I’m the first to admit that we were slow off the mark to get hold of a Scott Radian. Living in Tasmania, under-down-under, it can be like a game of Chinese whispers sorting out the wheat from the chaff when it comes to the latest and greatest from the USA. But after some prompting from Rene Vaz at Manic Tackle, we decided to buy one for our guiding business, and see how general anglers performed with the Radian. To cut a long story short, it turned out to be the most user-friendly, versatile rod that we own, and because of this, our favourite rod of 2016.
Why do we think that the Radian’s are great: because of the feel and versatile performance that this rod range features.
As a casting tool, it’s easier to feel the Radian load and un-load (bend and un-bend) than any of the other big name rods that we own. This is important, as it helps to self-correct casting errors, refine timing, and ultimately cast better. And casting better is more fun!
Versatile performance is the second standout feature of the Radian. No other rod casts a short line with as much control and ease. And by short, I’m talking under 15 feet, as we often have to do when sight fishing to tailers. The Radian also casts brilliantly through a range of different casting tempos (how fast you move the rod), and associated line speeds. Successfully polaroiding the Western Lakes requires quick and accurate casts, achieved with high-line speeds, which was no problem for the Radian. The Radian is equally capable of producing tight and accurate loops with a slow casting tempo, which is ideal for a big mayfly hatch on the rivers, and accurate but delicate casts. This is the type of versatility that makes Scott’s premium rod a good value proposition.
The greatest compliment for the Radian actually comes from one of our customers, Ross. Ross is a passionate angler, and a great angler despite being fairly new to the sport. During a particularly hard morning session based from our Western Lakes wilderness camp, fastidious tailing trout brought Ross undone. The presentations had to be quick and accurate within 20 centimetres, and Ross struggled with the latest and greatest fast-actioned rods at hand. To his credit, Ross took our advice during round two the next morning, and decided to use our 5weight Radian. With the benefit of increased feel up close, Ross’s accuracy improved, and two tailing brown trout came to hand in the next half-hour. For Ross it was a personal success, landing Western Lakes tailers which are famed for stubbornness. For us, it was confirmation of why the Radian was our favourite rod for 2016.
Ross Kramer chasing tails at first light.