The Scott Fly Rod Company has two fly rods designed specifically to meet the needs of shoreline saltwater fly rodders.

"Beach fishing for stripers is one of the most aggressive and challenging types of fly fishing," Scott rod designer Jim Bartschi said. "The angler needs a powerful, long, fly rod to make repeated casts with sinking lines and large flies. Stripers can be caught on a variety of saltwater fly rods, but these two models give the angler extra advantage when beach fishing." The two new rods are models STS 958/4 and STS 9510/3.

The STS 958/4 is a four-piece 8-weight at a length of 9 feet 6 inches and a weight of 3.7 ounces. The STS 9510/3 is a three-piece 10-weight at a length of 9 feet 10 inches. It weighs 4.9 ounces. Both rods will carry a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $495.

Extra length puts surf fly rodders at advantage. It helps to keep our back casts up when we're fishing along the sloping sands that characterize much of our Nor'east Saltwater shoreline. It also comes in handy when we're wading waist-deep, and the extra length increases tip velocity (line speed). On the downside, longer rods can make loading the rod and shooting a cast harder. Though the two Scott rods are certainly light enough, rod weight really isn't a factor here. It's the length that adds wind resistance, and so, more effort.

However, modern graphite technology has enabled Scott to create slim rods that still pack the power to cast heavy lines and fight a saltwater gamefish. A narrow profile will cut down on wind resistance. The fact that the 10-weight is still slightly under 10 feet also suggests that Scott came up with a compromise design that combines length with casting ease.