The Animas is the reel we hand to anglers who want one disc-drag trout reel and then want to stop thinking about reels. It is the model that built Ross's name with guides and working anglers, and this run arrives in Spruce, a new seasonal anodized finish. Spruce reads as a deep satin forest green — dark enough to look nearly black in flat light, and unmistakably green the moment sun gets on it. Machined, anodized and assembled in Montrose, Colorado, about a mile from our front door. We received one each of 4/5, 5/6 and 7/8.
Why It Works:
Ross builds the Animas drag open-faced rather than sealed, and that is a deliberate trade rather than a cost cut. Fewer parts means fewer things to fail, and you can see the composite stack, rinse it and dry it at the truck without tools. For trout and general freshwater — which is most of what comes off the Uncompahgre and the Gunnison — it is every bit of the drag anyone needs, and the spool release asks nothing of you between seasons.
Product Features:
- Fully machined bar-stock frame and spool with structural porting — strength where the load actually is, metal removed everywhere else
- Bell-shaped ultra-large arbor — picks line up fast when a fish runs at you, and keeps coils out of the line
- Upgraded composite disc drag, fresh and salt rated — smooth under a hard run, and corrosion stops being a worry
- 4.10 oz at 4/5, 4.43 oz at 5/6, 4.74 oz at 7/8 — the lightest disc-drag reels Ross builds, so they balance a light rod instead of fighting it
- Low-profile two-tone anodized drag knob and canvas phenolic handle — findable with cold hands, nothing standing proud to catch line
- Hard-anodized in Ross's closed-loop, zero-discharge Montrose facility — the finish holds up, and nothing goes into the river
Best For / Not For:
Best for the angler who wants a real disc drag on a trout rod without stepping into sealed-drag money: the 4/5 on light rods, the 5/6 as the everyday 9-foot 5-weight reel, the 7/8 behind streamers with 180 yards of backing. Not the right pick if you fish grit, sand or salt week in and week out — an open-faced drag will do it, but the sealed Evolution R is the honest answer there. Not the lightest thing to hang on a 2 or 3 weight either; that is the Colorado.
Ed's Take:
The Animas goes on more customer trout rods than any other Ross disc-drag reel we sell, and these are the first Spruce ones to come through the shop. One each of 4/5, 5/6 and 7/8 in this run, so a matched pair is not something we can promise twice. Building a 5-weight outfit from scratch, we would take the 5/6 with a matching spare spool and a sink tip already on it.
Care & Warranty:
Rinse in fresh water after a silty or salty day, let it dry with the spool off, and leave the drag backed off between trips. Ross limited lifetime warranty to the original owner, valid only on reels bought from an authorized dealer, which we are. Service happens at the Montrose factory, usually inside four weeks, and you can hand it to us over the counter.
Ed's Fly Shop, 432 E Main St, downtown Montrose, Colorado.
