Winston Air 2 9′ 5-weight 5-piece

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   This is a really nice fly rod that flexes just a little deeper and engages with a full rod load that instills confidence and delivers a wonderful sense of connectedness to the palm of your hand. If the 4-piece Air 2 9’ 5-weight is a 7 out of 10 in stiffness, this model is a 6 out of 10, but the feeling and performance varies notably with the fly line pairing, so let me dive deeper into that… I cast it with four different lines that offered predictable, useful, pleasing capabilities. So, it’s a rod that will handle just about any 5-weight line. A Scientific Anglers Trout Expert (formerly the “Trout” taper) casts tight loops at all distances with no sense of hesitation in loading the rod, even at only 15-20 feet. A Rio Technical Trout WF5 loads the rod just a little deeper but casts superbly throughout the full range with wonderful line speed. This would be my line choice for dry flies in the size #12-14 range. A Rio Gold casts with high line speed, rapid blank recovery and a sense of playfulness, but definitely flexes the rod deeper. I can feel the weight of the line head more with the Rio Gold, so it saps a bit of the lightness, but this will be a wonderful line for fishing grasshoppers or dry-dropper rigs. I also threw an SA Infinity Taper WF5, which flexed the rod deeply. I had to wait a little longer on my backcast, but the rod knew exactly what to do with the line, casting with authority, control and a semi-open loop ideal for nymphing or tossing light streamers. On the water, the slightly deeper flex in this 5-piece design is nothing but an advantage for roll casting and line mending.

   What impresses me most about the 5-piece design is that it flexes so evenly. With 4 ferrule joints, I expected at least one of the rod parts to be slightly out of sync with its adjoining sections, but every caster will appreciate how smoothly this rod casts and the impressive feeling of refinement in the overall way it handles.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   Winston did a marvelous job, both in the creation of this fine instrument and placement within their rod offerings. The Air 2 5 piece 905 lies right in between the Air 2 905 and Pure 2 905 action wise. Not quite as fast as the Air 2, just a hair more playfulness, but more matter of fact and capable into the wind than the Pure 2. If you think the Air 2 905 is just a shade more than you want in your Winston 905, this 5-piece rod may be your move. Physically the extra section and ferrules blend seamlessly into the blank and impart no noticeable additional weight or interruption in the taper. This is an extremely smooth casting rod that you can step up into and drive a tighter loop or ease on back and lay it down very softly. It possesses a wonderful progressive springy nature that carries all the to the cork. A Rio Gold felt just right to me, great taper match and it brought out the best in the rod regarding line speed and liveliness. An Infinity taper slows the line speed down and gives the blank a stiffer feeling into the butt section. This was reminiscent to my casting notions of the venerable BIIX 905 that so many still fish and love. The rod kind of rocks back very evenly from the butt section and gives you the sense of having the length of the rod behind every cast. 5 piece is cool, unique, nostalgic and just different. This rod is all of that and then some as well. Modern action, performance and range, good line tolerance and adaptability, with nostalgia and a little more of that Winston feel.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   Winston has made yet another fantastic 9’ 5wt. The 9’ 5wt 5 piece Air 2 is an excellent fly rod. It is physically lighter than the 4 piece version of this rod and is a great dry fly 5wt. The rod has enough backbone to fish the occasional nymph but it really shines with a single dry fly and a long leader. Just like a lot of other Winston rods, this rod is very even flexing and remarkably intuitive. The rod and line work in perfect harmony with each other and provide tremendous amounts of feedback to the caster. The rod forms lovely loops right off the tip. As you might expect from a Winston, this rod has incredible touch and feel, creating a lethal technical dry fly rod at all distances. The downside of a 9 foot rod can be fishability in close, this particular rod loads immediately and fishes to nearby fish wonderfully well. I have had the pleasure of casting several lines on this rod and it handles a wide range of tapers very well. If you want something that flexes the rod deeper and slows the blank down consider the SA Amplitude Trout GP WF5F. If you want a more dry fly specific line that brings the best out in this rod go with the Rio Elite Technical Trout WF5F and have a blast.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)