The Missoulian Angler Fly Shop has been a cornerstone of the local fly fishing community for nearly four decades.
But, our expertise extends way beyond Missoula, Montana.
This knowledge enables us to equip every angler for success, wherever their adventures take them.
And one company that has been a top-quality recommendation for us is R.L Winston.
Every Winston rod is handmade here in Montana, and a perfect example of craftsmanship at it’s finest.
With this in mind, the award-winning Winston Pure is no exception.
My first Impression of the Winston Air 2
I’ll be mentioning the Winston BIIIX in this review a few times as it has been my go to rod for those days that you go out and want a “do everything rod”.
The Air 2 is also what replaced the older BIIIX.
I bought my wife a 6wt BIIIX when it came out a long time ago, and it’s the rod I personally fish most over the years due to the versatility.
My wife doesn’t know this, so lets keep that on the DL!
While I love some of my other older more traditional dry fly Winstons like the BIILS and BIIT, the BIIIX and now the upgraded Air 2 offers so much more for the angler who carries one rod with them.
The Air 2 is noticeably lighter, more accurate with a softer touch than its predecessor in the BIIIX.
The one thing that really stuck out to me was the softer tip and casting smaller dry flies was much better than the BIIIX, which wasn’t the best for technical dry fly fishing.
Power
Winston is known for their subtle dry fly rods that have the feel of a more traditional slower rod design.
This rod is fast and should be viewed as a rod more for bigger dries, nymph rigs and streamers, rather than a true small technical dry fly rod.
My first day with this rod was a 6wt on the Blackfoot river fishing streamers and a type 3 15′ sink tip.
The Air 2 had no problem picking up and casting this heavy sinking line with a larger streamers.
This 6wt has turned into my go to “do everything rod” for bigger bugs like streamers, large nymph rigs and bigger dries as mentioned above.
It has now replaced my old BIIIX as my primary rod. Hopefully my wife will never find out just how many miles are on her beloved BIIIX!
Not only do fast action rods like this one perform well with bigger bugs, it’s also a powerhouse in the wind.
We get a lot of wind in Montana and this is one of the best performing rods I’ve ever fished with in heavy winds.
Design and Build
The grip comes in a 6.5″ cigar grip.
Its reel seat is crafted from figured Box Elder with uplocking Nickel Silver hardware.
The rod includes light wire hard chrome ECO slick coated shooting guides.
The lightweight but durable design is the norm for Winston, and they seemed to nail the design on this one.
Conclusion
This rod is as close as I’ve seen to the “do everything rod“.
Like I mentioned before, its bread and butter are throwing bigger bugs.
But this rod also has enough finesse and accuracy to deliver small dries like BWO’s and Tricos to spooky fish with a soft touch.
The tip is sensitive enough to fish lighter tippet without issues.
If you’re looking for a more technical dry fly committed rod, you might want to check out the Winston Pure as this is a rod that is designed for smaller dry flies on technical streams.
If you’re looking for that one workhorse rod that you can take anywhere and anytime that will cover a wide range of fishing situations, this is the rod for you.
R.L. Winston Air 2 Fly Rod
The Air 2 series is offered in 3-6wt. These fast-action rods are ideal for waters big and small. The 3 and 4-weight rods excel in small streams, while the 5 and 6-weight rods are perfect for larger rivers and fish that need a little more backbone. Each rod comes with a graphite tube, logo rod sock and an unconditional lifetime warranty.
