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I began fishing the 8’8” 4-weight G series (aka Scott 884/4) from Scott Fly Rods for a specific purpose: I needed (wanted) a fly rod that excelled at throwing light dry-dropper rigs on small to medium-sized trout streams.
It turns out this rod excelled at that and much, much more.
In this gear review, you will learn about the following topics regarding the Scott G Series 884/4.
At Slackwater, a great piece of gear gets a score of 4 out of 5. And it’s rare as hell something gets a 5. Well, we’re there with this one. For a purpose-built, medium-action fly rod, the Scott G Series 884/4 outperforms expectations and is truly a delight to fish with.
Gear Score: 5/5
Scott G Series Review Summary
Scott’s medium-action, slightly stubby offering is powerful enough to deliver bugs at an appropriate distance and gentle enough to delicately present dry flies on light tippets. It is a fresh-water precision angling tool that any intermediate to advanced angler should consider owning.
In 1976, Scott introduced the first 9-foot 4-weight fly rod, the G Rod. Some iterations and decades later, the G Series is still a leader in the 4-weight fly fishing game due to its precise casting ability, beautiful aesthetics, and hand-made quality you rarely find in outdoor gear.
Scott hand manufacturers their fly rods in Montrose, Colorado, about 1.5 hours southwest of Crested Butte.
Where The Scott G Series 884/4 Shines
I love this rod at the beginning of the season when finding the rhythm of my cast once again takes patience. If you’re not used to slower-action rods, the learning curve with the G-Series can feel steep.
However, practicing with this rod will undoubtedly improve your casting for all rods.
I always bring this rod to medium-sized trout streams throughout the season when wind is not in the forecast. And at the end of the season, when delicate presentations are required in crystal clear water, the G-series delivers my flies perfectly.
I live in Crested Butte, Colorado, and guide on the many trout streams in Gunnison County.
I bring the G-Series for dry-fly-only days on the Taylor River, when stream flows are low on the East River, or when I’m traveling to smaller trout streams such as Cochetopa, Tomichi, Spring, or Willow Creeks.
Catching fish from 10 to 16 inches feels incredible with this rod. Even a smaller trout will bend the rod deep and make the fight memorable.
Landing larger fish on this rod is also no problem, but you will truly feel its delicate nature when hooking into medium-sized, feisty trout.
As a whole, it performs best when casting light to medium-weight fly rigs at distances of 15-25 feet.
Casts should rarely be longer than that when angling in most Colorado trout streams, so this rod is perfect for many purposes.
Other popular fly rod review sites often rank rods at casts of 20, 40, and 60 feet. As a Colorado fly fishing guide, I find this information barely useful and should ignored.
If you think you need to cast further than 20 feet to catch trout, please contact me at info@slackwaterco.com for a guided fishing trip… and I’ll show you how wrong this approach is 🙂
When is the Scott G Series 884/4 Misses The Mark
Although this is one of the best fly rods I’ve used, there are four distinctive circumstances when this rod is not a good choice:
- In float fishing situations
- On large rivers or windy days
- When you require flexibility to switch to streamers or heavy nymph rigs.
- If you’re a beginner fly fisher
In general, this is not a great boat road for float fishing. Boat rods should be faster and longer, aiding in the ability to high-stick, mend, and combat wind.
For larger rivers, such as the Upper Colorado or many of the famous rivers in Wyoming, Montana, or Idaho, you’ll want something that casts effortlessly at longer distances. A nine or ten-foot 5/6-weight will be much better for large waters.
If fishing conditions require flexibility, a fast-action rod is recommended over the G-Series. We like the Scott Centric or Orvis Helios in the performance rod arena.
Lastly, this is not a beginner fly rod.
Its smooth, medium-action makes finding the sweet spot in a casting stroke more challenging for novice anglers. If you are just getting into the sport, we recommend a fast-action, budget-friendly 5-weight rod.
Great choices for beginner fly rods are the Orvis Clearwater or the Sage Foundation.
Design, Aesthetics, Hand-Made Quality
Too often, companies will throw around the term “hand-made.”
Well, I can personally guarantee Scott is not B.S.-ing you here. I visited their factory in 2023, and I’m not sure there can be anything more hand-made than a Scott Fly Rod.
The company’s sheer attention to detail and unwillingness to mass produce its products shine when you hold one of its products in your hand.
From hand-fitting every blank to its counterpart to hand-tying every guide to hand-painting the Scott logo onto every butt section… Scott has done it right.
One of my favorite parts of this rod is its nickel-titanium snake guides. These lightweight, high-end components will never rust and are considered “memory metal,” so they will return to their original shape if bent. They are diamond polished, which helps fly lines cruise through them like butter at lightning-fast speeds. All of this adds to the rod casting with ease.
This rod is beautiful and a fly fishing tool that simply feels good to own. It’s also cool that it’s made in my home state, within a short drive from Crested Butte.
One of my favorite elements of the rod is the hand-painted 12″ and 20″ markings on the butt section. It’s another neat way this rod stands out in the crowd.
Scott Fly Rod’s Warranty
Scott offers a lifetime warranty for the original owner of their products, with a dedicated repair team who will help you get back on the water quickly.
While lifetime warranties are no longer uncommon in the performance fly rod industry, it’s important to know you’ll be taken care of when things don’t go as planned.
If you are the second owner or if you purchased the rod from a third-party site such as Amazon or eBay, Scott will not honor this warranty.
Why Choose a Medium-Action Rod?
Medium-action rods (also known as moderate-action) are great fly rods for intermediate to advanced anglers who require a specific type of feel and performance.
When loaded, the flex pattern of most medium-action rods bends the rod about 50-60% of the way down. This means that the rod bends more with less effort, and the casting stroke requires more attention to timing and patience.
In contrast, a fast-action rod will bend less and be more forgiving to anglers who don’t have the best casting technique. As such, we recommend a fast-action rod for beginners.
It’s important to note that the feel of a medium-action rod will vary from company to company and is hardly an apples-to-apples comparison.
A moderate-action fly rod also excels when you need to pull hard on light tippet.
In most Colorado fly fishing situations, we need not use tippet smaller than 5x. However, when 6x (or 7x) is necessary, the delicate nature of a medium-action fly rod will help an angler apply the right amount of pressure with a smaller chance of breaking the tippet.
Lastly, some anglers simply like the “feel” of a medium-action rod. Some would call it a classic feel or soulful.
I don’t know about that… but I do know that I like the feel of a 13″ trout bending my rod deep!
Many people say that a 5-weight, 9-foot rod is the perfect all-around choice for the best fly fishing in Colorado. And I agree if you are a one-fly-rod-quiver angler!
But sizing down to a slightly shorter 4-weight can make smaller stream angling more manageable and smaller fish more fun to catch.
Who doesn’t like to have fun?
What are 4-weight Fly Rods Good For?
4-weight fly rods are the best rods for catching medium-sized fish on medium to small creeks. We typically advise one-rod-quiver anglers in Colorado to have a 9-foot, 5-weight as their overall most versatile choice.
But when it’s time to expand that quiver, a 4-weight rod fills many needs. If you can get away with a 4-wt rod in your circumstances, we say GO FOR IT!
Benefits of a 4-weight Fly Rod
- Smaller fish feel better and bigger than they are.
- They can be great for kids because they are lighter.
- It will deliver flies more softly.
- They excel at dry fly fishing
- Finesse fly fishers often prefer them.
- They pull on light tippet more delicately than a 5-weight.
Limitations of a 4-weight Fly Rod
- They can struggle in the wind.
- Mending takes more effort.
- They won’t cast heavy nymph rigs or streamers as easily.
Pairing the Best Reel for a 4-wt Rod
A great reel for the Scott G-Series is a Ross Colorado click pawl reel. We found the simplistic nature of this click pawl reel matched the lightness and feel that a G-Series rod deserved.
Made by another Colorado brand, this offering from Ross Reels balances the G-Series perfectly and matches the rod’s craftsmanship.
What is a click pawl reel?
A click pawl reel is a fly reel without a dedicated drag system. These reels were common before modern drag systems were installed. They are light, simple, and great fly fishing reels for trout and other freshwater species.
One of the benefits of a click pawl set up is that its mechanics are more simple than a reel with a complex drag system. In theory, such a reel should not have as many mechanical issues.
Pros & Cons of the Scott G Series 884/4
Pros
- It can make delicate presentations feel effortless.
- It makes smaller fish feel bigger than they are.
- Has a classic feel and a soulful cast.
- The rod’s aesthetics and craftsmanship are stunning.
- It will make you a better caster over time.
Cons
We don’t have any negative things to say about this rod!
It truly is an excellent fly fishing tool. However if we are forced to say anything, we’ll note that it is a specialized rod and is not for every situation. Further, it is not for beginner anglers.
Other G Series Fly Rods from Scott
This review is specifically for the 884/4 (8’8″ 4-weight) G Series because we believe it hits the sweet spot for slightly-stubby, medium action rods. However, it’s important to note the other rods in Scott’s offering of the G Series.
List of G Series Rods from Scott Fly Rods
| Model | Line | Length | Pieces | Price |
| GS 772/4 | 2 | 7′ 7″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 773/4 | 3 | 7′ 7″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 775/4 | 5 | 7′ 7″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 843/4 | 3 | 8′ 4″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 884/4 | 4 | 8′ 4″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 883/4 | 3 | 8′ 8″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 884/4 | 4 | 8′ 8″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 885/4 | 5 | 8′ 8″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 886/4 | 6 | 8′ 8″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 904/4 | 4 | 9′ 0″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 905/4 | 5 | 9′ 0″ | 4 | $895 |
| GS 906/4 | 6 | 9′ 0″ | 4 | $895 |
Of course we’re drooling over the next G Series we’d like to own, and for Crested Butte fly fishing applications, it’s a toss up between the GS 905/4 or the GS 772/4. Or possible we’d get both?
Both rods are vastly different and designed for contrasting applications. For super tight stream fishing, the medium action 7′ 7″ 2-weight would be a dream. Although it would be a super specific rod, only for that one purpose.
With the 9′ 0″ 5-weight version of the G Series, we could fish a lot more places and not feel like we need to change rods. The longer length and slightly larger rod would be much better in windy conditions as well as for throwing heavier nymph rigs.
Either way, we want more G Series rods in our arsenal!
Review Summary
We. Love. This. Rod.
Do you need a fly rod that excels on medium to small creeks, targeting medium to small trout with medium to light fly rigs? Look no further than this rod.
From its soulful feel to its accurate casts and craftsmanship, we are proud owners of this rod through and through. The G Series from Scott isn’t for everyone, but it is for those who wish to advance their fly fishing game and get better.
We give this gear a score of 5 out of 5 and highly recommend it for intermediate and advanced anglers. Learn more about the Scott G Series at scottflyrod.com.
For more information or questions about the Scott G-Series or fly fishing near Crested Butte, please contact us at info@slackwaterco.com.
Thanks for reading!
