After reading about this blank for years I finally built an 8 ft., 4-pc, 4 wt. Tom Kirkman's past praise is right on target, this is a beautifully balanced, crisp and easy casting blank. I hung a light weight Ross Evolution 2 reel on it along with single foot guides and it is light as a feather.

Highly recommended!

Jeff, I built the 4F793.4 and 4F804.4 back in the fall. Both are great rods but I kept the 804.4 and sold the 793.4 - couldn't really keep both at the time although I wish I could have. Damn those unexpected bills. The 4F804.4 and the pre-IPC 4F864 (2pc.) are two very sweet rods for my part of the country (MD). The IPC multi-piece SCIV rods are much nicer, in my opinion, than the pre-IPC multi-piece models. Smoother, slimmer, and lighter.

I bought a 9' #5 4pc 2004 rod that I sent back to the factory. It was very heavy and not at all well balanced. I just got a replacement back from them. It is lighter but not what I'd call light and well balanced. I haven't had a chance to cast it yet but I'm hoping that it's better than the last. That one was a chore to cast. These rods (or blanks aren't cheap). There are better out there for less money in my opinion. The customer service is good though. Very nice of them to replace the rod for $10 shipping.

Tony

You don't want to base your opinion of an entire series on one model. They vary according to what the designer intended them to be used for. Nearly every rod series will have at least one or two dogs in it.

I have yet to find any blanks I like better than the SCIV (though some are close). Overall weight, performance, action and price make it my favorite. The 8' 4 and 5-weight models are fantastic. The 8'6" 4 and 5-weights are incredible and among the fastest action, light tipped blanks I've ever used. I put in one back up of each just in case anything ever happened to my originals.

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The SCIV IPC blanks are awsome indeed. I have assembled a 9' 5 wt two piece, a 8'6" 4 piece 4 wt. and the 7'9" 4 piece 3 wt. The 8'6' 4 wt. is one of the best fly rods in any weight I have ever cast/ fished. Fast, light, very smooth, will cast 20- 70 ft. of line with ease. and will handle large fish with no problems. The 7'9" 3 wt. is also a very fine rod. Again, light crisp, cast a 2 & 3 wt. line great and will handle some wind. I have caught rainbows to 17" with this rod and it was a blast. I also really like the 9' 5 wt. It splits time with my Loomis GLX 905/4 as my go to big water and float tube rods. With most high end rod makers blanks $300 and over the SCIV blanks are a fine value, and rank right up there with Sage, Scott, Loomis and Winston.

Do you all think as highly of the non-fly blanks?

Phil

I tend to, although I haven't used as many of them. I've probably used more of the SCIII in the spin and casting versions. I like them. Very good value considering the cost to performance ratio. Of course, you can say that about a lot of blank series from many manufacturers these days.

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