MOST ANGLERS today are familiar with disc drag, because ever since the late 1990s it’s been the primary focus of reel design and advertising. Fundamentally, a disc drag slows the spool by friction, by applying pressure between two discs, usually one on the spool and one on the frame. That concept, simple as it sounds, is the source of almost all the myriad modern drag designs. Why so much variation? Because disc drags create a lot of problems, which make for a lot of solutions.

I used this pack for several weeks of winter steelheading and was thrilled that I could carry all the requisite tools of the trade with room to spare.

I won an original Scott G Series 3-weight, two-piece fly rod at a charity auction, years ago. I was immediately smitten by the design—those internal-fitting ferrules, clean wraps, and the snappy balance that extended from the tip right through the handle and reel seat.