Scott STS 909-3 (50th anniversary)

STS Rod
STS Reel Seat
STS Sig2

$1,195.00

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SKU: sco-sts909-50th

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Product Description

Scott STS 909-3, 50th Anniversary limited edition

9’0″ 9-weight, 3-piece fly rod
comes with limited edition aluminum case and partitioned cloth liner

Reel seat:  Milled aluminum, self-indexing uplock with type 3 hardcoat
Guides:  CeRecoil nickel titanium strippers with ReCoil nickel titanium snake guides
Blank finish: unsanded (the original STS 909-3 was sanded, but Scott offers the 50th Anniversary edition unsanded for superior durability)

Rod designer:  Jim Bartschi

Why was it groundbreaking?  The STS 909-3 completely changed the image of the Scott Fly Rod company, and that is no exaggeration.  The Scott Heliply Series were excellent saltwater fly rods, but they represented a “swimming against the current” mentality that was being outpaced by the competition’s fast-and-faster design theorem for successful angling in the oppressive saltwater environment.

The Scott STS Series, most notably the 909-3, beat the competition at its own game.  Seemingly a mirage, the STS 909-3 was lighter, stronger and a better caster than any previous saltwater 9-weight thanks to its unique combination of high modulus materials, a 3-piece blank design and the use of internal ferrules.  As a footnote on the use of internal ferrules in saltwater rods, the attrition began when 4-piece rods overtook 3-piece rods for travel convenience.  Skinny internal ferrules used in the tip to tip-mid connections lacked sufficient durability, so Scott has designed modern saltwater rods with a sleeve ferrule (beginning with the S4S series).

Why is it timeless?  If you don’t literally require a 4-piece rod for travel convenience (many of us own long rods, or fish from our cars or boats, right?), you will never fish a more lethal saltwater fly rod, nor a more versatile one.  The STS 909-3 is a rod (or possibly the rod) that characterized the 9’ 9-weight as the most useful saltwater fly rod.  From bonefish, permit and redfish to striped bass of any size, juvenile tarpon, open-water salmon and false albacore, this is your rod.  For those who seek effortless power, the STS 909-3 casts with the subtlety of an air horn, generating sensational line speed at every distance and possessing an extra gear in the butt section for launching bombs into the wind and cranking on heavy sounders in the end game.  This is a hall of fame fly rod.

Reviews

  1. A rod I’ve owned and fished for almost three decades, no saltwater fly rod is more irreplaceable in my quiver. Yes, it would be easier to transport if 4 pieces rather than 3, but I will never stop packing my STS 909-3 to the far corners of our watery planet. No 9-weight has more command, yet this prodigal Scott saltwater rod remains true to its line weight. I remember this rod for its power, but upon casting it once again, I recall the perfection of its taper, its suppleness in the tip for the common short shot, the progressive load with each increment of line, the power that comes from flex and recovery rather than raw stiffness. To wield this rod from the deck of a skiff is to stand on the obsidian mantel, flats afire, nothing out of range.

    My favorite line for the STS 909-4 is the SA Amplitude Smooth Bonefish WF9F, designed more than 25 years after the rod’s introduction but seemingly made for this stick. The rod casts the SA Grand Slam, SA Bonefish Plus and Rio Elite Bonefish with equal ease, complete command and each with predictable effect on the cadence of the angler’s casting stroke. I sometimes criticize the Grand Slam taper for indelicate presentations, but there is no question that it loads and shoots with authority. If that is your line for permit or juvenile tarpon, this is your fly rod. The STS will once again become popular with striped bass anglers, living on many a boat in the Northeast. All common striper lines and full sinking saltwater lines are in the wheelhouse for the STS 909-3.

    John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

  2. In regards to expectations, the re-release of the STS 909/3 had the most to prove. There have been few fly rod models in recent history that are spoken about with such whispered reverence. The adulation is deserved. While I never had the opportunity to own this rod, I will not squander my opportunity on this go around. I have fished this beauty on a number of occasions, graciously lent to me by John Duncan. The classic version is not that different from the original other than a lighter swing weight given the modern resin and components. This fly rod is a gun and a blast to cast. With a Rio Bonefish WF9 the rod threw tight loops with accuracy and easy power, great permit setup. If you are looking for a rocket ship with rocket fuel for redfish and baby tarpon, try the SA Grand Slam WF9, this line comes out of the tip like it’s late for a date.

    Troy Youngfleish (Telluride Angler)

  3. The STS 909/3 is one of those fly rods that never seemed to leave the conversation. Over the years I have had many conversations with anglers that make it a point to say they still own/fish/want an STS 909/3. One of those anglers is one of the owners of the shop. He’s had the opportunity to own a couple dozen of the best, newest 9-weights available and he keeps going back to his STS. Pick one of these up and it will make sense to you. The STS 909/3 is a perfect marriage of taper and material. The “thing” that sets this rod apart is the truly perfect taper. The tip is so sweet on this rod. Supple without being soft, you get a sense of intimate control and delightful feedback. The rod has all the power you expect in a 9 weight, but your superpower isn’t lights out line speed like you get with a modern rod, your superpower with the STS 909/3 is your connection to the rod and the easy intuition that is inherent with this rod. The line speed leaving the rod is matched to the taper.

    A Rio Elite Bonefish WF9F was my favorite line on the rod. The SA Bonefish Plus put a little more into the rod than I preferred and seemed to rob the tip of some of the sweetness that I liked so much and I felt like the line over-ran the taper and speed of the rod. The Grand Slam was a little better to me with the shorter head than the Bonefish Plus, but neither were close to the Rio Elite Bonefish in my opinion. The STS 909/3 sports the classic thread wraps, internal ferrules and 3-piece design of the original. A big improvement over the original rod are the components on the 50th Anniversary. Dual Cerecoil Stripping guides, recoil nickel titanium snake guides and the same reel seat from the Sector make for a true modern classic flats rod.

    Richard Post (Telluride Angler)
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