Scott Swing 1184-4

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   The 1184 is the Trout Spey specific model and it is meant to be fished with the shorter Skagit heads and Scandi hybrid style heads that Rio is calling Trout Spey. The rod is light in the hand and hides the extra length nicely, and the blank is very lively. Kind of “slow snappy” is what I would call it, with enough play for an easy wind up for touch-and-go casts and enough snap for dragging white rats across the water with the short Skagit heads. We cast the Rio Skagit Mini-Max Power 325 grain and 300 grain. Both worked well, but I preferred the 325. You got a little wider load window with this line and it gave me a half measure more time and control. You could fish a pretty large fly with this rod and line combination, but for truly large trout streamers you should bump up to the 1186. We also cast the Rio Trout Spey #3 at 265 grains and #4 at 305 grains. The rod handles both well, but I thought the 265 grain #3 was the more pure casting line with a lovely feeling and such an excellent snap to the blank on an off shoulder snake roll. The 305 #4 is a very good option for fishing larger soft hackles and small to medium sized streamers with or without Versitip leaders. Take that 305 grain #4 and fish a #6 wooly bugger. Use that same fly and add a fast-sinking Versileader to get down into the water column a bit more. The extra mass of the Rio Trout Spey #4 will cast like a Scandi and fish more like a Skagit on this rod. For true softie fishing I’d still go with the #3 at 265 grains and for swinging medium to large streamers I’d go with the 325 grain Mini Max Power. This is a versatile trout Spey swing rod and a highly entertaining rod to cast and fish. Keep your hands inside of your body with this rod for optimum performance.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 4 out of 5

   “Half Pounder” …as Jim Bartschi describes this model, which most will fish Trout Spey, but if you have the opportunity to fish it for grilse or half pounders, you owe to the fishing gods to do so. “Half pounders” are named like “baby tarpon.” If it’s a Rogue River steelhead, it’s a half-pounder, whether weighing 2 lbs or 9 lbs. In any case, the Swing 1184-4 is most well-suited for two-handed trout techniques but will find many other playful applications on the river.

   The manufacturer recommends a grain window of 270gr-325gr. I cast the rod with a Rio Trout Spey integrated line at 265 which I preferred over both heavier Skagit lines that I tried (300gr and 325gr). It’s true, I don’t care for short headed Spey lines unless absolutely required for the fishing, but there was something more going on here. In my hands, the Swing 1184-4 definitely preferred the lighter line and longer, more gradual WF taper of the Trout Spey line. The 265 grain loaded the rod perfectly and cast longer, tighter loops. I would recommend this rod for soft hackle fishing, but not heavy streamers. If you use a Skagit, choose a head toward the bottom of the grain weight window and with a slightly longer head.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)