Winston Pure 2 7’9″ 5-weight

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   Winston is the master of slower action fly rods that generate high line speed. The 7’9″ 5-weight is a purposeful and luminous addition to the Pure 2 Series, a rod for the small water angler who throws larger dry flies and dry dropper combinations. It is a simple fact of physics that a 5-weight line will transport a large fly more easily than a 3 or 4-weight line, so contrary to intuition, the angler exerts less effort with a 5-weight than a lighter fly rod.

   The taper of the Pure 2 795-4 is immaculate. It flexes with a sense of deliberate patience with magnificent feel and precision. You’ll cast it beautifully on the first try and become intractably addicted to its rhythm and feedback. It is a moderate action rod, but not weak or sloppy in any regard. “Winston feel” leaps from the blank and fills the air with good vibrations.

   I first cast this rod with a regular old Rio Gold WF5 and felt no need to experiment with other fly lines. The Gold is perfect. I’m sure the rod will cast an SA Trout Expert or Rio Technical Trout deftly, but the Rio Gold loads the rod at short distances and builds line speed to well over 40 feet, in sync with the flex profile at every distance. Line speed is outstanding with dreamy casting loops and confident fly turnover. At only 7’9″, this will be a small water rod for most anglers, but unlimited in fish size. In fact, the shorter lever applies pressure more directly when playing a heavy fish in turbulent water, so tie on your favorite grasshopper and FISH ON.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   This rod is light and playful. It has a very unique length and line weight combo, but when the conditions call for a short 5wt in tight quarters, there’s nothing else I’d rather have in my hands. Just like the other 7’9″ Pure 2 rods, the 5wt can handle a much quicker casting stroke than the longer rods which tend to prefer a slower stroke. This rod will excel at fishing in close but don’t let the length fool you, it has a ton of game at distance too. As you might imagine, the Pure 2 7’9″ 5wt throws beautifully tight loops at all distances and is lighter in hand than any other 5wt I’ve ever thrown. When it comes to choosing a fly line you want to be pretty methodical. If you want the rod to throw the tightest loops and tend to target fish at distance, consider a line like the Rio Elite Technical Trout WF5F or SA Amplitude Trout Expert WF5F, both of which will stiffen up the blank. If you prefer to fish in close and want the rod to load easier, check out the Rio Elite Gold WF5F or SA Amplitude Trout GP WF5F.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)