Scott Centric Fly Rod Review

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The Radian replacement has (finally) arrived. After an 8-year run, Scott has decided to discontinue the Radian and replace it with the all-new Scott Centric. The Centric is designed to improve upon what the Radian set out to accomplish many years ago: bringing fast AND feel to the freshwater angler.

While the Radian was pretty fast in the broader scheme of things, Scott has refined the action of the Radian and created the Centric: a rod with more feel, more castability, more versatility, and the industry-leading performance we've come to expect from Scott. If you're dying to hear if the hype is real, you've come to the right place. Read on for an in-depth fly rod review of Scott's brand new series.

Outfit

Scott Centric 9' 5wt Fly Rod
Lamson Liquid Fly Reel
Scientific Anglers Amplitude MPX Fly Line

Fit & Finish

The Centric features Scott's well-known unsanded blank design, flor grade cork, new titanium stripping guides with zirconia inserts, low glare snake guides, and a fully milled reel seat with speed threads, self-indexing hoods, and a micarta insert. We were a little disappointed Scott didn't put recoil guides on the Centric but other than that, this is a superbly-finished rod.

Weight

The 9' 5wt Centric has a total weight of 3.17 ounces and a swing weight of 62 gm2. The Radian 9' 5wt had a total weight of 2.93 ounces and a swing weight of 60.2 gm2. While the two rods are pretty close in overall weight and swing weight, according to our calculations the Radian was lighter in both departments.

Distance

The old Radian was a distance champion. When we heard Scott built the new Centric with a more refined action and a more caster-friendly blank, we expected it to suffer a bit at longer distances. We are pleasantly surprised to report just the opposite, however. The Centric has tons of power at longer distances (60-feet) and it's not a rod that requires the angler to slow down his/her casting stroke like some of the other caster-friendly rods on the market.

This rod is incredibly smooth at 60-feet and allows anglers to effortlessly cast small dry flies, larger hoppers, and even bulky nymph rigs. The rod's recovery speeds are great and with a well-timed double haul, it's possible to cast an entire SA Amplitude MPX fly line with the new Centric.

Accuracy

• 30-feet: At our shortest distance, the Centric is accurate but maybe not as accurate as other top rods. It provides neither supreme accuracy by being really really stiff OR by being soft enough to really flex the rod. So it's a little in between. That being said, if you partner this rod with the right fly line, chances are you could tweak how the rod flexes to be highly accurate at short range.
• 45-feet: The Centric is highly accurate at 45-feet and produces laser tight loops with ease. This is a stellar rod for dry-dropper rigs at this distance, small dry flies, and even nymphing. It's simply one of the best fishing tools at mid-range.
• 60-feet: As we talked about above, the performance of the Centric continues at longer distances. This is a smooth-casting rod that encourages incredible line speed and laser loops which = phenomenal accuracy out to 60-feet.

Flex & Feel

• 30-feet: For a rod with a fast action taper and blank profile, the Centric provided quite a bit of feedback and feel at short range. We were casting a heavy fly line which contributed to the loading of this rod in close. While it isn't going to provide you with as much feel as a dry fly specific rod at this distance, understanding the power levels and performance at longer distances, we were pleasantly surprised by the feedback we got at 30-feet.
• 45-feet: This is where the Centric really works to provide the angler with tons of feedback. If you're overpowering this rod at 45-feet, it'll tell you. It also has an incredibly smooth-flexing blank at this range which makes it a pure pleasure to cast.
• 60-feet: Because this is a fast action rod, we didn't find ourselves having to slow down our casting stroke at 60-feet. Again, the rod flexed beautifully here and had tons of feedback and feel.

Warranty

Scott Lifetime Warranty

Conclusion

This is truly one of the highest-performing freshwater rods on the market. From small dry flies at distance to bulky nymph rigs in close, Scott has succeeded in designing a rod where fast meets feel. While this is a different rod than the Radian, we think it'll appeal to more anglers because of its versatility and smooth accuracy across the board.

Pros

• Powerful, accurate, and smooth
• Surprising performance at close range and long range

Cons

• Heavier than the Radian
• No Recoil Guides

Questions?

Give us a call here at the shop at (888) 413-5211 or email us anytime at [email protected].