About Quarrow: Quarrow has been a major OEM player for over 15 years, and last year began producing high quality rods under its own brand name. Quarrow makes a full line of rods ranging from ML1 to their Premium Dream Catcher rods. Quarrow makes a full range of rod types from freshwater, to saltwater, and a large assortment of fly-fishing rods as well. Quarrow rods are designed, tested, and fished by some very well known pros, including OT Fears and Tom Lester.

Impressions: The first impression of the Green Country ML3 OTS664F was that it was extremely sleek, from grip to tip this rod has no bulk and is very light. The second thing we noticed was the large number of guides, a total of eight. In comparison to other 6'6" rods in the lab this rod sported 2 more guides then the average 6'6" rod. This is because of Quarrow's decision to utilize the Fuji's "New Guide Concept."
 

In the lab telegraph sensitivity tests surprised us in terms of the great sensitivity we were getting. A lot of this has to deal with two factors: 1) The cork grip on the OTS664F is shorter then average bringing the blank closer to the grip point so less vibration is dampened, and 2) The use of new extremely low profile Fuji IPS-16 seat. The final thing we noticed was when we put numerous reels in the seat the new seat holds the reels at a recessed level making it extremely comfortable.
 

To test the OTS664F in the field we paired it up with the lightweight Shimano Sustain 2000 which looked right at home on the rod. The entire combo not only looked sleek, but was extremely lightweight.

More about the Fuji "New Guide Concept": Designed by Fuji and implemented by Quarrow on the OTS664F, the new concept is based on two philosophies: a) Use a smaller rod tip and decrease the total weight of the guides b) Depending on the rod size optimize the correct number of guides. Using these two principles Fuji is able to achieve 7 functions that influence rod action.
 

                            1. Greater sensitivity

                            2. Greater casting distance

                            3. Greater accuracy

                            4. Greater balance

                            5. Greater hooking power

                            6. Reduction of line twist

                            7. Greater rod power

For complete details and test results of the new guide concept check out Fuji's detailed explanation.
 

Real World Test: We took the OTS664F for 15 days of field testing that spanned 4 Northern California lakes. (Anderson, Coyote, Calero, and Uvas) What we found throughout the 15 days was a rod that demonstrated an exceptional amount of sensitivity using a large variation of lures and techniques. Here's what we found:

Casting: The OTS664F is a pleasure to cast all day thanks to a lightweight construction and a fantastic grip design. The cork grip is contoured to fit your hand at the grip point, while the bottom of the cork is narrower reducing weight. The comfort of this rod is further boosted by extending the cork grip over the reel seat, so when casting your hand rests completely on the cork, never touching the graphite seat. Also as I mentioned earlier, the use of the new Fuji low profile IPS-16 seat puts the entire reel at the perfect height in which to grasp and cast.

Casting distance was impressive when I used lightweight plastic worms rigged with 1/8 bullet weights and downright spectacular when I threw 1/2oz spinners. The rod has a good amount of backbone coupled with a very fast tip which really gives the most action from the 4th guide on. Use of Fuji Hardloy guides allows the line to flow quickly and smoothly on each and every cast.