This year, we proudly celebrate our 50th anniversary. It’s been a journey filled with fun, firsts, camaraderie, and a half century of handcrafting high performance fly rods.

In contemplating the most fitting tribute to the anglers who fish Scott rods, the rod smiths that craft them, and the rod designs of Harry Wilson, Larry Kenney, and Jim Bartschi, we picked one rod from each decade that exemplifies Scott innovation and, in some way, changed the way we fish.

Each was chosen from an award-winning series of Scott rods that are even more celebrated by the anglers who fish them. For those anglers, these are ‘never part with’ rods.

Rather than replicating the originals, we decided to build the blanks to spec with a resto-mod approach to finishing them. They will be instantly recognizable to Scott history buffs, but we’re introducing some new surprises by finishing them with today’s best in class components and construction techniques.

In celebration we offer these tribute fly rods with a heartfelt thank you to the whole Scott family.

F 703/4
When Harry Wilson founded the Scott Fly Rod Company in 1974, he built a name for himself and the brand by making some of the most coveted light-line multipiece fiberglass fly rods. At a time when the typical fly rod was a heavy, clunky 8-foot 6-weight two-piece rod, Scott’s light-line multipiece rods opened up new opportunities for anglers fishing cold, clear streams with dry flies by providing light, responsive, and smooth rods for the task. Advanced tapers and the Scott hollow internal ferrule were central to accomplishing this feat. No model exemplifies this better than the F 703/4

G 904/4
When graphite arrived on the scene in the mid-1970s, Wilson envisioned a long, light-line rod using the new material. When he told friends in the fly-fishing community about his idea, they said it couldn’t be done. After many attempts and challenges, Scott finally released the first 9-foot 4-weight line graphite rod. It changed fly fishing. Anglers had a new tool to fish long leaders and small flies on technical rivers like Henry’s Fork, Hat Creek, and the Paradise Valley spring creeks. With the graphite rod, anglers could control drag, fish light tippets, and engage large trout like never before. To this day, the G 904/4 is named among the finest light-line fly rods ever built.

ARC 1287/3
The ARC series of salmon and steelhead rods were the first to deploy ultra-lightweight, unidirectional graphite laid up off the zero-degree axis. Now found in many premium fly rods, it was a major innovation when introduced. The material and construction breakthrough allowed Scott to make some of the lightest and smoothest double handers of their time. Gone were the days of lumbering two handers that tired anglers out after a half-day of fishing. The ARC 1287/3 is still one of Scott’s most-searched-for salmon and steelhead rods.

STS 909/3
The STS series put Scott on the saltwater map. Widely adopted by Florida Keys captains and saltwater anglers around the globe, they were introduced at a time when saltwater fly fishing and travel to new destinations in the tropics were taking off. STS built on the success of ARC by using multidirectional layups and took materials alchemy a step further, utilizing the first multi-modulus blank designs. Anglers who have followed Scott’s history fondly remember the company’s “Jet Ski era”—images of casting from the wing of a submerged aircraft and lifting cinder blocks with the rod from the top of a poling platform. By a wide margin, the STS 909/3 is considered the crown jewel in this transformative series.

R 905/4
Like the G 904 40 years earlier, Radian rods fundamentally changed the angling experience. Through material and design innovations, Radian rods solved the dilemma of bringing together fast action with feel. They also showcased a new approach to components that set new standards and made them even more endeared to anglers. When considering which rod from Scott’s recent past to offer as an anniversary edition, the choice was clear. Sworn by many to be the finest fast rod of all time, the R 905/4 is the most coveted historical Scott rod model.

All rods come with a special 50th anniversary inscription, custom engraved reel seat hardware, and a commemorative rod tube.