Gear Review Ross Colorado LT flat spring

[Cowlitz Bottomfeeder]

I like the reel and admire the design and simplicity of the mechanism but the flat spring for the pawl gave out a few days ago and there’s not much information about the issue on the Ross site. I did notice that several of the PNWFF contributors had commented on the problem on the old website a number of years ago. There were some references to an upgraded spring and another post said some guides were doubling up the flat springs for increased drag. The Ross customer service representative was very polite and said he would mail me some replacement springs free of charge but offered no additional details. It appears to be the same spring as the Abel TR 4/5. Just speculation on my part but the heat treatment seems to be inadequate.

 

[Salmo_g]

I had a spring break on one of my Ross Colorado reels (V 1.0) last year. I emailed Ross and got a reply email saying some replacements were in the mail to me. Since the reel is over 20 years old and gets a fair amount of use, I have no complaint.

Even the heavier of the two drag springs is pretty light, tension wise, so I figured out a long time ago to put a little downward bend in the spring to increase tension on the pawl. I absolutely love my Ross Colorado reels. The appearance of the newer V 2.0 Colorados looks like spinner hubcaps on a gangsta' low rider. Unworthy of the Ross label.

 

[Cowlitz Bottomfeeder]

I have the original version which they call the LT as well as the newer Colorado. I like them both. The new model has more support between the spool and the reel body and there are two screws in the plate that retains the spring/pawl. It seems a little more robust than the original. It’s a little more difficult to get the line and leader set up when starting out. The tension is a little light. The spring seems to be identical to the one in my Abel TR. Works fine for trout to 18” in the lake. They can take long runs and the spool does not over run. If you like bling, bright colored backing shows prominently in the skeletonized spool.