Have you ever had a new rod that fits your hand perfectly as you grasp the fresh and unstained cork handle and pull it out from the rod bag? The shiny new green blank compliments the sleek and comfortable cork grip as my new rod escapes the confines of its rod sleeve.
Looking at it, I quickly became confident I would like this rod. Anticipation and lack of patience forced me to take it to the front yard for a few cast. I canceled my plans for the next day and went fishing.
I own a cross-section of Winston rods, starting with the pre-Winston Kennedy Fisher rods, the WT Series, and several BII X and BIIX. I like fly rods, similar to how my wife loves shoes.
I didn’t want to write a review of the Winston Air 2 9’ 4 wt fly rod until I could concentrate on fishing it to ensure it has the Winston soul of my other rods. I wasn’t disappointed.
This particular rod was fished often this summer, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to Colorado and Wyoming. The more I use it, the more I want to fish with it. The 4 wt has a lot of reserve power and a different feel, but in a good way.
Discussing this fly rod’s metrics, swing weight properties and other technicalities is not beneficial in this review, as that horse has been beaten to death on the internet.
What matters to me is performance and fishability. Will the rod make a short roll cast and then stretch the fly line out when called upon while being sensitive enough to feel the fish fight? I wanted to feel the fish immediately in the tip when it struck the fly, and then feel the head shake. I wasn’t disappointed. It quickly became my “go-to” rod.
This rod is absolutely fun to fish with. It casts great, and most of all, it plays fish wonderfully. Even though it’s a 4 wt, the rod has enough backbone to land really nice fish but didn’t break my 6x and 7x tippets.
I have shared this rod with others to cast and fish with. Everyone agreed that the new Air 2 is a great fly rod. From small nymph fishing to delicate dry fly presentations, this rod is a worthy companion.
My only thought is, if the 4 wt feels this good, I wonder how the 3 wt feels!
Check it out at https://winstonrods.com/product/winston-air-2/
