Scott GS 773 Review

I've had a couple of years of experience fishing with this rod and have gotten to know it quite well. This GS 773 model has been tested with several fly lines and reels and it has landed a lot of trout in streams flowing through both New Mexico and Colorado - "the rod is impressive."

I never thought I would say this, but the GS 773 is "right there" with my Winston IM6 7'6" 3wt fly rod in regard to performance and feel. And, that's good news for a couple of reasons. First off, the thirty year old classic Winston is getting rare and would be difficult to replace if I were to have an accident and break it. So, it's nice to have a contemporary rod (replaceable) that is as sweet to fish as my old favorite IM6 3wt rod. Second, the Scott GS is a four piece and is a perfect travel rod that fits with the 4wt rods I like to fish...it pairs quite nicely with any of the Winston 4wt rods I fish with today.

The fly line I have found to be excellent, with this Scott 773, is a Winston Energy WF3F line. It loads the rod smoothly, fully, and presents a soft landing fly. The line is spooled on a Ross Colorado 2/3 reel and makes for a perfect match with the rod. Most anglers choose a black Ross Colorado reel for this rod, but I decided on the platinum model for my rod. And, I like it. Yup, my money, so I get choose.

This GS rod is quite sweet in casting from 10 to 40 feet which covers all the waters I like to fish in this 3wt category. A quick stroke is all you need for 10 to 20 feet where you can feel the rod flex to mid length. And casting over 20 feet of line, a slight pause to allow the back cast to unfurl and then in the forward cast you can feel the rod loading deep down the blank for moving line out to 40 feet. It's a lively rod. And rare with today's major manufacturers, this GS model has a down locking reel seat, with cap and sliding band. Yup, that is a favorite setup of mine. My GS 773 will definitely see more action in 2025. Sure, I'll always fish my classic Winstons, but in the safe areas with minimal risk of breakage.

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