Scott Swing 12810-4

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   The first thing I noticed was how light this rod is for a 10-weight spey rod. Yes, it is short for most 10 weight Spey rods that typically reside around 15 feet long, but it is still a 10-weight with a hefty butt section. That is a lot of rod to have a sense of lightness, but this one does. We cast the Rio Skagit Max Launch 700 grain head on this rod and it took me a second to figure out. You do in fact need to apply some muscle to lift and place a 700 grain head. Light and lithe are not what these rods should be. This rod is intended for large salmon, big ones. The shorter length allows you to do battle with truly large fish in tighter quarters and makes moving the rod around a bit easier. I could get a hair more distance with the 1389, but I could cast this rod more easily.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   I’ve conditioned myself not to expect much enjoyment out of casting Skagit heads. In general, they are thugs. This was the first rod I cast on field test day and was pleasantly surprised at how naturally the rod embraced the Rio Skagit Launch 700 grain line, seeming to cradle the heavy head within its flex profile and gently lift it into space on the forward stroke. This is not the kind of rod that I cast well, but my casting loop was downright aerodynamic, even with the heavy iMow tip. The rod doesn’t require as much patience as I anticipated, but you can’t rush a Skagit cast. With a heavy tip, it’s like lifting bowling balls out of a swimming pool. This is the right tool for heavy winter fishing on all but the largest of rivers, where the 14810-4 finds its purpose. Growing up fishing the OP, we often used 10-weight 2-handers on rivers like the Hoh and Sol Duc. I would unconditionally recommend this rod for the winter grind.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)