Ross Cimarron LT Fly Reel

The Ross Cimarron LT Fly Reel is the Cimarron rebuilt around one goal: keep the American machining and the drag, lose the ounces. Ross ported the frame aggressively and landed at 4.9 oz in the 4/5, nearly a full ounce lighter than the standard Cimarron in the same size, while holding the same 3.250 inch diameter and the same line capacity. That is a real difference on a 9 foot 5 weight, where an ounce at the butt separates a rig that hangs balanced in your hand all day from one you start noticing by mid afternoon. It is a freshwater trout reel first, built in Montrose, Colorado, around a composite disc drag Ross designed to protect 7X on a technical tailwater and still stand up to a fast water fight on 0X.

Design

This is a large arbor reel on a fully machined, heavily ported frame, and the porting is where the weight savings actually come from rather than being decoration. All three sizes share a 1.215 inch spool width, noticeably wider than the standard Cimarron at the same diameters, so the LT buys its capacity back through width instead of through a larger, heavier frame. The result is that capacities match the standard Cimarron size for size even though the reel is lighter. The Cimarron Mountain landscape is machine milled directly into the frame, cut into the metal rather than printed onto it, so it will not wear off the way a graphic would. Ross put anodized aluminum on the drag knob and the escapement cover, which are the two parts that take the most handling and the most contact with boat gunwales, tailgates and wading belts.

Finish

Frame and spool are anodized in house at Ross's Colorado facility in a matte finish, offered in Matte Black, Matte Platinum, Matte Blue and Matte Olive. Anodizing converts the surface of the aluminum into a hard oxide layer rather than laying a coating on top of it, so it resists the scuffing and corrosion of everyday freshwater use instead of chipping away from it. The matte treatment also keeps glare down, which is worth something when you are playing a fish in low, clear water. Ross builds and markets this one for everyday freshwater performance rather than as a saltwater reel, so if it does see brackish water, rinse it and let it dry before it goes back in the bag.

Materials

Frame and spool are CNC machined aluminum, cut from stock rather than die cast, and that choice is what makes the porting possible. Cast parts need thicker walls to reach the same stiffness, so a cast frame cannot be opened up this far without going soft, and a spool that flexes under load is a spool that lets line wedge into the frame gap. Machining also holds the tolerance between spool and frame tight enough that thin running line and light backing cannot find their way in during a hard run. The drag knob and escapement cover are anodized aluminum for impact and wear resistance, and the drag stack interfaces against stainless steel.

Drag

Type - The LT runs a powerful, adjustable composite disc drag with a stainless steel interface. Ross's stated design range runs from light enough to protect 7X tippet on a technical tailwater to enough top end for a fast water battle on 0X, which is exactly the span a trout reel needs: fine and forgiving at the bottom of the dial for spring creek work, firm enough at the top to turn a heavy fish holding in current. Ross does not list this drag as sealed, so treat it accordingly and give it a rinse and a dry after silty, sandy or muddy days.

Materials - The stack pairs composite discs against a stainless steel interface. Composite against steel keeps the gap small between the force needed to break the spool loose and the force needed to keep it turning, and that low startup inertia is the whole reason a reel like this can be trusted on 7X: the fish moves before the tippet does. Composite also holds its setting as it warms through a long run instead of fading. The stainless interface is the wearing surface, rubbed thousands of times a season, and it stays smooth and corrosion free through years of freshwater use.

Arbor Size

Large arbor. The immediate payoff is line pickup: with spool diameters from 3.250 to 3.875 inches, every turn of the handle recovers meaningfully more line than a standard arbor of the same capacity, which is what you want when a trout turns and runs straight back at you and you are trying to come tight again. The second payoff is memory. A large arbor stores fly line in wider coils, so a line that has sat on the reel through a cold morning comes off with less coil set and lies flatter on the water through the first few casts.

Warranty

Ross covers the Cimarron LT with a limited lifetime warranty for as long as the model remains on the market. It applies to the original owner only, it is not transferable, and it requires purchase from an authorized dealer. Coverage is limited to repair or replacement of the reel itself and does not extend to normal wear and tear, fire, theft, loss, negligence or discontinued products. Service runs through Ross's facility in Montrose, Colorado, and freight to Ross is prepaid by the customer. Work that falls outside the warranty is handled as a paid repair at a service fee Ross quotes at the time, since Ross does not publish a flat rate. As of 2026, Ross states that most service is completed within four weeks of receipt, with expedited turnaround available on request.

More Info

• Best for: Freshwater trout on spring creeks, tailwaters and western rivers, nymphing, dry flies and streamers
• Arbor Size: Large arbor
• Drag: Adjustable composite disc with a stainless steel interface
• Sizes and Weights: 4/5 at 3.250 inch diameter and 4.9 oz, 5/6 at 3.50 inch diameter and 5.3 oz, 7/8 at 3.875 inch diameter and 5.7 oz
• Spool Width: 1.215 inches across all three sizes
• Capacity: 4/5 holds WF4 plus 65 yards or WF5 plus 50 yards of backing, 5/6 holds WF5 plus 80 yards or WF6 plus 60 yards, 7/8 holds WF7 plus 180 yards or WF8 plus 160 yards
• Colors: Matte Black, Matte Platinum, Matte Blue, Matte Olive
• Spare Spools: Available separately in all three sizes and all four colors
• Made in: Montrose, Colorado, USA