Newest & Oldest

I'm creating a packing list and itinerary for a fishing trip I'm planning to take this coming summer. This is going to be a lazy, relaxing, fun trip bouncing around from stream to stream. I have decided on two rods that will get packed for the adventure. They aren't the typical pairing I select for fly fishing and they have something in common. They are Winstons. No surprise there, huh? Oh, and they are both two-piece rods as well.

For this trip, I'm planning to take my newest and oldest Winstons for fishing in the southwest Rockies. This will be one of my 'nomad trips' where I travel light and wade into in a few trout streams. I used to call these fishing adventures a 'gypsy trip'. Yup, four days of fishing in trout heaven. My nomad trips are solitary adventures so I can move impulsively to various trout streams and campgrounds.

There wasn't a nomad trip last year and I regret not having that adventure. I've always taken one each year and they created special memories for me. Hmm, on my last nomad adventure I hit a bear going 55mph on my way home. Maybe that's why I skipped this annual event last year. 

What pair of rods did I decide to include for this summer trip? The oldest rod I own was built in 1940 and is a bamboo rod built by Lew Stoner, co-founder of R.L. Winston Rod Company. No, I didn't buy it new, I'm not that old (LOL). It's a 7'6" 5wt Light Trout model that was built early in R.L. Winston's history and is quite the beauty. It's a hollow fluted rod that Lew invented and copyrighted a few years earlier. I'm looking forward to fishing it on some open streams with beautiful trout.

The newest rod I own was built in 2022 and is a TMF 8' 4wt rod...designed by Tom Morgan back in 1989. This rod I did buy new, a special order from Winston through The Reel Life fly shop in Santa Fe. It will be a rod to fish on a couple of mid-sized streams in some amazing high country. Two rods, each designed by R.L. Winston Company owners during the company's long storied history.

Those places where the trout live are beautiful landscapes and are easy to immerse one's self into the wonder of it all. As such, there will be something added to this annual ritual of mine. I'm going to pack my paints and brushes for some relaxing plein air painting. Now, whether or not the artwork will actually be good enough to bring back home and published is another story.