Light Air Power

Winston Air 7'6" 3wt Fly Rod

A Winston Air 7'6" 3wt fly rod is made for fishing small streams flowing through a mountain canyon or along a meandering stream in a high altitude valley floor. It’s versatile in that it can cast a small dry fly in close to your feet or shoot a longer line on more open waters, where bigger trout call home. Twenty to forty five feet is a very sweet, and an easy casting range for this rod. Sure it can shoot a line further, but I don't fish small streams that way. Yup, fifteen to forty five feet covers all my light trout fishing destinations. Keeping casts within the sweet spot of a rod, I have learned is the best way to spend a day fly fishing, making stream time a pleasure to be in the outdoors.

I find this rod model has Winston's typical smooth and progressive casting personality, but with a touch more power than what I experience with my classic 3wt Winstons. And, I like that because there are times where this added power is helpful on streams with bigger, more powerful fighting trout. But what is important, it still feels like a Winston as much as my older classic models, even though it's a bit faster with a little more strength. You can safely bet, there are a couple of streams up in Colorado where this rod goes fishing.

The Air 376 model didn't get the publicity and kudos it should have received back in its day, and I'm surprised by how little feedback through the years I came across for this 3wt rod...hardly any. The Air 7'6" 3wt model was dropped sometime during the Air production years between 2016 and 2021. I'm guessing the Air and Pure 7'6" 3wt rods were too similar to keep both in production. And, this model didn't make it into the Air2 series as well. So yeah, I'm happy I have this rod!

Some of you are probably wondering, "is it better than my IM6 376 rod?" Hmmm, not quite, but it's just as much fun to fish. Why Winston has stopped offering 7'6" 3wt rods within any of their current rod series is a mystery to me? As far as I'm concerned, the 7'6" length and 3wt line configuration has been a standard model for decades, and should continue to be offered by rod companies...for those who fish the small streams. Why? Because it works...

AIR ROD SERIES:

• Advanced carbon fiber with SuperSilica™ lightweight resin
• Classic smooth Winston Progressive Action
• Incredibly accurate presentation
• Boron III technology for enhanced power
• Handcrafted in Twin Bridges, MT

FEATURES:

• Action: Medium Fast (more on medium side)
• Sections: 4-piece
• Guides: Hard chrome snake over-sized “Shooting Guides” with chrome nano-lite stripping guides
• Reel Seat: Nickel silver with figured Maple insert on 7’6” 3wt thru 9’ 6wt. Charcoal Gray anodized aluminum with double locking rings on 91/2’ 6, 7 and 8wt.
• Storage: Premium graphite rod tube with embroidered with logo rod sock
• Suggested Retail: NFS (It's a keeper)