Winston WT Fly Rods

The WT series of fly rods are surely the most successful series in Winston’s history. They were originally branded as IM6 rods in the early years and quickly gained a faithful following of anglers. The first catalog to rebrand and market these IM6 rods as WT (Winston Traditional) models was in 2001, and were the same as the IM6 blanks that were rolled in house the previous years, starting around the 43,500 serial number. Prior to the 43,500 serial numbers, the blanks were sourced from G-Loomis. Winston ended its marketing run of the WT series in 2011, but did continue to provide them on a special order only basis, up to around 2020.

2 - Weight. These rods can make extremely delicate presentations, and are designed for casting to smaller fish at shorter distances with size 16, or under, dry flies. My 7'0" 2wt rod tends to roam the higher elevations of mountain creeks...an absolute blast fighting little browns and natives with this rod. This rod gets packed a lot for trips to mountain streams.

3 - Weight. Great lightweight fly rods that are perfect for casting at short to medium distances when there's not much wind. This 7'0" 3wt rod finds itself mostly on small streams where there is an occasional 16" trout. One of my favorite rods because of it's action and performance on pocket water stretches of streams.

4 - Weight. Excellent for a wide variety of conditions, with enough power to handle larger dry flies and even some wind. This 7'0" 4wt rod can fish any stream in my home waters...and does. A very versatile rod that allows me to take only one rod up on Rainy Mountain. It most likely was a "one off" factory custom build in 2001.

4 - Weight. Another 4wt rod but in an 8'6" model...my first WT rod. For some reason I have my most peaceful and relaxing days on a stream when fishing this rod. And it is without doubt, the smoothest rod I own. It's as though the rod disappears in my hand when working a stream and is just a part of me, landing flies intuitively to trout in waiting.

5 - Weight. I've searched several years for a used WT 5wt rod and never could find one in minty condition and at a price I was willing to pay. So, when this brand new 8'6" 5wt Legacy WT rod showed up for sale, I took advantage of the opportunity. This rod is smooth enough for delicate dry fly presentations, yet has the power for small streamers into a wind. I've already decided on which stream to inaugurate the rod in 2021, where it will get its first cast and catch. UPDATE: After a couple of years fishing this rod, I can say it more than exceeds my expectations...a 5wt dry fly rod that is a blast to fish on medium to large streams.

6 - Weight. This 9'0" 6wt rod is awesome. An all-around rod that can handle almost every trout fishing situation, from dry flies to double-nymph indicator rigs. It's perfect for fishing the tail waters, and handling the big trout that swim there...and when the trout suddenly start feeding on top, I'm impressed at how smoothly it can cast the small dry flies those trout prefer.

Note: Since publishing this post, I have added a few more WT rods to the quiver: 8' 2wt; TMF 8' 4wt; 7'6" 4wt; and 6'6" 2wt. There are posts on the site featuring each of them.

Some random photos below of WT rods...