Drawing To A Perfect Pair - Winston IM6 3wt & 4wt

When I leave the house to spend a day on home waters, I usually take a pair of fly rods...in event the stream conditions change or for when I move to another stream. And, when deciding which rods to pack for the day, I like to "draw" out a pair with similar personalities and action (mostly).

The last two rods I've picked up in the past year are Winston IM6 rods from the early 90s. They are a 3wt and 4wt rod built in the early 1990s, and are about perfect for a two-rod quiver to take on a fishing trip in most of my mountain Rios throughout northern New Mexico. You really don't need other line weights, unless fishing in a few places where a more specialized rod would be ideal...but that's a luxury to be honest. The 3-4wt rods can fish anywhere, if you have the right length of rod. And, taking a 7'6" 3wt and 8' 4wt rod will serve you well almost anywhere on New Mexico trout streams. Only the tightest canopied streams or rivers with trout over twenty inches would challenge these two particular rods. But, for the most part, there are a lot of streams where these two rods will work perfectly for you.

The 7'6" 3wt is the standard model for fishing to the Leetle Fellers in mountain creeks. The length and line weight are perfect for casting to spooky trout. The light line can be stealthy enough to not disturb the water with a cast that lands a dry fly so very softly. And, the taper and power of a 3wt rod is just right to feel the strength and battle of small trout, which keeps the fight exciting all the way to the net. These are some of the reasons a 376 rod model is so popular on tiny creeks and small streams, where the trout aren't known to be big ones to overpower a light trout rod.

Winston IM6 7'6" 3wt Rod (2-piece)

There are streams in New Mexico I find perfect for my two-piece Winston IM6 7'6" 3wt rod...and, I'll match it up with a Trutta Perfetta fly reel most of the time. This fly reel is spooled up with a Rio LightLine WF3F which works very nicely on these little trout streams, and it loads the IM6 rod perfectly for short, delicate casts to 'fiesty' wild trout.

Winston IM6 8' 4wt Rod (2-piece)

I'll also be visiting a trout stream that is best suited for an 8' 4wt rod model. Since I like to pack rods with similar actions on my fishing trips, a Winston IM6 8' 4wt rod will be just the ticket. Note: this rod is the standard model and NOT the TMF rod model. Our small meadow streams are a nice environment and for this rod. It can handle the New Mexico breezes and larger trout that sometimes get fooled in meadow streams that meander through a valley floor.

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