Scott Session 9-foot 5-weight Fly Rod

Three things to set up the Scott Session fly rod review: 

1. Everyone knows I like Scott rods. I’ve never hidden that. I’ve also never been compensated by Scott to say nice things. The rods just generally fit my casting style.  

2. If you’ve read enough of my stuff, you also know that I’m concerned about the price of fly rods these days. Over a grand? For a fly rod? When high-end rod prices crashed through the thousand-dollar ceiling, it just rubbed me the wrong way. I totally get the desire to make things better, stronger and all that, but the honest truth is that about two percent of fly anglers are skilled enough to accurately, perceptively feel what those rods purport to offer. I like to think that I’m part of that two percent, but I wonder sometimes myself.

3. I was deeply enamored with the Scott Radian fly rod when it came out over 10 years ago. I also like the newer Scott Centric, but if you were to count the river days I fish with which rod, I still fish Radian a lot, which will matter in the context of what I’m about to say about the new Scott Session.

Product story

So, the Scott Session is a $675 fly rod, which is going to make Scott reps and dealers happy, because the company hasn’t had a viable freshwater entry at that price point for some time.

Scott Fly Rod Company President, Jim Bartschi, says about the design, “Anyone who has fished Scott freshwater rods in the recent past will immediately recognize our signature ‘fast with feel’ action in Session rods. They share some of the design approaches and materials DNA with some of our most legendary rods. Incorporating some of our newest technologies provides these rods their own unique feel and attributes.”

As we all know, or should, some of the “mid-price-point” rods the manufacturers offer today are reboots of the topline rods they offered several years ago. For all intents and purposes, the Scott Session is, at least in my mind, the Radian reborn. I couldn’t get Scott president Jim Bartschi to say that outright, and he pointed out that Scott was using in Session the same new resin system it uses for Centric, and the same reinforcement process it uses for multi-direction plys in the blanks of Centric and the saltwater Sector, as well as a different mandrel or two (depending on the model) to shape the blanks.

But here’s the real deal…

Performance

I was curious enough to run to the river and cast and fish the new Session alongside my old faithful Radian, both 9-foot 5-weights, alternating time spans–a half hour each, then five minutes each, then basically alternating shots every minute or so. I even blindfolded myself (seriously!) for a spell as I did this and couldn’t tell the difference. From the flex, to the casting stroke and the whole “fast action meets feel” thing, they essentially felt the same. 

To me, Session is the Radian–maybe a tad better, even, with a fresh look, including cool green wraps and an emerald hue reel seat. It comes with a cordura rod tube, good guides (Silicon Nitride stripping guides, low-glare, light-wire snake guides), good warranty, so welcome back to the good old days when you could buy a do-anything rod to hoof long casts, make accurate presentations and fight all the trout you want for $675 bucks.

For the record, I love the name of this rod. Kind of an inside theme between Tim Romano and me, but we’ve always had ways of describing our outings on the water. There are bad days, average days, pretty good days–and then there are days when everything lines up, the fish are willing, you have the right bug and you’re just in the zone with casts, dropping everything where it belongs and the fish eat accordingly. Those days, while rare, are always described as a “session,” and the Session rod will lend itself to plenty of those types of experiences.

Dings? I might have preferred a slightly wider grip, but I have large hands. 

Versatility

I wouldn’t pigeon-hole Session as a dry-fly rod, or a streamer rod, or a nymph rod. It’s an all-arounder, the equivalent of an all-mountain ski you can use with equal effect on bumps, in powder, or carving groomers. I’d throw dry flies with Session in Michigan or Pennsylvania, or sight nymph with it in Colorado, or even hoof mouse flies in Alaska, depending on the model.