Winston Pure 2 8’3″ 5-weight

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   Oh yeah, we have something here. Like the 8’3” 4-weight, this sensational short 5-weight is immaculately designed for its purpose. The Winston feel drips from this thing. It’s so light and illuminating to cast, I know anglers will reach for this rod when they might have chosen a favorite 3 or 4-weight. It’s playful in the extreme, but also purposeful, especially for tucking medium sized dry flies into tight places. Winston says they designed this model for the Beaverhead. It’s equally useful on all tight rivers whether fishing a hopper, smaller single or double dry fly, or even a light dry-dropper. What a great rod for our San Miguel River. The length of this 5-weight will limit mending ability with long leaders but optimize accuracy with high-floating dry flies fished along grassy banks or in smaller pocket water environments. Pair it with an SA Amplitude Trout Standard which loads the rod evenly but also exits the rod tip with greater shooting momentum than long-headed lines.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   The 8’3” 5wt Pure 2, just like the 8’3” 4wt, is a very well-rounded shorter rod. It throws a tighter loop than the 9’ version and is a sensational dry fly rod. It will fish tight quarters well and is deadly in close. It feels very light for a 5wt and is capable of performing in various fishing situations. Just like all of the Pure 2 rods, the 8’3” 5wt is a killer dry fly rod. I also wouldn’t be afraid to fish a dry-dropper or even a lightweight nymph set-up if the heads aren’t up. Of all the rods in the Pure 2 family, this is the most well rounded in my opinion. It can handle a little heavier line than some of the others but my favorite is still the SA Amplitude Trout WF5F. It throws a beautiful loop and doesn’t put too much stress on the tip of the rod.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   Perfection, and cut from the same cloth as the 834 Pure 2, the 8’3” 5 weight Pure 2 is a special rod. I cannot recall another 8 foot 3 inch 5-weight and I appreciate the uniqueness. I like the light and playful nature of the blank. The rod bends deeper than you would expect from a short 5-weight. The opposite of clubby, this rod possesses a fine taper that seems to wrap up the line like a hug from a towel fresh out of the dryer, crisp and comfortable with control and intuition in spades. It is a specialized rod, ideal in smaller, tighter waters with fish that need to be pulled. The loops are so flat and level, giving you that frozen-in-time effect as you watch the line unroll. You can keep them tight to your body and above the rod tip effortlessly. East coast big trout in small waters and sneaky western floats, the kind with loose to nefarious permissions: those are situations I’d like to have one of these. If anything, I bet you don’t own an 8’3” 5-weight and this is a good one.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)