing is incredibly well-done. As a bonus, it incorporates a super-simple drag system that just looks bulletproof. I think I may actually pick up a third spool and put my 300 grain sink tip on it too. This product completely exceeded my expectations.

All of this is why I've gone to standardizing on Ross Reels for all my rigs. Every one has consistently exceeded my expectations. Now I just need to talk myself out of the blisteringly cool F1...

-Sean-