Review - New Scott Meridian Saltwater Fly Rods

Our good friends at Scott fly rods have just announced their latest offering the Meridian Saltwater Series. We've had a number of prototypes around NZ and Australia for the last few months and the feeling amongst the team is unanimous, these are the hottest saltwater fly rods on the planet. The rods utilise a similar set of technologies as the award winning Radian series, the simple end result in our eyes is you get a range of super light and yet unbelievably powerful saltwater rods that still retain the signature Scott feel to them which sets them apart from all other fast action fly rods on the market. From a casters perspective the Meridians generate incredibly flat loops (due to the blanks high recovery rate and minimal vibrations) whilst also generating incredible line speed. From a fishing point of view as I mentioned they maintain that signature Scott feel enabling you to feel right through the blank any tap or pull on the other end of your line. Lastly from a fish fighting point of view the fast tapers create powerful butt sections that not only give the blank incredible stability throughout the cast they offer impressive fish lifting power enabling. in our eye's these things are perfect, we'll show you why.

Scott meridian fly rods, saltwater fly rods, radian saltwater series

The Meridian features a natural unground blank, hand written signatures and cool looking cobalt blue wraps

Here's what Scott say about the Meridian;

The all new Meridian saltwater rods build on our award winning ReAct technology to bring you a series of saltwater rods that are remarkably light, and generate exceptional line speed and power.

Using increased recovery speed rather than stiffness to more efficiently transfer energy, Meridian rods help you quickly make accurate casts at any distance in demanding saltwater conditions. You’ll be amazed at how fast you can get the fly from your hand to the fish.

Meridian rods are fit with newly designed components that defy harsh saltwater environments. Scott designed a new reel seat milled from aircraft grade aluminum, featuring self-indexed slide hoods, extra deep knurling to easily turn lock rings with wet hands, type 3 mil-spec hard coat in non-reflective flat black, and line weight engravings for quick rod identification in boat racks.

Scott Meridian saltwater fly rods

The reel seats on the Meridian are type 3 annodised, to prevent any saltwater corrosion. They are self indexing so the reel always holds up and each line weight is marked on the seat so the rod is easy to identify at a glance

Scott Meridian fly rod review

The snake guides on the Meridian are REC recoil guides which offer the highest corrosion resistance of any snake guide on the market.

Scott Meridian Fly rods saltwater fly rods review

The Stripping guides on the Meridian are Titanium frames SIC guides. Again the most corrosion resistant and light weight guides money can buy.

Scott meridian Saltwater fly rods

Redesigned fighting butts are among the many small details that have been added to the Meridian series to make them truly remarkable.

Meridian 8'4" #8 and 10

The Meridian series features a #8 and #10 model in 8'4" length. These rods are designed for tighter fishing situations like throwing flies for barra in tight mangroves or bream in snags and structure. The 8'4 models also double as great flats rods for those looking for a rod that loads quickly at closer range..... our buddies in New Calendonia were strong favourites of the original S4s 8' models for this style of fishing.

Meridian 8'10 2pc vs 9'0 4pc

The Meridian series features a full range of 9' 4pc rods in weights 6 through to 12, it's no doubt that these will be the most popular series of Meridians as they offer great portability and perfect actions. For those wanting more lifting power the 8'10" 2pc models will come into their own, compared to standard 9' 4pc rods the 2pc Meridians feature faster tapers and by eliminating the ferrule in the centre of the butt section the "power section" in this area of the rod can be elongated giving more lifting power which will come in handy for those chasing giants or fishing from boats.

Meridian 8'4" #15 Bluewater

Now this puppy is a different beast, the #15 features a reasonable amount of unidirectional glass in this blank which makes it a very castable #15 (who would have thought there was such a thing). Our buddy Micah Adams has done some tests with this rod and was able to pull well over 5.5kg worth of dead weight with the rod. What's more the well calculated flex in this rod creates a deflection closer to a stand up game rod than a traditional heavy weight fly rod. This equates to a fulcrum point in the rods flex sitting right in front of the anglers forearm which results in a comforable fight so you'll be able to apply maximum pressure from your side throughout the fight.

Meridian NZ Special

In addition to the 15 Meridian Saltwater models, Manic has created a new New Zealand Special Meridian in 9' #6. The NZ Special utilises the new Meridian 906/4 blank and combines in with a freshwater reel seat, smaller handles and componentry to create the ultimate ultra fast action trout rod for NZ conditions.

review scott nz special 9' #6 meridian series

The Meridian NZ Special 9' #6 has been built to create the ultimate power house trout rod for battling big winds, big flies and big fish

Stay tuned to the Manic Tackle blog for more Scott Meridian reviews by the guys who have been testing these rods over the last few months.