Winston WT Rods - Kana′tĭ

Do you remember a day of fishing when everything went your way? When the fly always landed effortlessly on the spot you're looking at. When every trout you hooked slid into your net. Well, when I have a day like that, I'm most likely fishing with a Winston WT fly rod.

I have found Winston WT fly rods to be quite perfect for fishing my home waters. The WT rod series enjoy the magic tapers of Winston's IM6 rods, and were built from the improved manufacturing processes under David Ondaatje's leadership. I'm an IM6 fan, and love fishing those classics. However, I'm an even bigger fan of WT rods, and I fish them much more frequently than any other rod series.

The Winston WT rods impress me in both performance and aesthetics. And my favorite WT models are the creek rods that are 8 feet and shorter in length. Why? Because I enjoy fishing mountain Rio's cascading through wooded areas, with "trouty" pockets of water. Yes, these rods fit my style like no other.

Winston's WT rod models were launched in 2001, and were included in company catalogs through 2011. They did however continue building them, on special order, up to around 2020, and they are all excellent fly rods. For my fishing destinations, the top models within the WT series are below. Each of them are three-piece rods with the exception of the two-piece TMF model.

6'6" 2wt - If you enjoy bushwhacking a tiny creek for a chance to land a beautiful little native trout, well this is your rod. Who knew a short graphite rod with a 2wt line could casts a tiny dry fly so smoothly? It does. I promise. Yup, it's a specialty rod that's kinda rare. Most anglers will rig up a glass rod in this size. However, this graphite model provides the line control not typically found in 266 glass rods.

7' 2wt - This fly rod has no peer in the 2wt line class regarding performance, or aesthetic. It's more versatile than the shorter model, meaning it fits into a wider variety of small stream environments. I have never fished a better rod in this model, and doubt I ever will. This rod usually gets fished more than any rod I own during any given year.

7' 3wt - This rod (as with the 2wt) gets fished often on my home waters. It can handle any trout that swims the streams up on Rainy Mountain. The smooth casting and strength to handle trout makes this short 3wt rod an overall winner for fishing cascading mountain Rio's through wooded environments. I can't imagine a rod can be designed today that could exceed this rod's action and capabilities.

7'6" 3wt - A best-in-class rod for this model, period. A dream rod to fish small streams and creeks, with enough power to wind in a 18" plus trout, and yet a 10" trout is exciting as it gets on a tight line. While I don't have a factory built WT in this model, I do have a custom rod that was built in the late nineties, with the same Winston 7'6" 3wt blank as used in the WT rod series.

7'6" 4wt - A rod designed for creeks and small streams where occasionally an angler can hook into a large trout. Yeah, it can handle the big trout, yet the sensitive tip makes it a blast while bringing in the Leetle Fellers too. If a fly fisher only wanted to pack one rod for fishing multiple small streams, this is a good solution.

8' 4wt TMF - When I'm fishing small to medium streams in open meadows, this is the rod that gets the assignment more than any other rod I own. It's still known as the most iconic rod in Winston's history, and is the sweetest casting rod a small stream fisher could hope for. If you enjoy a relaxing day in a grass filled valley with a meandering stream, this is an excellent choice.

8'6" 5wt - When I'm wading into waters with big trout, this one often gets the call. Like the TMF model, it has a history full of epic fishing stories from its Winston fans, and is known as one of the top three iconic graphite rods in the company's history. The rod's progressive smooth taper can shoot a line with delicacy, and manage strong fights with trout to the bottom of the net. Crazy good!

I refer to the above as my *Kana′tĭ Fly Rods....each and every rod optimizes the fun factor when I'm fishing streams throughout the Southwest. Yeah, they bring me luck too! Or, I should say, "they bring me the trout...all the way into the net."

Note: the gold subheads in the above rod list are links to previous posts.

*Kana′tĭ - means “The Lucky Hunter” or “The Great Hunter.” In Cherokee mythology, Kana′tĭ is a teacher and culture hero associated with the origins of hunting.

My father's great-grandfather, Walter Scott "Red Watt" Adair, immigrated from Georgia to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. He became a Supreme Court Justice for the Cherokee Nation, and Adair County in eastern Oklahoma was named in his honor. It was only natural my father was a hunter and outdoorsman, and he included me in many of his hunting and fishing adventures. He was soft spoken, and the kindest man I've ever known. This family history of mine is why I refer to the WT rod series as my Kana′tĭ fly rods.