# Do Not Buy Scott Sector



## B_ONE

Hate to do this, but I bought (or more accurately my wife bought me) a new Scott Sector 8 weight and have had a terrible experience that others should know about.

On the lawn, the rod seemed a little slow. Accuracy wasn't great in my hands either. Finish of the rod is superb. Take it out on the boat one time and hate the way it casts. Seems slow and innaccurate. Full disclosure, I am usually a Sage person (have Sage Ones and Sage Salt HDs.

My fly then get a snag in some weeds (bass fishing). Pulling the fly out of the weeds (not high-sticking), the rod snaps at the base. 

After some 4 letter words go flying around, I take it back to my local fly shop and discuss options. They send it back and it takes around 3 months for Scott to repair / replace the rod. Still not exactly sure what they did as the cork has plastic wrapped around it and the rod appears new. At this point, I call Scott and leave a message and have not gotten a response (over a week ago). No response to emails either. Lastly, they charged 89$ for the repair (I know this is pretty standard now but adds insult to injury).

So this will be my first and last Scott rod. Consider other companies that stand behind their product and make rods that don't break on day 1. I have zero confidence in this stick and have learned a lesson the hard way. 

I know others will have differing opinions. But a company that won't return emails or phone calls about a $900 fly rod that snaps the first trip out is dead to me. Caveat emptor.


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## AZ_squid

Yikes.... sorry man.


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## redchaser

B_ONE said:


> Hate to do this, but I bought (or more accurately my wife bought me) a new Scott Sector 8 weight and have had a terrible experience that others should know about.
> 
> On the lawn, the rod seemed a little slow. Accuracy wasn't great in my hands either. Finish of the rod is superb. Take it out on the boat one time and hate the way it casts. Seems slow and innaccurate. Full disclosure, I am usually a Sage person (have Sage Ones and Sage Salt HDs.
> 
> My fly then get a snag in some weeds (bass fishing). Pulling the fly out of the weeds (not high-sticking), the rod snaps at the base.
> 
> After some 4 letter words go flying around, I take it back to my local fly shop and discuss options. They send it back and it takes around 3 months for Scott to repair / replace the rod. Still not exactly sure what they did as the cork has plastic wrapped around it and the rod appears new. At this point, I call Scott and leave a message and have not gotten a response (over a week ago). No response to emails either. Lastly, they charged 89$ for the repair (I know this is pretty standard now but adds insult to injury).
> 
> So this will be my first and last Scott rod. Consider other companies that stand behind their product and make rods that don't break on day 1. I have zero confidence in this stick and have learned a lesson the hard way.
> 
> I know others will have differing opinions. But a company that won't return emails or phone calls about a $900 fly rod that snaps the first trip out is dead to me. Caveat emptor.


I cast a Sector at a local shops demo day. I found it considerably slow for my taste as well, rods I normally cast aren't as fast as your Salt HD etc, but are moderately fast. I did finally find the groove where the rod liked to be cast, but it didn't suit my casting style, very smooth rod, probably great for trout. The Scott rep had a pretty well rehearsed spiel about how he takes issue with labeling rods "fast" or "slow" etc and he could pretty much cast the whole line with it, but different casting strokes for different folks.


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## ChucktownMC

T&T - best customer service I’ve ever experienced. Oh, and the Exocett is bad ass.


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## jmrodandgun

These thousand dollar sticks should have tight enough manufacturing tolerances to be able to ship out replacement sections. Asking customers to send it into the "repair" shop with a hundred dollar check where it sits in a box for three months for a repair that takes 20 minutes is ridiculous. I was able to get a replacement section shipped to my door from New Zealand in week yet these so called rod builders can't get off instagram long enough fix their customers shit. Lookin at you Loomis, you too Scott. Orvis will exchange your panty hose if it gets a run after a year of hard use but they will sit on your H3 for 120 days to replace a loose reel seat.


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## jsnipes

If you can't cast a Sector, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that says more about you than the rod...


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## paulrad

jsnipes said:


> If you can't cast a Sector, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that says more about you than the rod...


The better I've gotten as a caster, the more I think that for the most part the rod doesn't matter - a good caster just adjusts his stroke to meet the action of the rod he happens to be casting. Sure, there's some you might like more than others, but it's not like this one you can cast great, and that one you cast terribly.

That said, I've have mixed experiences with Scott customer service. I won't buy any new Scott rod anymore. And I won't buy anything from Orvis for any reason at any price - even if they paid me.


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## Finn Maccumhail

I can't speak to the Sector but I've had nothing but the best experience with Scott rods going back to their S3S days.

I have a couple of the Tidal rods and they're probably my favorite rods in 8 & 10wt. IMHO, they are far and away the best "bang for your buck" rods out there. Sub-$500 rods that perform like $800+ rods. I don't own a Meridian but I've fished them and they're fantastic too. I will say the Tidal tends to be a bit slower than a lot of rods. Not a slow rod by any means but slower than any Sage I've cast.

I've also had zero issues with their warranty work when needed- each time it was my fault.

Sorry you're having such a poor experience but I've got nothing but good things to say about Scott.


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## brokeoff

B_ONE said:


> Hate to do this, but I bought (or more accurately my wife bought me) a new Scott Sector 8 weight and have had a terrible experience that others should know about.
> 
> On the lawn, the rod seemed a little slow. Accuracy wasn't great in my hands either. Finish of the rod is superb. Take it out on the boat one time and hate the way it casts. Seems slow and innaccurate. Full disclosure, I am usually a Sage person (have Sage Ones and Sage Salt HDs.
> 
> My fly then get a snag in some weeds (bass fishing). Pulling the fly out of the weeds (not high-sticking), the rod snaps at the base.
> 
> After some 4 letter words go flying around, I take it back to my local fly shop and discuss options. They send it back and it takes around 3 months for Scott to repair / replace the rod. Still not exactly sure what they did as the cork has plastic wrapped around it and the rod appears new. At this point, I call Scott and leave a message and have not gotten a response (over a week ago). No response to emails either. Lastly, they charged 89$ for the repair (I know this is pretty standard now but adds insult to injury).
> 
> So this will be my first and last Scott rod. Consider other companies that stand behind their product and make rods that don't break on day 1. I have zero confidence in this stick and have learned a lesson the hard way.
> 
> I know others will have differing opinions. But a company that won't return emails or phone calls about a $900 fly rod that snaps the first trip out is dead to me. Caveat emptor.


I've damaged a rod as well. The butt section to mid section never seated as well as other rods and eventually I didn't check it and it cracked while casting. Sold an 8 wt and it blew up on the guy first week out.

What line were you casting on the Sector?

Also, when I get hung up on anything I point the rod tip at the snag and pull the line. Isn't that standard?


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## Fredrick

brokeoff said:


> Also, when I get hung up on anything I point the rod tip at the snag and pull the line. Isn't that standard?


You would think but you know everyone still trys to rip it out by bouncing the rod back and forth .


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## GladesFlyFishing

Pretty much all of the major rod companies, Loomis and Sage for sure, not sure about, Scott were shut down for considerable amounts of time due to COVID. There is very little inventory nationally, and the companies are having to catch up with production and repairs and aren't having a great go of it thus far.


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## TheAdamsProject

Damn, I am sorry to hear about that experience with Scott and the Sector. I have not thrown it so I can not speak about the action and power. In regards to repairs or turnaround times. Yes between COVID and people buying a lot of fishing equipment during these times most of not all rod companies are very thin or out of stock. Many of the companies want the entire rod back to inspect for additional fractures plus fit the ferrule. Do I believe fitting the ferrule is necessary? Not really. I deal with this stuff on a daily basis and send out replacement sections for multi-piece blanks on the regular and cant count on one hand in 6 years a ferrule not fitting right out of the gate. Orvis, is an entirely different animal. Hell, I'm glad they quit making blanks. They wouldn't even provide labeling or warranty their blanks. That rod shop does need some work. There is no reason it should take as long as it does to get repairs out of there, especially when building a new handle section takes me all of 10min... If I have the butt section and components. Which if it is a current production model, as the H3, should not be an issue.


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## GladesFlyFishing

TheAdamsProject said:


> Damn, I am sorry to hear about that experience with Scott and the Sector. I have not thrown it so I can not speak about the action and power. In regards to repairs or turnaround times. Yes between COVID and people buying a lot of fishing equipment during these times most of not all rod companies are very thin or out of stock. Many of the companies want the entire rod back to inspect for additional fractures plus fit the ferrule. Do I believe fitting the ferrule is necessary? Not really. I deal with this stuff on a daily basis and send out replacement sections for multi-piece blanks on the regular and cant count on one hand in 6 years a ferrule not fitting right out of the gate. Orvis, is an entirely different animal. Hell, I'm glad they quit making blanks. They wouldn't even provide labeling or warranty their blanks. That rod shop does need some work. There is no reason it should take as long as it does to get repairs out of there, especially when building a new handle section takes me all of 10min... If I have the butt section and components. Which if it is a current production model, as the H3, should not be an issue.


The H3 is the only one they will send out just a section for.


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## grass bass

GladesFlyFishing said:


> Pretty much all of the major rod companies, Loomis and Sage for sure, not sure about, Scott were shut down for considerable amounts of time due to COVID. There is very little inventory nationally, and the companies are having to catch up with production and repairs and aren't having a great go of it thus far.


Yep, this seems to be the case. Simms told me my 11-month-old G3 wading pants that the zipper busted on would sit for eight weeks before they'd be able to take a look at them. The tackle and gear manufacturers were shutdown and/or running at reduced capacities while everyone raced out and got busy trashing gear.


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## finbully

You don't have much to bitch about since the rod failed due to your misuse. Getting hung up and then the rod failing by pulling on it is not a manufacturing defect. Why didn't you point the rod toward the snag and pull on the line ( past the tip) to break the fly off. Think!


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## grass bass

I broke a brand new Sage One 796 on a small pike five or six years ago. 24" hamemrhandle. I was like wth? Then it took three months to get the $70 warranty repair back. When the wait got past two months I emailed to ask about it and Sage's repair shop said they were waiting for parts for the reel seat. I had broken the upper mid -- ??? The rod showed up, cork shrink wrapped in plastic, an apparently all-new rod. Well, ok...


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## grass bass

The complaint seems to be that the OP doesn't like the rod and he's been waiting a week for Scott to tell him why they replaced the entire thing. The lifetime warranties are pretty good deals for us on the consumer end imo when it comes to $1000 rods we're putting in harm's way every time out.


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## grass bass

I've really enjoyed my Sector 848 so far, along with my 6wt Meridian, which has lived as hard as any rod I've ever owned, and 10wt S4s.


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## Tx_Whipray

What line are you using on the Sector? I have a Meridian 8wt and with an SA Amplitude Grand Slam line it's absolutely brilliant. It almost feels alive in my hand.


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## coconutgroves

Loomis is owned by Shimano - they don't repair rods, too expensive and time consuming. They just send out a new one. I had a NRX that had a flaw in its reel seat - called and talked to the one and only repair guy there and he told me they only send out new rods. This was about 4 years ago - can't imagine that has changed.

I've unfortunately had to send back a number of Winton's due to either the fish or angler's fault. No defect in the rod itself. Their warranty department is top notch, they even pick up the phone to call you if they need to discuss options.

I had to send back two Ross Flystik's recently due to someone on my boat breaking them. I am at three months now and still in line. COVID and inventory have been the issues slowing them down as others have said.


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## Kingfisher67

That’s a shame! Nothing more frustrating than expensive equipment failing.....but it happens. I personally love the Sector. I own an 8 & 10wt and thinking about getting a 7wt. Full disclosure, I came from the land of Helios2’s as the nicest rod I’ve owned and really just stuck with those for the past 5 years.


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## jay.bush1434

I've cast the Sector and the Meridian, the Radian and the Tidal and found all of those rods to be good casting rods, especially the Meridian. I thought the Sector was actually a fast action rod and it seemed to like the plus weight lines better. I think a better choice of line and perhaps consider that it is probably the indian and not the arrow. 
My kid broke his Sage rod a couple months ago and when I called Sage, they said they had been closed down from the Rona and had a solid 10-12 week back log. Got the rod back last week so only 75$ and 5 weeks.


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## grass bass

I've been fishing an SA Amplitude MPX on my Sector 848, for bass.


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## BPancamo

Tx_Whipray said:


> What line are you using on the Sector? I have a Meridian 8wt and with an SA Amplitude Grand Slam line it's absolutely brilliant. It almost feels alive in my hand.


Ditto...feels like holding a .45 with a hair trigger.


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## Steve_Mevers

GladesFlyFishing said:


> Pretty much all of the major rod companies, Loomis and Sage for sure, not sure about, Scott were shut down for considerable amounts of time due to COVID. There is very little inventory nationally, and the companies are having to catch up with production and repairs and aren't having a great go of it thus far.


That is exactly right. I broke my Meridian and Scott told me they were really backed up with repairs, took about a month to get the rod back.


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## scrapiron

I had a Scott Tidal ferrule break (previous damage), sent it in this summer; took about six weeks. No charge except for shipping and I am pretty sure they replaced 3 sections AND included another tip section. Also, they fixed a squeaky part of the cork (that section wasn't replaced). That's awesome customer service.


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## k-roc

They got a little backed up at the factory as they had limited staff going in during March- May.
I heard Sage had no repair shop up and running for months and that they basically have a warehouse full of broken rods just sitting there. Anyone send in a Sage for repair lately?


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## Alexander Wilcox

k-roc said:


> They got a little backed up at the factory as they had limited staff going in during March- May.
> I heard Sage had no repair shop up and running for months and that they basically have a warehouse full of broken rods just sitting there. Anyone send in a Sage for repair lately?


Buddy of mine waited almost seven months to get his Sage X repaired, he just got it back


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## Flyfish40

I have a sector 8wt and love it not as fast as my NRX. Have caught big reds in LA and nice beach snook and big jacks and medium size tarpon. I fish it with cortland liquid crystal and you can cast plenty of line out if that’s what you want but more importantly can land a fly soft and accurately for me. Definitely want to allow the rod to load and not hurry the cast. Also have a 11wt meridian and 6wt meridian. 6wt for reds is amazing and a lot of fun. Ive eMailed Scott and they emailed me back next day. So no complaints from me.


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## jay.bush1434

k-roc said:


> They got a little backed up at the factory as they had limited staff going in during March- May.
> I heard Sage had no repair shop up and running for months and that they basically have a warehouse full of broken rods just sitting there. Anyone send in a Sage for repair lately?


See my post above...5 weeks to get my kid's Sage Approach 8wt repaired. Looks like they just put a new tip section in the rod tube and sent it back. Whatever, I'm happy it only took 5 weeks


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## B_ONE

Thanks for the line suggestions.

For those that suggested there was some user error here with respect to the casting / getting the fly unstuck, I'd respectfully disagree. I just need a faster rod, I'm more accurate and can cast significantly further. 

* I'm happy to sell the rod if anyone wants it. Brand new condition, in the tube with plastic on the cork. *


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## finbully

BS your complaint was the rod "breaking on day one" and then tell us not to buy a Scott Sector rod based on the repair time and cost.


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## sevenweight

I love my Meridians (7 & 8 weights) but the two (pre-pandemic) experiences I’ve had with Scott repair service were unsatisfactory and compare unfavorably with Hardy and Sage, which have been stellar. Both incidents were my fault so I have no issues with product quality. For starters, they’ve never proactively acknowledged receipt of a rod, and have never given anything but the most vague guidance on when a repair would be done when I requested the info. In one case it took about two months to get a Meridian 8-weight back, and they addressed the package incorrectly so it was delivered to the wrong location. Then they repeated the shipping error on another rod, despite my request that they update the shipping information. I think I’m done buying Scott rods since I seem to be hard on rods and there are a lot of great rods out there.


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## TX_Brad

B_ONE said:


> Thanks for the line suggestions.
> 
> For those that suggested there was some user error here with respect to the casting / getting the fly unstuck, I'd respectfully disagree. I just need a faster rod, I'm more accurate and can cast significantly further.
> 
> * I'm happy to sell the rod if anyone wants it. Brand new condition, in the tube with plastic on the cork. *


I'll take that piece of junk off your hands for $350


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## grass bass

$400 to haul to the scrap yard for you.


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## scrapiron

I'll offer $401 so my little kid can have a practice rod.


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## Matts

Love my TFO Axiom 2 and Axiom 2X. They are light, responsive and TFO has the best warranty service in the business. I've fished Sage and other brands but TFO is fine with me and I'm picky. Sent one Sage back as it was soft and was without the rod for several months.........TFO sends a new rod in a week or less.


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## Fredrick

Matts said:


> Love my TFO Axiom 2 and Axiom 2X. They are light, responsive and TFO has the best warranty service in the business. I've fished Sage and other brands but TFO is fine with me and I'm picky. Sent one Sage back as it was soft and was without the rod for several months.........TFO sends a new rod in a week or less.


I had a BVK take 4 months to get back to me, I keep calling after month 2 and on the 4 month they told me they lost my rod then sent me a new one . For me besides the BVK they all felt like I was casting a sub $300 rod, they felt heavy and had bad swing rates .


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## Hat Trick

I am a charter captain in the NE and I have 2 Sectors (8wt and 9wt) in the arsenal available to my clients. If I did not like these rods I would not be writing this. They are both great rods that cast as nicely as any rod I have ever had. They both have SA Amplitude Grand Slam Int lines and the pairing is unbelievable. EVERY person who has picked them up and cast with them reacts favorably. Thankfully, I have not broken either rod so I cannot comment on customer service. To each his own I guess.


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## reedriley8

Bought a Sage Payload 8 weight on a trip in Alaska. Figured it would be great for Salmon and throwing big flys at winter time reds back home. First couple casts, the rod snaps in the second section... didn't snag anything, didn't high stick, I was literally just practicing my double haul and getting used to the rod. Payed their flat rate fee for repair, shipped the rod back to sage, I have no clue the status of my rod or when I will get it back. It was early August when i shipped it. Probably wont see that Rod for another couple months, never even caught a fish on it. *Covid Sucks*


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## SomaliPirate

Matts said:


> Love my TFO Axiom 2 and Axiom 2X. They are light, responsive and TFO has the best warranty service in the business. I've fished Sage and other brands but TFO is fine with me and I'm picky. Sent one Sage back as it was soft and was without the rod for several months.........TFO sends a new rod in a week or less.


Plus the girl who usually answers the customer service line at TFO sounds cute, so that's a bonus.


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## numbskull

*I’ve not hooked any stumps but so far the 8 wt Sector I have has handled mid-sized albies well and they are a pretty good test of a rod’s integrity.







*


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## Flatoutfly

I've been using Scott rods for a long time. A few months ago I was able to cast all the top rod manufactures and found the Sector to me the best casting and accurate rod out of all of them. I think Scott is the only manufacture that actually splines the rods when building. Everyone has their own casting style and find the way Scott rods load up is better feeling then all others. Also built for fighting strong fish. I had a 7wt flyline brake when hung up bass fishing, Granted the 12lbs leader should had given before the flyline but I'm not going to blame the flyline. Sh_t happens but Scott rods are one of the finest rods being built and has been for 30+ years.


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## LowHydrogen

Holy balls broke a butt section of a rod pulling a fly out of weeds!?!? I think my tippet must be messed up lol.

Never thrown a Sector but love my Meridians. I have had nothing but Excellent service from Scott. 

I have a like new condition Sage Motive I'll gladly trade for that POS Scott. PM me if you're interested.


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## MRichardson

Glad I read this. Cast a Sector 8wt and was really impressed with the feel, fit and finish. Compared it to an NRX and Sage X (they didn't have a Salt HD in stock in a comparable weight). I was leaning toward the Sector. 

Not anymore. I cannot tolerate poor customer service and there is never an excuse for this.


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## flyclimber

I will say I have the opposite feel. I love my meridians and my older STS scotts. I have thrown my buddys Sage rods and they almost always need heavy overweight lines to feel right. Especially the HD. I guess I like the feel of truer to line weight lines to the rod.


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## Kingfisher67

MRichardson said:


> Not anymore. I cannot tolerate poor customer service and there is never an excuse for this.



I've had excellent CS from Scott, I'm actually awaiting my Scott Sector to arrive back today from Scott. Took about 45 days. No cost to me.

(3) Scott warranty work | Dedicated To The Smallest Of Skiffs (microskiff.com)


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## Alexander Wilcox

MRichardson said:


> Glad I read this. Cast a Sector 8wt and was really impressed with the feel, fit and finish. Compared it to an NRX and Sage X (they didn't have a Salt HD in stock in a comparable weight). I was leaning toward the Sector.
> 
> Not anymore. I cannot tolerate poor customer service and there is never an excuse for this.


I wouldn't take one person's anecdotal evidence as gospel. I've heard nothing but good experiences from friends that have dealt with scott, and I personally have been impressed with the turn-around time as well as the friendly person on the other side of the phone the one time I had to use them. As for Sage, my buddy waited 8 months to get his Sage X back.


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## GladesFlyFishing

I've been working in a fly shop and guiding during this whole thing. The amount of customer service people and reps that have told me stories about peoples behavior during this has been utterly disturbing. I had a guy from Simms tell me that I was the first person all day to not yell at him on the phone. I don't know if covid made the worst in people come out or what, but I've seen more entitled behavior in my guiding business and in the fly shop than I have in the previous 5 years combined. But I do know all of these companies are doing what they can to get repairs done and product out, often while short staffed and under the wildly changing mandates from the local and federal governments,


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## Tailingpermit

Love my sectors…


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## Scrob

So to summarize: there is no consensus on who is good at customer service and who isn't. I used to think I knew and that would factor into future purchases but basically, nah, they all are good and they all suck at the same time.


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## Alexander Wilcox

Schrodinger's customer service. You never know until you call.


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## Cory Michner

Alexander Wilcox said:


> Schrodinger's customer service. You never know until you call.


I do not see how the the wave function of a quantum-mechanical system is relevant here and OOOHHHHH you mean the cat.


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## Rick hambric

ChucktownMC said:


> T&T - best customer service I’ve ever experienced. Oh, and the Exocett is bad ass.


I second this! T&T makes the best rods and have the absolute best customer service in the industry


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## fishn&flyn

Had the exact same experience with Scott, rod broke day 1 while casting, it literally just shattered. Terrible customer service experience so I had the rod repaired and sold it. Never again will I buy a Scott, that’s what I get for straying from Winston and Sage.


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## sevenweight

I really like my Meridians (7 & 8 weight) but I am done buying Scott rods because of their weak warranty service. All my bad experiences were pre-COVID.


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