Wet fly rod

[JJ1917]

Hello , looking for a Winston rod to use for swinging 2 or 3 wet flies on streams or for stillwater use. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Getting into the old wet flies and flymphs, reading Leisering and Hidy plus Hughes , great stuff 👍.

 

[Bamboozle]

I have a 100+ year old F.E. Thomas Special (bamboo) I use for that kind of fishing. 😉

For that reason I would recommend a longer rod, 8'6" to 9 foot and something slower to absorb shock meaning in most cases, current Winston graphite might not fit the bill. Older Winston graphite (IM6, WT's) can be more moderate but stuff can be hard to find.

Fiberglass may be the ideal option that could provide that kind of action. There is some older Winston glass built on brown Fisher blanks out there but again, it's hard to find and pricey when found.

However if you think you an 8'0" glass rod would be OK for your needs, seek out a green Winston Stalker 8'0" 3pc 4wt fiberglass rod which is circa 2000 and slow as molasses or the 8'0" 4wt 3pc Winston Retro (brown blank) which is nowhere as slow but slower than most 8'0" Winston graphite sticks. The Retros were discontinued around 2006. The "green Stalker" was discontinued a few years prior so eBay or someone on a message board is your only option for either.

I don't know many folks who liked the green Stalker because it is so slow and they couldn't deal with the action for their type of fishing. However IMHO, it would make a great wet fly rod and you might find one more easily because they were so disliked.

For the record, even though I am a huge fan of the Winston DL4, I don't think the longer offerings are ideal for this type of fishing and even though I own the 8'0" 3wt DL4, probably the slowest graphite rod I ever cast, I wouldn't use a 3wt for swinging multiple wets.

Good luck!!

 

[falcon]

If I anticipate fishing wets I use a Scott GS904, 8 1/2 5wt IM6 Winston or a 8ft or 7'4" glass rod. I am not familiar the the Winston Pure that is being closed out but that may be a option in 9ft 4 - 5 wt. Douglas also makes a reasonably priced med action rod called Upstream.

 

[sandflyx]

8 1/2 Fenwick old glass in a 6 qt works great.

 

[JJ1917]

I have a 100+ year old F.E. Thomas Special (bamboo) I use for that kind of fishing. 😉

For that reason I would recommend a longer rod, 8'6" to 9 foot and something slower to absorb shock meaning in most cases, current Winston graphite might not fit the bill. Older Winston graphite (IM6, WT's) can be more moderate but stuff can be hard to find.

Fiberglass may be the ideal option that could provide that kind of action. There is some older Winston glass built on brown Fisher blanks out there but again, it's hard to find and pricey when found.

However if you think you an 8'0" glass rod would be OK for your needs, seek out a green Winston Stalker 8'0" 3pc 4wt fiberglass rod which is circa 2000 and slow as molasses or the 8'0" 4wt 3pc Winston Retro (brown blank) which is nowhere as slow but slower than most 8'0" Winston graphite sticks. The Retros were discontinued around 2006. The "green Stalker" was discontinued a few years prior so eBay or someone on a message board is your only option for either.

I don't know many folks who liked the green Stalker because it is so slow and they couldn't deal with the action for their type of fishing. However IMHO, it would make a great wet fly rod and you might find one more easily because they were so disliked.

For the record, even though I am a huge fan of the Winston DL4, I don't think the longer offerings are ideal for this type of fishing and even though I own the 8'0" 3wt DL4, probably the slowest graphite rod I ever cast, I wouldn't use a 3wt for swinging multiple wets.

Good luck!!

Thank you very much Bamboozle, think I just found a IM6 9' 4 wt 3 pc. I think it's in the Loomis blank family so feel it will be very fun to fish .

 

[JJ1917]

If I anticipate fishing wets I use a Scott GS904, 8 1/2 5wt IM6 Winston or a 8ft or 7'4" glass rod. I am not familiar the the Winston Pure that is being closed out but that may be a option in 9ft 4 - 5 wt. Douglas also makes a reasonably priced med action rod called Upstream.

Thank you falcon for your advice , it's much appreciated!!

 

[JJ1917]

8 1/2 Fenwick old glass in a 6 qt works great.

Thank you sandflyx !!! Had a Fenwick 7 ' 6" 5 wt sweet rod for sure , will definitely check into the 8 1/2 6 wt !!

 

[Swattie87]

I’d think the most economical route would be to simply dip one of the rods you already have in the stream before you start fishing.