
Winstons newest rod
I’ve had this rod for four months and it’s about time I got around to writing about it. It’s probably better that I waited instead of giving my initial reaction. You have to understand where i’m coming from before reading the rest of this. I have been fishing chinese and korean rods under $200 for the eight years i’ve been fly fishing.
The imports are notable because the majority of them are stiff and heavy and mostly forgiving to the average caster. Winston builds rods differently than anyone else. I’m not talking about the boron used in the rod, i’m talking about action. Winston calls the b3x a fast action rod, but I would have to disagree. To me, it has a medium action feel to it. It doesn’t just load at the tip, it seems to load all the way down to the mid section. But having said that, it has taken me some time to get the rythmn of the timing with this rod. Which I don’t feel is a bad thing necessarily. I think it has more to do with the rods I learned to cast on than anything else.
How does it fish though? Dry flies are it’s bread and butter. Simply a great rod for it. When the dry fly game was on this summer on the MO, this rod was deadly presenting a dry downstream at 25+ feet. Also don’t let the soft tip fool you. The fish on the MO are hot and this rod will manhandle the fiercest fish out there. Which brings me to another point. I fished the little prickly with this rod a lot. Even with small fish on the rod responds well and doesn’t feel like your overpowering trout in the 6-12″ range.
I wouldn’t use this rod during hopper season. Maybe on smaller streams it would be okay, but on windy Missouri River afternoons in September I would leave it in the truck and fish my Redington 5wt. or even a 6wt. Again, it could be that I haven’t quite figured out the rod, or it just can’t perform with a big dry/dropper set up.
It nymphs okay. It isn’t my go to nymph rod, but it can chuck some lead and mends line really really well. I did read a review about this rod where the author was disappointed at how the rod performed with a dual nymph rig at casts longer than 40 feet, but that’s a ridiculous statement. I can’t think of too many situations where you would need to do that. There are 5wts out there that can do it though, my redington 5wt can do it, but that rod is a monster. I fished it in Belize for bones with small crazy charlies and it was awesome.
I was really looking for a rod to fish one of my home waters, the Little Truckee River. It is a little stream with big fish, and most casts are made in the 20ft range to spooky fish. My 4wt couldn’t handle the big fish in there (I felt it took too long to get them landed=no backbone), and 20ft is too close for my 5wt to perform well. The b3x is the answer for me on this stream. It’s great at close casting and can get big fish under control quickly.
So, if your looking for a sweet dry fly rod then this is the rod for you. If you want something that can do everything, look elsewhere. I wanted to get over to the paradise valley spring creeks to test it out but didn’t, but i’m sure it would’ve shined there. Maybe next year.