Winston Saltwater Air 9′ 9-weight

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   This was my favorite rod in the lineup by far. It is amazingly light in hand and Winston knocked it out of the park with the components and overall look of the rod. I found it to be extremely easy casting and enjoyable at all distances. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it casts very much like a trout rod. The rod flexes evenly and is easy to feel loading and transmitting energy. This is a 9wt rod that is going to be a joy to fish and is light and easy enough to cast that you can fish it sun up to sun down. For a line, I would stick with a pretty standard taper such as the Rio Permit or the SA Bonefish, as anything heavier might make the rod bouncy.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 4 out of 5

   This is a saltwater 9-weight for the Winston trout fisherman looking to step right up to the bow of the skiff. Personally, I couldn’t make this 9-weight sing. The taper is gradual and throws the loop from the middle to upper third of the fly rod rather than off the tip. I really like steep tapers and fast rods in the saltwater. I’m a fast rod guy when it comes to a 9-weight, but the rods that I like aren’t the easiest to cast. This rod is easy to cast to 60 feet and very accurate. The fly fisherman that already owns a Winston trout rod will be right at home with this rod in the saltwater environment and it will put them in the game right away. If you’re looking for a more traditional action in a saltwater 9-weight, check out the Boron III Plus. I threw a Rio Permit WF9F on the rod, but I think the SA Grand Slam is the line of choice for this rod and the angler that’s looking to tie into a permit with it.

   Richard Post (Telluride Angler)

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   This is my favorite rod in the series. It’s not as light as the Boron III+ 9-weight, but the casting is more intuitive. With an SA Bonefish Taper, it loads easily and delivers terrific line speed with a long stroke springy action that utilizes the flex profile of the entire rod. The butt section isn’t as stiff as on some other saltwater rods, so you can’t stand on it like you would a Loomis Asquith or Sage Salt HD, but the casting comes so easily. This is an all-day 9-weight for the angler who enjoys the casting as much as the result of the cast.
   Use an SA or Rio Bonefish line, or other middle of the road saltwater fly line. Extra-heavy heads result in clunky, inaccurate casts, but with a conventional line you’ll love the casting and fishing characteristics of the Saltwater Air 9-weight.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

4. Rated 3 out of 5

   It was hard to get a good feel for this rod. Control and accuracy was difficult. I cast this alongside the Boron III Plus, which I preferred.

   Jason Moshonas (Telluride Angler)