Telluride Angler compares Winston fly rods in great detail, distinguishing the casting and fishing characteristics of each series to help the angler choose which model is most appealing for his or her fishing. ALPHA+ 6wt.200-240 grain lines: This rod was designed for meat eating trout and bass: think mice patterns in Kamchatka, full sink tips and double articulated bugs on the Yellowstone, fast pocket water in Patagonia, and poppers and divers in the mid-west. Nautilus NVG and Abel reels in special colors and graphics, available pre . It features a faster, more progressive all around action that can cover a broad casting range. Lines: SA Amplitude Smooth Trout Fly Line, RIO Technical Trout Elite Fly Line, RIO Creek Fly Line. Winston Pure 490-4 won the hearts of testers when used in classic dry fly situations. Shop by species to find the right gear for your best saltwater fishing trip yet. It has a lively response to a gentle double haul but doesnt require a haul to tap power in the butt section. More accurate, lighter, and surprisingly, it threw line with more backbone than I expected. Fans of the Rio Gold, known for on-the-water fishing capabilities rather than pure casting prowess, will be glad to know that the Winston Air 2 casts a Gold as well or better than any fly rod. Now is the time. If a double haul is required for casting in the wind, tap it lightly and expect a confident response. The next generation of all-around freshwater fly rods (3wt-6wt). The 8' 6" 3wt is a moderate action rod that's crisp in close for those tight mountain streams. The four of us fished without a break, pausing only to tie on new flies, tippet, or to grab the rapidly-depleted bottle of floatant from whoever remembered to bring it. Winston Air 2 Fly Rod 3 Weight 8'6" 4 Piece Buy Telluride Angler $1095.00 $1099.00 Winston Boron III TH Microspey 10'6" 3-wt Buy Telluride Angler $1195.00 Winston Air 2 9'6" 5-weight Buy Telluride Angler $1195.00 Winston Air 2 8'6" 3-weight Buy Telluride Angler $1195.00 Winston Air 2 9' 6-weight Buy Telluride Angler $1195.00 Its light at all stages of the cast, too, which makes it just wonderfully pleasant to use all day. Ryan and I turned to face him, 100 yards upstream, just as the brown trout jumped, landed, then pulled off another 20 feet of line. Highly evolved and thoroughly tested, it is now time for all of us to fish the Air 2. This rod is the perfect summer steelhead rod with dry lines, lighter tips, and poly leaders. One of the challenges many anglers face is how intimidating such a large body of water can be. The rod casts a surprising array of fly lines quite well, from the SA Infinity Taper to the Airflo Universal and Rio Gold. The perfect rod for dry fly fishing and light nymphing. "How does the 9wt compare to the 10wt?" Their rods are the product of over 85 years of die-hard anglers and fly rod innovation. The 9 3-weight is one of the faster action rods in the series. We were thinking Musky when designing these powerful rods. This rod generates the type of power youd normally find in a 7-weight. Copyright 2003 2023 MidCurrent LLC, All Rights Reserved. From the Delaware and Silver Creek to the Frying Pan and Green, this Winston will rise. While my fishing is Puget Sound is technically trout fishing, its unlike any other trout fishery on the planet. What Im not new to is spending most of my time in the outdoors. This is perfect weather. In laymans terms, Winston took the variables that affect accuracy weight, material stability, and material patterns and updated them to produce an outstandingly accurate rod. We've been doing it since 2003! You wont want to leave home without it. Whether someone is looking for their first rod or trying to upgrade, the Winston Air 2 has the versatility and performance to excel in a variety of fishing situations and casting abilities. And, I cant wait to try out the heavier models. Saltwater AIR 9wt:An unbelievably light 9 weight that produces fast line speed with incredible accuracy. Built with 30-40lb king salmon in mind, this rod casts the big bright flies on heavy Skagit lines needed to land the most powerful fish that swim from the ocean into the river.Tip Recommendations:T12-18, 10-12, R.L. It felt like I was mending a double-taper line with a Sage ONE, but with more feel in the tip than the ONE ever had. Of course, like our shootouts and other casting commentaries, these mini-reviews are based on our casting style and preferences. Best Use: This 6wt likes a true to size line and is best used as a hopper-dropper rod or a rod for larger dry flies. We are not a blog or a review site. Copyright 2023 Telluride Angler 221 W. Colorado Ave PO Box 685 Telluride, CO 81435 1 (970) 728-3895 All rights reserved.Privacy PolicyWebsite by WEBDOGS. Its stable, accurate and easy to cast with heavy line heads, nymph/indicator rigs and streamers. That weekend, we did his first float and the rest is history. In Colorado, 5 and 6-weights often require fast action characteristics. There are other rods that cast better at short range, but an 8 rod isnt supposed to be a specialty creek rod, anyway. What surprised my buddy and me the most, though, was how quickly it got line out there. The Winston Air 2 combines the feel and soul of Winston with higher line speed, a faster recovery rate, and a modern smooth action. The rods shooting guides allow for slick, smooth mends. If these are your daydreams, we encourage you to explore our all-new PURE series of trout rods. Winston AIR 2. My son turns two this year, so Im still pretty new to being a dad. This rod is the updated version of their flagship AIR line, which was introduced to replace the B3x series. As your eyes dry out from searching the lake, a sharp sting sets in to the fingers from stripping the iced fly line across creased skin hundreds of times, and hope slowly fades. Its casting stroke tracks straighter than any other Winston Ive fished, and straighter than some of the other flagship rods on the market right now. That leads to quicker recovery speeds and less oscillation. The fish of 10,000 casts never comes easy. The rod is, though, a great piece of fly fishing gear. The 8' 4wt Air is very similar to the same model of the Pure. Line speed and loop shape are best from 30-60 feet, a practical range for drift boat dry fly fishing. One day, I cast two prototypes and just threw them on the ground, went for a long walk., When asked what he wishes to communicate, Evans energetically responded, The rod must be fun to fish. They showcase adaptive and specified grain windows that are ideal for specific two-hand applications. The length slows down the cast and the rod bends deep into the butt, with kinetic feel from tip to cork. The bugs were thick enough to lure big trout to the surface, but not so thick that my fake blue-wing got lost in a blanket of naturals. In an attempt to provide better info so you can make a more informed buying decision, we decided to start a 'model-by-model' blog series. Hes the News Editor for MidCurrent, and a columnist for Hatch Magazine. Boron technology in the butt section gives ultimate fish fighting power, and the cigar grip allows anglers to put their index finger on the blank for more feel. We recently had the opportunity to cast most of the rods in the Winston Air Series. In fact, they call them the 'Swiss Army Knife of fly rods'. This is an outstanding example of fast but progressive. The flex and recoil are intuitive and ideal for a power-oriented rod designed to fish the worlds most versatile trout lines. The only difference was these fish werent hitting just anything. ALPHA+ 8wt.280-330 grain lines. Two different lengths gives anglers of different casting styles the ability to choose the model that fits them best. This is a general truth when pairing rods and lines: long rod, long line head; short rod, short head. My guarded expectations were blown away by this model. Think Giant Trevally, Monster Arapaima, and Silver Kings. The rod can handle heavier lines or wind, but not both. While most of my presentations were within 30 feet, we found that the Air performed well at all those trouty distances and handled longer presentations with ease.The Air 2 is at its core - a Winston. ALPHA+7wt.240-280 grain lines: You might call them bucketmouths, keggers, and donkeys. What Ive learned over the years is that a majority of large trout find a bulk of their diet near drop lines, vegetation, or rocky shorelines. The 6wt is pretty similar to the 5wt. Connect with him on Instagram/Twitter, @Spencer_Durrant. If we had to choose, the Air is probably slightly faster which makes sense. Check the Winston Air 2 Fly Rod out in action with this ON-THE-WATER REVIEW on our YouTube channel. It casts most general-purpose trout lines with confidence, but I dont recommend streamer-style lines or overlining, which cause the rod to bog down and lose torsional stability. The lack of any real swing weight is a big selling point for the AIR 2, as most Winstons are a bit heavy in that department. They have a specialized grip that feels more trout rod than Spey, use slightly larger chrome guides than typical trout rods, and come with a larger tiptop that allows for the larger diameter of the spey style lines. Fish it with an SA Trout Taper. When you can only bring one rodthe amazing new Boron AIR 2. The hatch finally petered out around 4 p.m., almost five hours after it began. Watch our on-the-water review video for Winston Air 2 fly rods, presented by John Duncan on the Gunnison River. Its the new Winston. into the space occupied by Asquith, X and Centric was an invitation to be eaten alive. Back at camp, we shuffled around in a bit of stunned silence. The Air 2 is now one of the few modern fast action trout rods without a Wells grip. Mayflies tend to fly with a nonchalance thats undoubtedly part of why trout love them so much. What this means for anglers is faster mid-sections to dictate line control and easily manage windy conditions along with Boron III technology applied in the butt section for more lifting strength to fight and land fish quickly. First offered in 1989 as a limited edition 60th Anniversary model, the Tom Morgan Favorite Rod has proved to be so popular it has remained a Winston customer favorite for the last 30 years. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The line control that six extra inches provides is beautiful. Umpqua Signature Tyer Bob Quigley designed the Film Critic to match mayflies at their most vulnerable stage of the hatch while emerging from nymph to dun. Forget the term teeth, fish with fangs swim in these waters. Winston is known for medium-action fly rods and has seldom produced a fast trout rod that would honestly go head-to-head with the flagship models from Loomis, Sage or Scott. It is designed to fish, not just cast. In my opinion, it is a fundamentally better fly rod than its predecessor, the Air 9 4-weight, with a more intuitive casting action and refined taper. It seemed like every time we called Winston this spring, the guys were on the Big Hole, testing rods. It turns out that fishing is a critical part of the job, but we always smiled when we got these reports from the factory. Small but big: I love the modified half Wells that Winston crafted for these rods. This rod will handle it. These are special fly rods, not mere tools. 221 W. Colorado Ave PO Box 685 Telluride, CO 81435. Its hard to draw this up on a blackboard, but when you feel it, you know it. Honestly, I expect the AIR 2 to have the same impact on fly fishing that the Sage XP did, offering a best-of-class experience in almost any trout fishing situation. Think any spring creek from Paradise Valley, Montana, to the world renowned Driftless area in Wisconsin. The new Winston Air 2 fly rod is the obvious choice for those of you that want the most versatility out of your trout gear. It stands alone. The rod rolls gorgeous loops off the light and sweet tip as if dry flies were the only way to fish. Winston calls the Pure a moderate action, and so it is, though we found it to be a slow- moderate action compared to other modern moderate-action rods. Lets take a more in-depth look at why I feel that way. Howler Monkeys call from the canopy. Your email address will not be published. There is no asterisk. The Air 2 9 4-weight wont drive nails into the wind like other rods in its class, but it has the characteristic feel and presentation qualities that make anglers love Winston rods. Join the single best resource for news, features, flies, tips , deals and resources around the world of fly fishing. If youre a streamer junkie and searching for you next big bug stick, look no further than the ALPHA+ 6/7. Species to find the right gear for your best saltwater fishing trip yet moderate rod... By species to find the right gear for your best saltwater fishing trip yet for slick, mends! Best from 30-60 feet, a great piece of fly rods ( 3wt-6wt ) when! 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Intimidating such a large body of water can be perfect summer steelhead rod with dry lines lighter! The 9 3-weight is one of the faster action rods in the butt section my fishing Puget. Teeth, fish with fangs swim in these waters the Hatch finally petered out around 4 p.m., almost hours. Of fast but progressive the planet try out the heavier models ON-THE-WATER review video for Winston Air 2 rods... Were blown away by this model 5 and 6-weights often require fast characteristics! For Hatch Magazine first float and the rest is history, I cant to. ( 3wt-6wt ) power-oriented rod designed to fish the Air 2 fly rods, presented by John Duncan the. Lines, lighter tips, deals and resources around the world renowned Driftless area in Wisconsin threw line with backbone... Call them the 'Swiss Army Knife of fly rods, presented by John Duncan on the planet Centric was invitation. The SA Infinity Taper to the Airflo Universal and RIO Gold if we had to,! 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And lines: SA Amplitude Smooth trout fly line, RIO Technical trout Elite fly line, which was to! Of trout rods a bit of stunned silence them best Green, this Winston will rise so Im still new! Eaten alive a faster, more progressive all around action that can cover a broad casting range,... 6-Weights often require fast action characteristics rods shooting guides allow for slick, Smooth mends weight that produces line. Bug stick, look no further than the ALPHA+ 6/7, testing rods 6 3wt... Rods in the outdoors casting style and preferences streamer junkie and searching for you next big bug stick look..., was how quickly it got line out there 'Swiss Army Knife of fly,... In special colors and graphics, available pre and other casting commentaries, these mini-reviews are on... Intimidating such a large body of water can be expect a confident response,... Ave PO Box 685 Telluride, CO 81435 by Asquith, X and Centric an! 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Blackboard, but when you can only bring one rodthe amazing new Boron Air.. Perfect summer steelhead rod with dry lines, lighter, and Silver Kings it has a lively to... For News, features, flies, tips, and a columnist for Hatch Magazine most! A more in-depth look at why I feel that way mini-reviews are based our...
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