Fishing a Scott Rod on Western Colorado Rivers

A fly rod is a feedback tool. It tells the angler what is happening at the end of the line, how the cast is loading, and when to set. The right rod makes those signals clear. The wrong rod makes the angler work harder than they should to read what should be obvious.

On the rivers we guide here in western Colorado, the right rod for most days is a Scott. We are not biased because Scott Fly Rods is built two miles from our shop. We are biased because our guides have fished these rods on the Gunnison, the Uncompahgre, the San Miguel, and the Cimarron for years, and the rods make their work easier.

Here is which Scott model fits which water, based on real days on the water and not a brochure.

The Lower Gunnison and the Gorge

The Lower Gunnison and the Gunnison Gorge are big water trout fisheries. The river is wide. The wind comes up most afternoons. Rainbow and brown trout in this stretch routinely run 16 to 20 inches, with the occasional fish well above that. You need a rod that can punch a heavy nymph rig across the seam in a stiff breeze, then turn around and lay down a small dropper on a soft inside line.

The Scott Centric is the rod most of our guides fish on this water. The Centric is fast enough to push through wind and move heavy lines, but it loads at fishing distance, which means you can still feel what the rod is doing on a 30 foot cast across a soft seam. The Centric in a 9 foot 5 weight or 9 foot 6 weight is the workhorse for this kind of fishing. The 6 weight in particular handles streamers and big stonefly nymphs without complaint.

For anglers stepping up to the three day Gorge trip, this is the rod we recommend bringing. If you want to learn more about that trip, our Gunnison Gorge 3 day guided fly fishing page walks through the experience.

The Uncompahgre

The Uncompahgre is technical water. The Pa-Co-Chu-Puk tailwater section below Ridgway Reservoir holds selective trout that have seen every fly in the bins, and the in-town stretch through Montrose offers year-round opportunity for anglers willing to fish small flies and light tippet.

This is where a Scott Centric in a lighter line weight comes into its own. A 9 foot 4 weight Centric handles the tailwater with the kind of presentation finesse selective fish demand, while still giving you enough backbone to drive a tight loop into a stiff afternoon wind. The Centric loads at fishing distance, which matters more on the Unc than long range power. Most days on this water happen inside 40 feet.

For dry fly fishing on the Uncompahgre, the 9 foot 4 weight is the standard. The Centric in that length and line weight is the rod our guides reach for first.

If you are planning a trip on this river with us, our Uncompahgre River guided fly fishing trips cover both the tailwater and the float sections.

The San Miguel and the Cimarron

The San Miguel and the Cimarron are smaller water. Tighter casts. Lighter tippets. Smaller fish on average. More wading and more tree branches overhead. For this kind of fishing, your rod needs to load close in and roll cast clean when there is no room for a back cast.

The Scott Session is an excellent fit for this water. The Session is built around the same fast with feel philosophy as the Centric, but with a simpler component package that brings the price down. On a small creek, the Session loads quickly at short distances, which is exactly what you need when you are dapping a dry fly into a pocket from 15 feet away. A 9 foot 4 weight or 8 foot 8 inch 4 weight Session handles most small water work.

For anglers who want pure feel and tactile feedback, the Scott F Series is the other option for this water. The F Series is fiberglass. Slower action, deeper bend, and an absolute joy to fish on a small creek where you might cast 20 feet all day. Bring an F Series to the Cimarron in July and you will understand why some anglers will not fish anything else on small water.

The Saltwater Question

We get this one a lot. Anglers planning a winter saltwater trip want to know if they should bring a freshwater rod or invest in a proper salt rod.

The short answer is invest in the proper rod. Salt is hard on gear and the casts are different. The longer answer is that Scott makes excellent saltwater rods. The Scott Sector is the dedicated saltwater rod, built for tarpon, permit, bonefish, and any fast moving fish that needs a heavy fly delivered into wind. The Sector is fast, light in hand, and built around components that survive salt exposure. The 8 weight handles bonefish and small permit. The 10 weight handles permit and small tarpon. The 12 weight is the giant trevally rod. There is a Sector for every flats target.

The newer Scott Wave fits at a slightly more accessible price point and covers similar ground. If you are headed to the flats, either is a good choice.

Why Scott Holds Up Where Other Rods Do Not

Every Scott rod is built by hand in Montrose. The graphite blanks are rolled on mandrels in the Scott factory. The components are sourced for performance not for cost. Snake Brand snake guides. Flor grade cork. Titanium and zirconia stripping guides. Custom milled aluminum reel seats. And every rod gets a final inspection from a person who knows what a perfect rod looks like.

Every Scott rod is backed by the Scott Unconditional Lifetime Warranty. When something goes wrong, you send the rod back to Montrose, and the same factory that built it rebuilds it. Most rod warranty work in the industry gets shipped overseas or to a third party repair facility. Scott handles it in-house. The turnaround is faster, the quality is better, and the rod comes back the way it should.

For more on the local manufacturing story, read our piece on why Scott Fly Rods are made in Montrose, Colorado.

Come Cast the Lineup

If you are planning a trip to western Colorado and want to fish a rod matched to the water you are coming to fish, stop by the shop at 432 East Main Street in Montrose. We have the Scott lineup on the rack. We have a casting area outside. You can put time on the rod you are considering before you commit. We can also match the rod to a reel from our Ross or Abel walls, both of those brands made within walking distance of the same neighborhood.

If you cannot make it in person, you can browse our full Scott Fly Rods selection online. We ship anywhere in the country.

Either way, when you fish a Scott, you are fishing a rod that was built by hand in this town. That is the kind of gear we like to put in our customers' hands.