Its stable, accurate and easy to cast with heavy line heads, nymph/indicator rigs and streamers. It casts progressively with touch, line speed, control and most of all, feel. The 9 3-weight is one of the faster action rods in the series. The 6wt is pretty similar to the 5wt. I know I extolled the AIR 2s line speed and power earlier, and I meant it. If youre a modern day Beowulf, consider this fly rod your monster-slaying Hilt. Fear not what awaits in the abyss, just cast, strip, and hold on. Winston wanted to create a feeling of connection between the angler and the rod, and slimming down the cork grip allows you to feel more feedback than you would otherwise. The rod rolls gorgeous loops off the light and sweet tip as if dry flies were the only way to fish. Whether you're throwing small flies at short range or need to make a longer cast on a high mountain lake, this rod's snappy action and lightweight feel exemplifies versatility. But even though the casting stroke is somewhat slow and deliberate, the Pure packs a . Fish this rod for tough trout, whether on the surface or beneath. Winston Pure 490-4 won the hearts of testers when used in classic dry fly situations. by R.L. It felt like the folks in Twin Bridges had tried to cater too much to the general crowd in fly fishing that demands a do-it-all rod, instead of playing true to Winstons strong suit making high-end, light, wonderfully smooth casting dry fly rods. The AIR 2 bucks that trend, and its just plain fun to cast. This is one of those rods that feels faster the more line you aerialize. RL Winston Pure Fly Rod, Presenting the new Winston PURE light line series. 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. As Im writing this, my son is napping and Im enjoying some quiet time. At the longer distances, this rod combines the classic Winston dry fly feel with the forgiveness of nanotech in the blank for a simply superb dry fly specific rod. The next generation of all-around freshwater fly rods (3wt-6wt). I would never want another rod on rivers such as Silver Creek, the Frying Pan or the San Juan when a good hatch is in the air. Every angler will be impressed with the Air 2 96 6-weight. Winston packed a bunch of new features into the AIR 2 that address accuracy. Its hard to make a bad cast with this rod. Saltwater AIR 7wt:Our 9 7 weight Saltwater Air has become the perfect all-round bonefish rod. This resin also allows Winston to use a little less material in their blanks to reduce overall weight while increasing strength and preserving the feel of the casting stroke in a wide range of fishing scenarios. This provides more sensitivity to the angler to detect soft strikes. The slightest bad drift, or one too many false casts, put them down. These rods are built for the fish with Giant, King, or Monster in the name. Having this kind of recovery rate while maintaining flexibility accommodates for different speeds of a casting stroke, which adds to the incredible versatility of the WinstonAir 2 series. There is no asterisk. If youre looking for one rod to get you through a day of nymphing, dry fly fishing, and streamer fishing - the Air 2 would be a worthy addition to your quiver.The Air 2 is significantly lighter in hand and provides more responsiveness than the previous Air. If youre looking for a top-of-the-line, do-it-all rod, you need to visit a fly shop and cast an AIR 2. Winston Pure 2wt: The lightest, most delicate rod we make. He has no need to fish with rods he doesnt love. But against stiff headwinds, I couldnt get the line speed and power to work against the wind as well as Id like. All those great rods, very tough group to compete with. Rods that track straight, dampen quickly, and have little oscillation will cast more accurately in a competent anglers hands. Nice job, guys. Its light. The bugs were small, dark, and only came off when the weather turned sour. tellurideangler.com You must log in or register to reply here. CONTACT, Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from R.L. Website Design & Development by unleaded.digital. Best Use: Use this rod for dry flies and small trout at short/middle distances. Winston Air Model-By-Model Fly Rod Review, Royal Wulff Triangle Taper Floating Fly Line, How to Tie the Crappie Killer Fly Pattern, How to Tie the Film Critic Emerger Fly Pattern, How to Tie the Puterbaugh Foam Caddis Fly Pattern, How to Choose the Best Fly Rod for Bonefish, Sage R8 Core Fly Rod Series Review: Model-By-Model, How to Tie the Golden Retriever Fly Pattern. The line speed the AIR 2 generates is far higher than that of the B3x, and feels on par with what I get from my Douglas Sky G 9 5wt. Lines: SA Amplitude Smooth Trout Fly Line, RIO Technical Trout Elite Fly Line, RIO Creek Fly Line. Roll casting is buttery and effortless. This is a rod designed for Steelhead and Salmon with extra length for line mend-ability and a stout butt section for lifting power on feisty fish. 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. Trust a secure online experience at MontroseAnglers.com, 970-249-0408 This is a rod that will throw most of the fly line without using a haul stroke at all. No rod in the series rewards this effort more than the 6-weight, a remarkable stick in every regard. 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. Air 2 | Selecting a fast action fly rod - Telluride Angler Telluride Angler's fast action fly rod review compares Scott Centric, Sage X, Loomis Asquith, Loomis NRX+and Winston Air 2 fly rods model-by-model. It feels terrific and offers a combination of finger tip touch with support to the heel of the casting hand for both short and long throws. You must log in or register to reply here. If these are your daydreams, we encourage you to explore our all-new PURE series of trout rods. When he was only a few days old, I put a Winston rod in his hands, hoping that hell grow up to be a Winston guy like his dad. What Id hoped would get the fish moving wasnt showing up yet, and based on the weather and time of day, I doubted it would. 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. If youre a streamer junkie and searching for you next big bug stick, look no further than the ALPHA+ 6/7. These rods can do anything present tiny dry flies to wary trout on flat water, cast a heavy streamer to the far bank in the wind, launch the entire line when you need it, and make quick, accurate close-range shots. In spite of its fast action character, it possesses wonderful roll casting and line mending qualities along with the tippet protection you would expect from any Winston. In addition to the dialed grain windows, AIR TH models utilize smaller diameter grips to give anglers more feel and intuition during the cast. 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. The Winston Air 2 is in a class by itself. This is a really well crafted fly rod with specific purpose: line control for presenting smaller flies. What a treat it was. Nothing truer said. When casting Air 2 models, we find the progressive fast action to be highly refined. It will handle slightly heavier lines, such as the Rio Technical Trout or Gold, but why not split hairs and bring out the very best? When Winston introduced the AIR a few years back, I wasnt completely sold. Hi guys,Thanks for youre excellent review on the Air 2 line.I really enjoyed reading it.I fish Winstons and looking to get the Air 2 5wt.I need a five to bridge the gap.I have a older dl 4 and the Alphas 6 and 8 and really should get a five its needed.Just curious what you think bout the Airflo superflo universal taper on that rod.Really digging the Airflo lines lately as Rio has been falling apart on me and not holding up past that six month mark dissapointing but things change sometimes.Like to stick with Airflo just wanted youre thoughts about this.Looking forward to hearing from you and thanks for the help. In 2021, Winston introduced the flagship Air 2. Well, I guess they finally got the memo, I said. Over the winter I had the opportunity to fish the new 96 5-weight Air 2 on my homewaters of Puget Sound. The technology platform for Air 2 utilizes new high modulus materials as well as Winstons traditional boron in the butt section, the turbo charger for line speed and raw power. Spring creek and tailwater anglers have a new favorite rod. I first cast it with an SA Infinity Taper, which is a half line weight heavy with a long head. Especially for the anglers with a slower casting stroke, this rod is one of the best in the series. We are not a blog or a review site. From bonefish, redfish, stripers, snook, and various other species, this rod is up to the task. His middle name is actually Henry, so you can tell that its a special place to our family. 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. With a downlocking reel seat, the rod balance moves into the grip, providing more connection to the blank and less perceived swing weight. With a taper that allows for minimal back casts and quick shots off the bow of the skiff, this rod will put crab, shrimp and baitfish patterns on target every time with minimal effort. And that kind of power is rarely blended with the delicacy and presentation accuracy of this rod. For general purposes, my favorite line on the Air 2 9 6-weight is the SA Amplitude Infinity WF6F. A short drive over the hill leads us to the Winston manufacturing facility that is sure to impress any angler on one of their daily tours. Default by R.L. 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. Its hard to draw this up on a blackboard, but when you feel it, you know it. The R.L. These are fantastic fly rods. Best Use: This is a small stream trout rod for light nymphing, dry flies, and small streamers in tight quarters. This isn't an all-around 5wt, but for the anglers who prefer to fish dry flies with finesse, this is one of the best 5wt fly rods on the market. Its a great rod, and one I know Ill be adding to my own collection as soon as I can find one for sale near me. Of course, like our shootouts and other casting commentaries, these mini-reviews are based on our casting style and preferences. 109 E. Main StreetEnnis, Montana 59729Int'l: (406) 682-4293Toll-free: (800) [email protected]. 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