Ross Colorado Fly Fishing Reel Review: The USA-Made Click-Pawl Reel
I didn’t grow up fly fishing. It is something I picked up later in life. For the most part, I am self-taught, and I’ve learned a lot the hard way, especially when it comes to gear. A lot of people will tell you to get something cheap when you’re getting started out, and for that, I call bullshit. I wasted my first year of Fly Fishing going through cheap gear that I quickly outgrew. I equate Fly Fishing Reels to the Wheels on a bicycle. Once you have nice wheels, you will never have shitty wheels again.
Colorado-based Ross Reels first appeared on my radar at one of my local fly shops. I loved the clean aesthetics, the machined aluminum, and the copper branding; it’s all really well done. So, after countless trips looking at the shiny reels through the glass countertop, I finally pulled the trigger and picked up my first Colorado Reel for my Euro setup.
On a side note, traditionalists hate Euro Nymphing; it’s pretty lame but not surprising. There is a lot of shit I hate about Fy Fishing, but that’s for another time and another place.
Ok, back to the Ross Colorado! The Colorado is a super light click-pawl reel that has a beautiful clicking sound when in use. It was a massive step up from the Redington reels I had previously been using. After my first trip with the Colorado, I knew I had to update all my reels because there was definitely no going back!
Fast forward to 2024, and I’ve built out quite the collection of Ross Reels. I have Ross Colorados in 2/3 weight for my euro setup and 7ft 3wt, a 3/4 for my 4wt dry fly rod, and a 4/5 for my 5wt trout rod. The click-pawl drag system easily handles large fish such as steelhead and bull trout. I’ve used the Colorado in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
Pros
Made in the USA.
Lightweight, simple, and functional.
Arguably, it is one of the best-looking reels on the market.
Limited but cool colors.
Priced reasonably compared to other high end reels.
Cons
$375 is pretty expensive for what it is.
Customer service is blah.
Once you buy one, you will want more.
If you’re looking for an upgrade or interested in a click-pawl, I can’t recommend Colorado enough. You definitely won’t regret it!
