This rod family has found quite the niche in our rod quivers as of late during the winter and spring fishing months, so Lee, wrote up a nice Scott G Series fly rod review.
Fly Fishing is a personal sport in every aspect. No two people will ever cast exactly alike, and this is one of the reasons I personally believe there are so many different rods on the market these days. With more and more people across multiple generations getting into our sport, you will find a rod that feels good in your hands regardless of your age, range of mobility, or casting style. What might be right for you may be the worst tool for the job for the person fishing that next run downstream from you. It is rare these days to find a rod that performs great for the majority of people who pick it up and cast it. One rod that I feel achieves this rare status is the Scott G series.
Scott has been making its signature G rods for 44 years, and over those years the G has been at the forefront of rod innovation. The Scott G was the first rod family to offer a graphite 9 foot model for a 4 weight rod in the history of fly fishing, introduced the world to the internal ferrule, and was the first graphite fly rod to offer a 5 piece model for the travel angler. With the introduction of the new Scott G series, a replacement for the famed G2, Scott has once again revolutionized trout rods for the discerning angler.
With such a storied history behind the Scott G family of rods one might find themselves asking, “if the original G was so great, why would they change it?” Well Jim Bartschi, the head rod designer at Scott (who is affectionately known as the Willy Wonka of rod building in certain circles) isn’t known for putting out a new line of rods unless there are significant enough changes to warrant it. In the case of the new G series Jim completely reinvented the internal ferrule system that has been so well loved by trout anglers across the world. The result is an internal ferrule system that is stronger yet more flexible and 20% lighter than the older versions. The good folks at Scott have also used their new fibers and resins on the most advanced multi-modulus graphite blanks they have ever rolled. They have also created new tapers for the G family to better suit these new, state of the art materials. The result is a rod that is much more stable through the middle of the rod, which helps reduce dampening and allow higher line speeds, all why retaining that smooth medium action that have made so many people fall in love with the G.
The new G series is offered in 2-6 weight options. The 2 weight is offered in a 7’7” model, the 3 weight in 7’7”, 8’4”, and 8’8” models, the 4 weight in 8’4”, 8’8”, and 9’ models, the 5 weight in 7’7”, 8’8”, and 9’ models, and finally the 6 weight in a 8’8” and 9’ models. While all models provide a lighter swing weight, quicker recovery, and almost no tip bounce whatsoever when compared to the G2, there are specific models that do seem to really stand out. The 9’ 5 weight rod has been touted as the finest 9’ 5 weight trout rod on the planet, especially by those who prefer the more moderate action of the G series to the faster action of the Radian. The 8’8” 6 weight rod is the perfect rod for throwing hopper dropper rigs on bigger rivers like the Gunnison, San Juan, and Rio Grande.
Last, but certainly not least, is the 8’8” 4 weight. The 8’8” 4 weight G has been the most popular model sold across every incarnation of the G families, and probably the best selling Scott rod of all time. I think anyone who had fished the 884 G2 was skeptical about the new 884 GS, not knowing how anyone could improve upon that rod. Well, after casting it, those doubts got taken out behind the woodshed and put down. The 8’8” model has more backbone than the 8’4” model and is more delicate than the 9’ model. This rod can present a dry fly delicately and accurately at 25 feet, but still has enough power to send a tiny dry fly 75 feet and longer with ease. It is the perfect dry fly rod for some of the more technical rivers that we fish in the southwest like the Animas, Lower Dolores, and San Juan below Navajo Reservoir. This is the only model that I actually own, and will be the 4wt that I pass on to my children if I can find a woman dumb enough to marry a long haired trout bum like myself. It is truly one of the finest trout rods on the planet, and the reason why so many people who think of Scott Rods inherently think of trout fishing.
All in all, the new Scott G Series fly rods have been some of the most fun rods to fish, cast, and just jiggle around when the fly shop is slow (and clean) that I have personally had the pleasure of handling over the last couple of years. Jim Bartschi really outdid himself with these rods, and with his philosophy of not changing a rod until he has markedly refined it, I see this rod sticking around in fly shops for a long time. For those that like to slow things down a bit and feel all the working parts in every cast, I would highly consider looking into a Scott G Series ASAP.
The Scott G Series retails for $845, and is best paired with a true to line weight fly line like the Rio IT Technical Trout, Scientific Anglers Trout, or Rio Perception fly lines.
