Winston Air 2 5WT 9'

Description

The ultimate all-around Montana fly rod. Built in Montana for fly fishing your favorite streams and rivers in Montana and around the world.

This flagship series covers your 3wt. thru 6wt needs and has earned rave reviews from shop owners, guides, and anglers. Utilizing boron technology, AIR 2 rods make beautiful, accurate casts at long and short distances and have exceptional feel. The 3 and 4wts are superb dry and light nymph rods, while the 5 and 6wts are true all-arounders that can do everything from small dries to double nymphs to streamers. All rods come with our graphite tube and logo rod sock.

Features

• EVOLVED TAPER DESIGN provides a faster, progressive all-around action. Extremely light, yet powerful.
• NEXT GENERATION S-2000 HIGH MODULUS GRAPHITE material for faster recovery speed and smoothness.
• ADVANCED BORON/GRAPHITE CONFIGURATION for enhanced power and energy transfer.
• WINSTON-DESIGNED CIGAR GRIP for better “feel” through the casting stroke.
• CUSTOM HSR (HIGH STRAIN RATE) RESIN yields an even faster recovery rate that adds a modern feel, is more durable, and provides greater part strength and less weight.
• SMALLER PROFILE LIGHT WIRE SHOOTING SNAKE GUIDES feature new ECO slick coating and a Round Helix geometry that reduces line friction and produces added energy, accuracy, and distance management.

At Winston, we refuse to compromise and have a true passion for doing things the right way. Since 1929, we have made not only the most innovative fly rods, but the most beautiful. Pick up a Winston, and you’ll be holding a rod with a flawless finish, precisely aligned guides, a perfectly formed grip, and a reel seat made from the finest components. Fish with one, and you’ll experience superior performance, as well as the remarkable feel that comes from a rod that’s lightweight, balanced and smooth. We know that anglers have many fly rods to choose from, but when the goal is to own the finest, there can only be one.

WINSTON GREEN FINISH AND HAND INSCRIPTION

We are proud that our rod finish is the finest in the industry. “Winston Green” stands for quality, beauty and impeccable performance. We use a proprietary and time-consuming multi-step hand-finishing process that requires multiple green and clear protective coats to get it just right. We perform our rod finishing in a secret room where no outsiders are allowed to ensure our formula remains unique to Winston. The resulting finish not only yields a spectacularly beautiful, cosmetic translucent green look, but also provides important impact protection to the Boron and carbon fiber materials in the rod. Once the rod is ready and has passed numerous quality inspections, every section of every Winston rod is then hand inscribed with rod series information, rod length and line weight and serial number. It is our way of signing a completed work of art, just before sending it to you. Our new Saltwater Air rods feature a new stealth matte “Winston Green” finish for flats stalking.

CORK GRIPS

We source the highest quality of cork available because it matters. Each of our grips is produced according to exact Winston specifications. The grip profiles for each rod series are designed to provide optimal comfort and to maximize ergonomic contact throughout the hand, thereby reducing fatigue. Beauty and performance working together.

REEL SEATS

The Winston approach to reel seats is simple: no shortcuts. Our premium freshwater rods feature burled wood spacers and expensive, beautifully machined and polished genuine German nickel silver fittings with an engraved Winston logo on the end cap. We designed these ourselves, and they are only available on Winston rods. For more extreme and saltwater rods, we use our hard anodized aluminum reel seats. Attractive and highly durable, they feature double lock rings for added reel security. Each is engraved with the company name in script.

Invitational Review

From the manufacturer: What specific fishing scenarios did you design this rod for, and where do you feel it truly excels in performance?
The Air 2 is the multi-application, fast-action workhorse in the Winston lineup. Built to handle a wide variety of fishing applications, it excels in roll casting a nymph rig, gently presenting a dry fly, tucking a hopper under the bank, and turning over small streamers.

Slightly stiffer and faster than the Pure 2, the Air 2 performs exceptionally well at a wide range of casting distances (20-60+ft). It casts cleanly off the tip to create a tight, fast loop but can also utilize the mid sections to throw a wider loop when needed.

From the manufacturer: What fly line would you recommend pairing with this rod?

• SA Amplitude Smooth Trout

• RIO Gold

• (Or any line in the 0.5-0.75 heavy range to AFFTA standards)

Caster Scores:

STREAMER COURSE - TOTAL SCORE 118/150

DRY FLY COURSE - TOTAL SCORE 153.5/195

NYMPH COURSE - TOTAL SCORE 73/105

Caster Notes:

Streamer Course | 7.5’ 3x leader with size 4 Zonker 

• I like the taper and it feels good in hand. I can feel the rod bend at 30’, and it is easy to hit the targets. I don’t have to compensate for the rod going from 30’ to 50’ Cuts into the wind easily.

• A bit “hingey” in short, but smooths out with more line. Very smooth at 40’-50’ and easy to be accurate, nice rod to cast and fish most all applications. A little too tippy/or soft tip. 

• Grip is good, as well as diameter and shape. Reel seat is too long. Very light in hand, fast but not too stiff, still good feedback. Nice and smooth at all distances.

Dry Fly Course | 10’ 5x leader with size 14 Parachute Adams

• I feel like I can relax and just cast!

• Light in hand. Smooth. Rod aids the angler. Little effort to turn over leader long and short. Easy to be accurate.

• Light in hand, which is partially offset by its stiffness. Pretty good feedback, not perfectly smooth through range, but good. “Workhorse” as specified by the manufacturer, is accurate.

Nymph Course | 9’ leader with size 8 Girdle Bug and size 16 BH Pheasant Tail

• Excels in close, a little too much effort on roll cast at 30’-40’. Beautiful and responsive. Going to excel in common trout applications, but requires more effort at distance. 

Yellow Dog Final Takeaway
The Winston Air 2 5-weight is a light, responsive rod that offers a smooth, easy casting experience across a wide range of trout fishing situations. The rod performed extremely well, placing second in all courses, and coming in first in overall performance. It performs particularly well from 30’ to 50’, with a comfortable taper, excellent accuracy, and a forgiving feel that allows anglers to relax into their cast. While slightly “hingy” in close and requiring some extra effort on longer roll casts, the rod delivers solid feedback, smooth transitions, and dependable performance for dry flies, nymphs, and even light streamers. The Winstin Air 2 is a versatile, well-balanced rod that lives up to its reputation as a capable and enjoyable all-around workhorse.

Warranty

The WINSTON UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME GUARANTEE covers every new Winston boron/graphite and graphite fly rod and blank against breakage or manufacturer’s defects. This warranty is available only to the original owner of products purchased from an authorized Winston Dealer. This warranty covers, at Winston’s option, the repair of the original rod or the replacement of the rod with an equivalent rod only. To qualify for this warranty, the original owner must either send Winston a completed warranty card or register the rod online. Warranty cards can be scanned and emailed to info@winstonrods.com. The warranty does not cover lost rods, lost rod sections, intentional breakage, misuse, neglect, cosmetic wear or scratches. Warranty coverage for Winston blanks is limited to the blank only. The serial number for every Winston can be found in the script closest to the cork on the rod.

For all warranty work, the entire rod must be returned to Winston. The rod owner agrees that Winston assumes no associated or ancillary liability due to use of the rod, including consequential or incidental damages. This guarantee gives you specific, limited legal rights. You may have additional rights under applicable state law.

Winston introduced the Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee in 1996. Only rods produced after this date, or older rods for which a warranty was purchased are eligible for the Guarantee. If you have a question about the eligibility of a specific rod, please contact us. The warranty is non-transferable and is good only for the lifetime of the original owner. Rods not covered under this guarantee include:

• Used Winston rods not in the possession of the original owner
• New Winston rods purchased from anyone other than an authorized Winston Dealer
• Winston rods that have not been properly registered