We are thrilled to announce the arrival of the brand new Winston Air 2 TH Series of Spey Rods from R.L. Winston. Just in time for the tail end of summer steelhead season! Air 2 TH hits close to home as the entire series was designed and fine-tuned by local legendary guide, Brian Silvey. These rods were dialed in with the line systems we use on the Northwest steelhead rivers we all know and love. Winston's Air TH series was excellent and has a huge following, but the new version is a completely different animal! The Gorge Fly Shop Staff was fortunate enough to spend some time on the water with these rods prior to their release. Here's a rundown of the major upgrades:
Line-Friendly
This might be the most important upgrade to the series. Initial feedback from the GFS staff and the Northwest Winston rep, Eric Neufeld, is that Air 2 TH likes a lot of different lines! Our staff fished the 7129 for a few days on the Deschutes recently and tried several different Scandi and Skagit heads. Historically speaking, when a Spey rod is available in a longer and shorter 7 weight, the longer option tends to be more all-purpose. They usually fish well with Scandis and Skagits, alike. Conversely, the shorter 7's tend to be faster. They're excellent for heavy metal sink tip fishing, but can be tough to find an ideal dry line for. That was the real shocker about this 7129. It fished a 450-480 grain Scandi extremely well with excellent line speed. That begged the question.....will it have enough under the hood for a heavy sink tip and fly. And it does! No problem whatsoever with 10' of T-14 and a weighted fly. When talking with Eric about the various other configurations he fished, the data was conclusive. These rods like a lot of different lines and have a fairly broad grain weight window. This is going to make the series incredibly versatile across the board.
Grip
Nothing dampens the feel of a great blank like too much cork....and Winston took note of that. Air 2 TH has a very slim upper and lower grip providing for excellent hand-to-line feel when casting. This was a huge upgrade from its predecessor.
Weight
These things feel crazy light in hand. The 7's feel like a lot of other brands' 6's. That does not, however, come at the expense of sacrificed power. They have ample low-end stiffness to accommodate heavy tips and flies and XL fish.
Additional Configurations
Winston added a few new length/weight combos this time around. Two that stand out are the 5123 and 8126. The older Air TH 5120 has a cult following among summer steelhead dry line addicts. It may very well have been the best casting rod of that series. That said, it was a hair short. The additional length will be a very welcome upgrade here. Then there's the 8126. A shorter/stouter 8 weight for winter steelhead in tight quarters. This one is going to be a quick front runner on the coast this winter!
"The Gorge"
Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977
