Three for '23

I seem to have a trend evolving this year with three classic rods getting a lot of action on my New Mexico small streams. They were designed decades ago, and the rods come from that pioneering era in graphite rod design. Yeah, a tight line on these classic rods is a design consideration we don’t much see with contemporary rods.

Below are three rods that will probably get more time on the water this year, due to the streams in the fishing itinerary, through end of fall. It's not a conscious plan, but is just happening. This is partly a result of regaining access to streams that were closed last year during the summer season. Now I must say, If we have a long monsoon season like last year, well, that could change things up on the itinerary and which rods will be packed into the truck. Who knows? I'll just roll with flow and appreciate whatever streams are accessible.

Winston WT 7' 3wt - the more I fish this rod, the more I like it. The rod is almost twenty years old and it has become a routine practice for me to pack it in the rod carrier for a fishing trip. The taper is perfect for small stream fishing and the length allows casting in streams with a tight canopy of overhanging tree limbs. My favorite fly lines for this rod is the Rio LightLine and Winston Energy. The short length and tip design allows for very accurate casts at short distances.

Winston IM6 7' 6" 3wt - may be one of the most famous 7'6" 3wt graphite rod designs in history. This rod gets fishing duty when I'm on streams where casting a small dry fly 15 to 45 feet is the ticket for success. It has surprising power for a 3wt rod and can handle the fatties in the 15" to 18" range quite nicely. And yet, it is sensitive for those "Leetle Fellers" that populate my home waters. A versatile light line rod that could be considered a general purpose 3wt fly rod. I like fishing this rod with a Rio LightLine WF3F line.

Winston WT TMF 8' 4wt - when seasoned anglers think of Winston, they are picturing this rod in their mind's eye. The iconic TMF was launched in 1989 and truly was Tom Morgan's favorite rod. Making an accurate cast with this rod is effortless...just pure fun to cast and manage trout to the net. I fish this rod in tiny Rios and on up to medium sized rivers in New Mexico and Colorado. When I pair this rod with a Rio LightLine, some magic happens.

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