Winston WT 8'6" 4wt

My first WT fly rod was a 8'6" 4wt rod acquired fifteen years ago, and the first stream I fished with it was in northern New Mexico on a Wild and Scenic River. Since then, it has fished trout streams all over New Mexico, and often gets rigged up to fool paranoid trout.

The rod has a bit more flex in its action than any other WT rod model I own and fish. However, I've been told mine is the preferred 3-piece model over the earlier 2-piece rod configuration. The 2-piece model is sometimes described as a little whippy by their owners...not having the opportunity to cast a 2-piece rod, I'll have to go by other's reports.

For my personal rod, I find a true-to-weight fly line is smooth and easy to cast out to fifty five feet. I rarely fish to that length on my rivers. It's just that I don't buy fly rods to hit home runs, and instead I'll work to get as close as possible to my intended target, for landing softer presentations with a dry fly.

The best part about a Winston WT rod is its ability to keep a trout from throwing the hook. I've netted lots of healthy trout with this rod on a couple of rivers, including the San Juan River, with some in the twenty-three-inch range. With that genius tip taper, it also keeps fishing exciting when bringing in the Leetle Fellers too.