Winston Air 2 Max 9′ 5-weight

Reviews

1. Rated 4 out of 5

   When I picked up this rod, the saltwater style grip, anodized reel seat and fighting butt lent the expectation of a light flats rod that might double as a freshwater streamer rod. Casting it with a variety of lines brought me to a different conclusion, however. It is certainly a fast action rod, but lacks the characteristic raw stiffness of a rod meant for casting in 20mph wind or chucking conehead streamers on specialized, overweighted lines. I don’t care for it with a Titan taper or even an SA Infinity taper, but with the aptly named Scientific Anglers Trout GP, it absolutely sizzles. Heavy, long-headed lines cause it to bog, hesitate, and lose its otherwise airy nature, but with a standard WF line, erring on the lighter side, it casts with spectacular tight loops and sensational line speed. So, in my hands, this is a freshwater rod for fishing dry flies and light nymph rigs. Like most Winston rods, it flexes deeper than a competitor’s “ultra fast” trout rod, but with tremendous elasticity and delightful feedback. This is a rod for the Missouri and the Green, the Gunnison and the Delaware, the Sacramento and Henry’s Fork.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)