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It is no secret that we are Scott heads here at the Uncommon Carp.  I currently fish a Warmwater series rod (I have an odd fascination with short fly rods) and have not found a match for the performance and feel of a Scott rod.  I asked the president of Scott (and chief rod designer) Jim Bartschi a few carp related questions.

:  What, in your opinion, are the rods in the Scott lineup best suited 
for carp in rivers and on the flats?  Could you put the label "Carp Rod" 
on one of them if you had to?

If I had to choose one rod for all my carp fishing I'd pick the X2s907/4. It's a great rod for sightfishing and can really put a fly like McKittricks Crawdamsel (one of my favorites) precisely on target. When it comes to the end game, that rod can apply super pressure but still absorb those quick unexpected jolts.

We generally recommend 9' 6, 7, and 8 weight rods for most carping. If I ranked our series I'd pick X2s first, S4 second and A3 third as the best performers for the specialized demands and variety of situations you find yourself in while fishing carp.

2:  What enables Scott rods to handle the bulldogging and blistering 
runs of carp?

For blistering runs, a good reel with the drag tuned to your tippet strength is key. After that it's all about the rod. We all know the heartbreak of losing a giant carp all too well. One of our signature design philosophies helps address that problem. We tend to build our rods with larger diameter butts and thinner blank walls. This helps in two key areas. The thin walls transmit feel through the blank which helps with positive hook sets and with feeling subtle shifts when battling the fish during the end game. The larger diameters help keep the rod stable when under heavy load so it doesn't want to roll off axis and helps apply power progressively. That can prevent a lot of breakoffs.

3:  We've heard that you use environmentally friendly coatings, and use 
local labor for your rods, care to elaborate on that?

We love our rods and our fishing. Our customers do too. We could certainly outsource them to a low standard of living country and beat our labor costs down 80-90% but then we'd miss the pleasure of handcrafting each rod we sell. Just about everyone at the shop fishes like crazy and really takes pride in the work they do.

As for our coatings-it just didn't make a lot of sense to use chemicals that are highly toxic to humans, not to mention the environment when our business depends on access to clean water and healthy habitats. We put significant effort into developing our coatings with some of the best organic chemists who were focused on bringing environmentally friendly products to market. We wouldn't recommend it, but apparently you could eat the stuff!

4:  Anything in the pipeline for us carp anglers from Scott that you 
care to share?

I wouldn't be surprised if we showed up to Denver this year with some new rods that really fit the needs of carp anglers. 

In closing, I think the rapid acceptance of fly fishing for carp is great. Those of us who have been doing it for years have known it's one of the most compelling, demanding and engaging games in the sport. 
When you told me last year about your plans to develop and launch Uncommoncarp.com, I was really excited and hopeful. All I can say is thanks Mat for your commitment and efforts to put all this together. You've done a great job with the site and provided a place for carp fly anglers to rally around.

The best rods built here in the States by people who fish for carp!  Give them a look and keep in mind our specials featuring Scott rods running through July .