She Made Her Mark

The inscription on Winston rod blanks has always been a distinguished element with their fly rods. No other company provided this artistic level of a mark quite like Winston. Well, Scott inscriptions are nice. However, there is something special about Winston's hand inscriptions, with the smooth calligraphy, that bring an artistic touch to fly rod building. This no trivial design feature. The model information which is hand-inscribed on the blank is a significant part of the Winston build that has contributed to their respect and admiration among the fly fishing community...a very important part of their "brand" and I will add, "it shouldn't be taken lightly."

Around 1990, a talented young employee, Bucky Ballou began inscribing her mark on the fly rods in the Winston shop. Her natural talent was immediately apparent and that's when the "Winston Inscription" moved the aesthetic of their fly rods to a higher perception of quality product. Bucky's flowing calligraphy became a standard feature for Winston fly rods, and her talent certainly contributed to the success of the R.L. Winston Company.

This style of calligraphy comes from natural talent and it's not easy to find someone who can perform this type of work, and at this standard of quality execution. An experienced eye can distinguish the nuance of styles with inscriptions through the years, which is natural when the job assignment moves from one employee to another. Can you imagine the challenge in maintaining this level of talent within Winston's production staff, to maintain this critical, and very visual feature of the Winston rod build? And, to add to that challenge, finding replacement talent among the hiring population in such a small town as Twin Bridges. Well, I'm impressed!

While calligraphy skills can be trained to a certain degree, those who have a natural talent can inscribe with the smooth flow needed to exceed normal quality standards. And, Bucky Ballou set a high quality standard with the launch of Winston's IM6 fly rods. She is one of the talented, loyal employees that helped create an amazing company culture and history, indeed! The work ethic and talents of the local Montana people working with the leadership of David Ondaatje and Tom Morgan in the 1990s were part of the success formula for a small rural company to grow and became a worldwide brand in fly fishing.

I'll just say that Winston's history played a role with me becoming a Winston fan...just as much their fly rods have delivered incredible memories for me when fishing the wild, beautiful streams of the southwest.