Winston Rod Kits - Vintage

While I knew Winston sold rod kits back in its early days, I never really thought much about them. Until Ben (Flat Creek Rods) suggested our latest build project may have started off as a Winston IM6 Kit. After that, I begun to search the Winston publications and noticed the handle, on vintage Winston custom rods, can give a hint the rod started out as a kit from the company.

I have two custom Winston IM6 rods that probably started out as rod kits back in the 90s era of the R. L. Winston Company...one kit was finished in 1997 by Marty DeSapio, and the other recently finished by Ben of Flat Creek Rods. How can I assume they were kits? The handle is the clue. The two handles look exactly like those from Winston back in the early 90s. Yeah, that Winston blank and preformed handle, in this recent build, probably sat in the dark of a tube for a good 30 years or so before Ben finished it out this month.

Below is a photo of two Winston kit rods and a shot of a page, out of a 1991 Winston catalog, describing the rod kits of that era. I wonder how many of these old rod kits are still out there in fly fishers' homes...unbuilt?

Click on photo for larger view