What Makes the Winston Air 2 Max the best saltwater rod? From power to finesse, this rod shines in the salt.
We’ll get a more in depth look at just what makes this a great fly rod for all saltwater applications in this review.
Why would a fly shop in the heart of Missoula Montana be talking about saltwater rods?
That’s a good question!
While we love our trout, we also run hosted trips in many locations around the world during our offseason.
We’ve spent a lot of time exploring saltwater fisheries including destinations like Christmas Island, Yucatan, Baja Mexico, Bahamas, New Orleans, Cuba and more.
From Giant Trevally to Bonefish, Tarpon to Sailfish, Roosterfish to Redfish, Permit to Dorado and many more species.
We have a sick addiction for fly fishing and a drive to catch as many species in fresh and saltwater as we can.
We’ve casted just about every saltwater rod designed and put them all to the test.
My First Impressions of the Winston Air 2 Max
My first trip with the the Air 2 Max was in Christmas Island.
I was lucky enough to be gifted an 8wt and 12 weight from Winston to test out.
Surprisingly, my 12wt was somehow lost in transit from Missoula to Hawaii where we overnighted, but that’s a whole other story.
Luckily my 8wt made it and I had some other backups for 10 and 12 weights to fish Giant Trevally with.
My very first impression was stemmed by comparing it to my older Winston BIIISX
It was similar to the older BIIISX but noticeably better in power and accuracy.
I was able to cast faster and further with the power of this rod.
Power
The 8wt Air 2 Max is the fastest winston I’ve fished to date, an upgrade from my older winston BIIISX which was always my go to saltwater rod.
Since Christmas Island, Winston replaced my lost 12wt and I also picked up a 10wt Air 2 Max because of how much I love this new design.
Over the last 6 years I’ve primarily used this rod in Baha Mexico, throughout the Yucatan, New Orleans and Cuba to name a few.
The lightweight but Powerful design is nothing short than a great all around Saltwater rod.
I noticed just how much the stronger backbone to this rod helped in fighting larger fish like Roosterfish, Milkfish, Tarpon and more.
It’s hard to get away from the wind when fishing saltwater, and the power also helps punch through the wind when casting.
Ultimately, I was very impressed with the power from fighting fish, casting in the wind and being able to cast a full length fly line with ease.
Accurate With A Nice Touch
The balance of power and accuracy is what sets this rod apart from other saltwater fly rods.
In my experience with many different salt rods, you usually sacrifice one for the other, accuracy or power.
Winston nailed this design with a perfect balance.
I noticed just how accurate this rod was on my first day in Christmas Island fishing for spooky bonefish in ankle deep water.
The softer tip allows for an accurate cast and soft touch when fishing skinny water for spooky fish.
I figured I was just on my A-game that day until I started casting a few other 8 weights throughout the day.
I then realized just how special the Winston Air 2 Max was compared to other rods, and I never touched another 8wt for the rest of the trip other than my new Air 2 Max.
I guess you can say it was love at first cast!
Versatility
This rod was designed for the saltwater fisherman in mind.
But…
Of course we took this rod back to Missoula to keep the testing process going.
I grabbed my 8wt and a heavy sink tip line and headed to the Blackfoot river with a few buddies to go strip some streamers in Mid June.
I noticed right away that the things that made this rod a great saltwater rod also created a great design for streamer fishing.
The power of this rod picked up line and casted heavy sink tips with ease.
The next day we decided to go chase some pike on the lower Bitterroot River on a floating line.
Again, the power of this rod made it easy to throw 10 inch flies on aggressive tapered fly lines to big pike.
Later that fall I headed over to Idaho to give it a shot for Steelhead.
From nymphing big nymph rigs to swinging flies, it continued to impress for more than just saltwater fly fishing.
Design and Build Quality
The Air 2 Max is constructed using advanced boron technology, which provides an exceptional blend of strength and lightness.
This rod is the highest strength to weight ratio of any rod that winston has ever designed.
The cork grip is a 7″ full wells for the 6 to 10 weight rods and an 8″ full wells grip for the 11 and 12wt rods.
Both grips felt great in my hand and comfortable fishing 10 hour days for weeks on end.
The reel seat is silver lightweight anodized aluminum with double uplocking aluminum rings.
The 6 to 10wts comes with a 1 1/2 ” fighting butt and a 2 1/2″ fighting butt on the 11 and 12 weights.
Final Thoughts
I have many winston rods going back to the old IM6 to the newer models.
Winston never seems to fail when designing rods, and this one is no exception.
The Air 2 Max was a pleasant surprise for not only our saltwater trips around the world, but for many other species from trout, pike, bass, steelhead, salmon and many more.
If you want a Saltwater rod that doubles for a good big game fresh water rod, you can’t go wrong with this rod.
Casting a full fly line, fighting powerful fish, or a delicate cast in skinny water, this rod really shines in all applications for the fresh or saltwater angler.
In conclusion, if you’re in the market for a fly rod that combines innovation, performance, and durability, look no further than the Winston Air 2 Max. This rod is at the top of my list of all time favorite saltwater rods.
R.L. Winston Air 2 Max Fly Rod
The Air 2 Max series is offered in 6-12wt rods. These fast-action rods are ideal for saltwater and larger freshwater fish. The perfect blend of finesse and strength offers a rod that will tackle a wide variety of big game fish. Each rod comes with a graphite tube, logo rod sock and an unconditional lifetime warranty.
