Scott ARC 1287-3 (50th anniversary)

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   I own the 13’ 8-wt version of this rod and have never been steelheading without it. The 1287-4 is even lighter and more even flexing, totally in contact with its Spey line, whether a Scandi (440 grain), Skagit (500-525 grain), or traditional long-headed line. I cast it for the first time with both a Scandi and a Skagit head. It’s so interesting that modern Spey rods are evaluated by the style of head that they cast best. This rod casts them all with seemingly equal intuition and capability. It is light and responsive enough for Scandi casting and mesmerizing single Spey techniques, yet casts off the bottom end quite naturally with a Skagit head and 10’ MOW tip.

   For many anglers, the 3-piece design is an advantage rather than a disadvantage with fewer ferrules to tighten and no joint in the center of the rod. 3-piece rods were a thing for a reason.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   I am a sucker for a two hander, especially a cool one. I feel like Spey rods have a little more spirit and nuance than single handed rods. You must want to understand them. The history, the story, the classic style with modern updates, all play into what makes a great rod legendary. Back in its heyday, the ARC 1287/3 was known for being light in the hand and sweet off the tip of the rod. I found all of this and more to be true despite our challenging casting location and positioning behind the factory. There is a pond, and little alleyways in the willows are where you ought to practice placing your D-Loop anyway. I had a Rio Elite Scandi Lauch 440 grain head with 50# Rio Slickshooter mono. The ARC 1287/3 had a remarkable feeling of stability and connectedness with the head in the air. A single Spey was the best move to load the rod in our little corner of casting possibility. On the lift and through the drop and sweep upward, the blank really locks up and grabs the head giving you a wonderfully controlled feeling of placement. The forward stroke is super smooth and intuitive and the taper lends itself to a Scandi line, strong and stable through the lower third with a soft and balanced tip. The rod can generate a ton of easy energy and carried line speed all the way through to the fly. It was windy and you could lay it out on stillwater fine and far.

   The Skagit head was a Rio Elite Skagit Launch 525 grain, iMow Medium Intermediate tip. This line is 23’ long and the lighter head that I prefer on my 13’ 7 weight. The ARC 1287/3 performed well with this head, but it wasn’t nearly as sweet and easy as the Scandi head. It took a little bit more to load and I could make it throw the line well and pretty, but you had to tinker with it a bit. Two things to keep in mind: Skagit heads did not exist at the time this rod was designed. The ARC is definitely a Skagit-ready rod – don’t label it as a Scandi only – but the longer Skagit head didn’t feel quite right. I would bump the weight and the length down a touch and fish a Skagit head of around 500 grains and 20 feet in length. An ideal summer run rod for traditional wet flies and skaters, a shorter Skagit head rounds out this awesome steelhead rod and keeps it fishing through the winter. The three-piece configuration and internal ferrules are cool, without a joint in the middle of the rod and one less connection to add weight and deaden feel. There is a ton of spirit and soul in this blank and you just want to keep casting it. It’s a seriously attractive attribute to down-and-across fishing where we spend 99% of our happy moments relishing in the appreciation of a cast well executed.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)