Winston Air 2 Max 9′ 10-weight

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   This is a tarpon #10 by anyone’s standard. I tried it with both the Rio Elite Tarpon WF10F and the SA Amplitude Tarpon WF10F, strongly preferring the SA Tarpon for its more refined head shape and presentation qualities (that’s a review within a review). The rod casts incredibly far with a powerful, al dente casting stroke, but the caster must add significant pop for the longest cast. It possesses obvious bottom end power for playing tarpon, heavy stripers, roosterfish and the largest permit. I also found that the rod casts a Rio Elite Permit line beautifully, loading with a mid-rod spring action that forms tight, high line speed loops under the power of a natural casting stroke. I think this rod perfectly embodies modern 10-weight angling purposes. Inexperienced anglers will put it to good use. Veteran saltwater anglers will be very impressed.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   This is a truly well rounded 10wt that will work great for several different fishing situations. The rod will handle the wind well but also has great touch and feel. It will make for a great permit 10 as it has plenty of power in the butt section to get shots out quick, but it has a surprisingly delicate tip which helps with subtle strikes. If you plan on using this rod for tarpon it will work great for that as well. It has great lifting power from the boat and can also fight larger, heavier fish. Just like the 9wt, the 10wt shoots line well and holds up a nice tight loop at distance. I was able to play around with a few different lines on this rod including the Rio Elite Permit WF10F, Rio Elite Tarpon WF10F, and the SA Amplitude Tarpon WF10F. Of these three lines, the taper of the Elite Permit is a little too aggressive for my liking, the physical weight of the Rio Elite Tarpon causes loops to collapse on longer casts, but the SA Amplitude Tarpon felt excellent. The SA Tarpon line is slightly lighter and pairs very well with this rod.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)