Mike Davis of Rotorua Hunting & Fishing Reviews The Scott Centric
When it comes to building niche, American-made, high-end fly rods, there is simply none better than the Scott Fly Rod Company. At Scott, they very rarely make changes to their range of rods – so when they pulled the hugely popular Radian earlier this year, I just knew something had to be special to supersede this phenomenal product.
Exit the Radian and enter the new Centric Fly Rod. In New Zealand, we are extremely lucky that the Hunting & Fishing New Zealand catalogue will be the first place in the world to launch the Scott Centric. How cool is that! While New Zealand may not be the biggest fly rod market in the world, we are blessed to have some of the best trout fishing found anywhere, which makes us the perfect place to test and trial new gear. Scott take the New Zealand market very seriously, so they make sure their new products are tested here under tough conditions and not just on manicured private creeks. This way they know when products are launched worldwide, they have undergone the hardest fishing in tough conditions. This is where some of the Hunting & Fishing New Zealand staff have been very lucky – we were able to cast, test, and fish some of the early prototypes of the Centric. It is a process that is awesome to be part of.
Scott’s new blank technology is called Carbon Link This feature is all about improving the rod blank recovery while being cast, without the rod being too stiff. This means that the rod, especially through the tip and into the mid-section, is easy to load but recovers quickly. In short, it means the rod is fast but still has soul. This is something many rod brands just don’t get – they simply think fast and stiff is good, but not so! Most people can’t load them. The Centric has the ability to cast and load very accurately at any distance: short in at 10m (no problems), mid-range at 20m (smooth and no problems), and then when on big water and a 30m big bopper is needed, it can be done with ease. The Centric is simply a dream to cast.
They have refined the tapers of the new rod; you will instantly feel how light the tip feels in the hand, but the biggest development has been in the torsional stability. This is the rod’s ability to stabilise off-axis throughout the cast; it helps with the rod’s tracking (rod stays straight and doesn’t twist during the casting stroke) and becomes invaluable in advanced casting techniques like single-handed spey.
So get on down to your nearest Hunting & Fishing New Zealand store for this world first and give them a good look over; I am sure you’ll love them as much as I do.