Fly fishing gear is a big part of Casting Across. I’ve always enjoyed the aesthetics, the marketing, and, most importantly, the function of fly fishing gear. Consequently, I’ll review new products on the site from time to time. But appreciating fly fishing gear shouldn’t only be about the latest model or newest technology. The things that you’ve fished with for years – for decades ought to be celebrated as well.
It is in that spirit that I put together this gear review. Although some products are old or even out of production, their value compounds with use, experience, and familiarity. We should enjoy what we use when we fly fish, especially if we’ve enjoyed it for a long time.
Prior to the summer of 2001, I had never fished in the salt water before. My friend and I were graduating from high school, and his parents invited me to join them for a week on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The promise of a week of redfish, snook, sea trout, and maybe even a tarpon was enough to get my eyes on every fly fishing catalog in my possession. Because, having never fished in the salt prior to that summer, I didn’t own anything heavier than a six-weight.
Early that spring I grabbed the fist-sized roll of 20s I had accumulated and headed to the fly shop. Being in high school, and saving for my first year of college, I was on a relatively tight budget. Cash available for rod, reel, and line totaled in at around $450 or so. I was able to cast a handful of fly rods. 20 years ago, many rods in that price range were on the bottom end of most manufacturers’ line ups. After an hour or so one fly rod stood out among the rest.
The nine-foot, eight-weight Scott Alpha was performing very well in my hand. It was putting line out further, and doing it easier, then everything else in the similar price range. The aesthetics weren’t anything to write home about, but it felt and cast that much better than everything around the same price range. It seem to work well enough in the parking lot of suburban Virginia, and I was confident it would do the same in the salt.
It took me a few months to add a matching reel and line to complete the combo. Once everything was assembled, I wanted to get out for a real test drive. My assumption was that it was going to be overkill for the local bass and panfish creeks. What I found was a powerful rod that could cast poppers with much more ease than my usual six-weight. My first saltwater rod quickly became my best warm water rod.
The Alpha served me well in Florida. I could cast all but the heaviest streamers far into the surf or alongside estuarine cover. Years of double-hauling for fun with lighter rods translated easily to the Alpha eight-weight. The medium-fast action was forgiving; I had time and the rod had power to allow me to close up loose loops. Although it felt heavy in hand to a newbie, even compared to modern rods it is relatively light.
20 years later, and the Alpha is still in my regular rotation for smallmouth and stripers. It’s action and versatility makes it a great “compromise” for a stiffer seven-weight that many consider to be perfect for smallies. On the New England coast, it is perfect for throwing floating line and streamers. The finish and components are all holding strong. Other rods are needed to cast heavier lines and bigger flies in the salt, but the Alpha plays an important role.
There is not a lot of documentation about the history of Scott’s labels, models, and specs available online. From what I’ve gathered/remembered, the Alpha series came in three-piece and two-piece configurations, covered trout to salt, and retailed from the low to mid-$300s. The Alpha series debuted as Scott’s mid-price offering around 2000, and went through numerous updates before the “A4” was discontinued in the last few years. Though there aren’t a lot of the original Alpha rods available online, those that can be found have a relatively high resale value.