Winston IM6 7’6” 3wt

For mountain creek anglers who cast to the Leetle Fellers and an occasional bigger trout, a 7'6" 3wt fly rod has become the staple of their sport. This light-line model has proven through the decades to be the perfect formula for 3wt graphite fly rods. The length and line weight is as good as it gets for small stream trout.

Tom Morgan is best known for his 8’ 4wt fly rod in what came to be branded as the Tom Morgan Favorite (TMF). However, his 7'6" 3wt IM6 fly rod is just as remarkable. The length, 3-weight line, IM6 graphite, maple spacer, and down locking silver hardware have proven through the years to be "The Rod" for anglers who roam the blue lines in search of wild trout.

I will go on to say, "this Winston IM6 7'6" 3wt rod is an integral part of our fly fishing history." Thousands of guys like me have romped through mountain trails and streams with this rod in hand. It's a 2-piece rod that was built in February of 1993 when Tom Morgan was still working at the Winston factory. As I look at the rod, I can see in my mind's eye Tom walking through the factory floor, interacting with the employees, and checking out the production of rods in their various build stages. And then, I can see him walking out of the shop door and across the street to cast a dry fly into the stream. You know, doing a quality test with a brown trout taking his dry fly. Yes! This was indeed a magical time in fly fishing history. And, I miss it! However, I do relive the era anytime I take this awesome light-line rod to my home waters.

The page above is out of the 1993 Winston Catalog, with a nice photo of company employees. This is the team that built my IM6 7'6" 3wt fly rod back in 1993. And, don't you think each of them had their own special, one-off, custom rod built while employed at Winston...how cool would that be? I have worked in lots of manufacturing plants in my time, but a tour of the Winston production facility would top them all, I'm sure. Maybe someday...

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