Fishing the Black Canyon of the Gunnison with a 5 Weight
The water that named the rod
We called it the Canyon for a reason. Most of the best trout water near our shop sits at the bottom of a canyon, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is the big one. The walls are steep, the trails down are steeper, and once you are on the river there is usually rock behind you, rock in front of you, and a lot of fish in between.
We have guided this water for years, and the rods that work best down there have a few things in common. The Scott Canyon 905 FB is our attempt to put all of them into one 5 weight.
Why a 5 weight
The Gunnison through the canyon asks a lot from one rod. On the same day you might fish a tiny midge on 6X in a slow back eddy, a hopper tight to an undercut bank, a heavy nymph rig through deep runs, and a streamer through pocket water. A 4 weight is lovely with the small flies and gives up when the wind comes upstream. A 6 weight handles the big stuff and feels like a broom handle with a size 20 dry.
A good 9 foot 5 weight is the one rod that does all of it well, and on a hike in trip you only get to bring one. That is the whole idea behind the Canyon.
Roll casting with a wall at your back
Down in the canyon you will spend a lot of time standing with a boulder, a willow, or a cliff directly behind you. There is no room for a full back cast. Anglers who fish here well learn to roll cast everything, and the rod has to cooperate.
The Canyon was built around that. It carries enough power in the butt section to roll cast a weighted nymph rig with a tight, accurate loop and turn it over at real distance. That single trait is where the rod earned its name, and it is the thing our guides noticed first when they started fishing it.
The fighting butt, and why a 5 weight needs one here
You do not usually see a fighting butt on a 5 weight. We added it because of where this rod is going to live.
In the canyon you are scrambling over boulders, kneeling at the edge of the river to net a fish, and setting your rod down on whatever rock is handy. The fighting butt keeps the reel up off the granite and out of the sand. It also gives you something to brace against your forearm when a big rainbow gets into the current and heads downstream. In fast canyon water you often cannot follow a fish, so you need the leverage to turn its head where you stand.
Salmonflies, hoppers, and everything in between
The Gunnison is known for its salmonfly hatch in late spring and early summer, and that is when the canyon gets most of its attention. Those bugs are big and heavy, and they usually go out with a dropper under them. The Canyon has the backbone to punch that rig into the wind and still control the drift through pocket water.
Summer brings caddis, mayflies, and hopper season along the grassy banks. Fall means smaller bugs, lower water, and fish that look twice. Through all of it, the same rod protects light tippet when it matters and still has the reserve to land the brown that ate a streamer at your feet.
Built to travel
Whether you hike into the Gorge on the Chukar Trail or work down one of the steep routes inside the national park, everything you fish comes down on your back. The Canyon is a 4 piece rod that breaks down short enough to strap to a pack and ride in its tube without catching on every juniper along the trail. It packs smaller than most 9'6" rods without giving up the reach you want from a full 9 foot stick.
What we put on it
We fish the Canyon with a weight forward 5 weight trout line. Scientific Anglers Infinity and Rio Gold are our two favorites for the mix of dries and nymphs you will fish in the canyon.
For a reel, we put an Abel SDF 5/6 on it. Abel machines the SDF right here in Montrose, a few blocks from our shop. The sealed drag shrugs off the grit and river water that come with canyon fishing, and the 5/6 balances a 9 foot 5 weight just right. Pair one of Abel's wood handles with the Canyon's cocobolo reel seat and you have a setup that looks as good as it fishes. See the full lineup in our Abel Reels collection.
Only at Ed's Fly Shop
The Canyon 905 FB is an Ed's Fly Shop exclusive. You will not find it at another shop or on a marketplace. It picks up where the Scott Radian left off, with Radian orange wraps, a cocobolo reel seat, measuring marks at 14 and 20 inches built into the wraps, Snake Brand universal guides, and titanium stripping guides.
If you have an older rod sitting in the closet, our Rod Trade-In Program can put it toward a Canyon. Send us a few photos and we will quote you store credit.
Come fish it with us
The best way to understand this rod is to fish it where it was meant to be fished. Our Gunnison Gorge 3 Day Float Trip puts you in the heart of the canyon for three days of fishing, and you are welcome to bring your Canyon along. If you would rather see it first, stop by the shop at 432 E Main St in Montrose or give us a call at 970-964-9991. We will string one up and let you cast it.
For more on fishing the Gorge, read our Gunnison Gorge fly fishing guide.