I greet any new Winston rod with equal parts anticipation and dread. I’m excited to see what the team in Twin Bridges has cooked up, but I’m not happy about the hit my wallet’s about to take.
That trend held true for their latest rod, the Air 2 Reach. I’ve spent a few months tossing around the 5-weight version of this rod, and now I’m making plans to add one to my personal quiver (although I’ll likely opt for the 4-weight, for reasons I’ll detail below).
New Fly Rod
Winston Air 2 Reach
The Air 2 Reach series is designed to give anglers a precision tool focused on more technical trout fishing situations, whether that’s tight line nymphing, bombing big bugs from a drift boat, or throwing indicator rigs on stillwater.
The Reach replaces the Super 10 series, and like its counterpart, is only available in 10-foot models. However, it’s not a continuation of those rods. Hank Haen, Winston’s Design and Manufacturing Engineer, told me he designed the Air 2 Reach from the ground up.
“The Super 10s were a really cool series of rods, but they were very niche,” Haen said. “I looked closely at the Super 10 to get a benchmark, but in terms of tapers and designs, we started from ground zero (with the Air 2 Reach).”
I was sad to see the Super 10s go, but the Reach is certainly a more capable rod. I fished my 5-weight on my local freestone creek and stretched it out on the nearby tailwater, as well. While I enjoyed the rod’s power and ability to handle Wyoming’s wind, the 5-weight wasn’t as soft at shorter distances. This rod is ideal for hopper-dropper rigs, fishing nymph rigs from a drift boat, and is versatile on stillwater. Whether you’re tossing tandem leeches, a 15-foot leader, or a sink-tip line, the 5-weight has the guts to handle most work outside of larger streamers and full-sink lines.
It’s not impossible to Euro nymph with the 5-weight, but this rod wasn’t designed for that purpose. It doesn’t have quite the flex and feel in the tip section most Euro nymphing rods do. Haen told me the 4-weight Reach is the better rod for tight line nymphing.
The Air 2 Reach retails for $1,195, a hefty price, but in line with other flagship rods.
What I Love
Speed and Power
I’m channeling my inner Jeremy Clarkson here, but I do appreciate the speed and power the 5-weight has on tap. Those aren’t generally adjectives associated with Winston, but in this case, it works to create a rod that’s finely-tuned for its purpose.
Whether it was tossing a dry-dropper rig during a Drake hatch or lobbing a pair of heavy stonefly nymphs to the seam on the far bank, the Air 2 Reach generated good line speed and had the backbone to handle a wide variety of rigs.
I’ve fished some 10-foot rods that flex too much in the tip, resulting in a slower cast and wide-open loops that are prone to wind knots if you’re not a great caster (the camp I find myself in). That’s not the case with the Reach. If you’re looking for a rod to handle big indicator rigs during high water, hopper-droppers during the salmon fly hatch, and some medium-sized work on lakes and ponds, the 5-weight is a great choice.
I found the rod fished best with a half-size heavy line. I used a true 5-weight line on my first few outings, and I wasn’t able to coax as much from the rod as I was with a line like Scientific Anglers’ Infinity tapers.
Excellent Roll Casting
We had a wonderful Drake hatch in my neck of the woods that lasted for a couple of weeks, and I spent most of it chasing those bigger bugs on a small freestone. It’s overgrown in spots, with plenty of overhanging branches, so I’ll often roll cast my flies into position.
The Reach excelled at rolling those Drakes all over the water, with a surprising amount of control and finesse. One afternoon during this Drake hatch, I set up beneath a cottonwood that spread its branches right where your overhead cast would go. I had enough control over my roll casts to keep the loops low to the water and on target for the entirety of my time in that spot.
On larger waters, the Reach had no problem making longer roll casts with larger nymph rigs, either.
Ability with Dry Flies
This wouldn’t be a review of a 5-weight Winston if I didn’t mention the rod’s ability with dry flies.
It wouldn’t be my first choice for lighter dry fly work, but for Drakes, larger caddis, stoneflies, and terrestrials, it’s excellent. The rod doesn’t have quite the same feel or touch in-close that other 5-weight Winstons do, but it’s still capable of dropping flies on a dime and protecting lighter tippets.
I fished a handful of size 12 Drakes with it, as well as larger bugs. The smallest I’d probably go on the 5-weight is a 14, but with a long enough leader, you could probably fish 16s without a problem.
What I Don’t Love
Feel in Close
The reason I’d pick the 4-weight over the 5-weight is the 5-weight’s lack of feel in close. It took a bit for me to get the hang of how this rod handled a smaller dry-dropper setup within 25 feet, which isn’t the ideal use case for a 10′ 5-weight, anyways.
Haen told me that the lack of feel in the close was a compromise they made on purpose.
“Most people are gonna get the 5-weight for nymphing, and it’s great at that, but we wanted it to be a bit stiffer so that if you’re casting lake rigs in the wind, it can do just fine,” he said.
To be clear, the Reach isn’t a broomstick. And with a half-size, or even three-quarter heavy line, the feel is much better in close. But if you’re looking for a longer rod that’ll handle smaller dry fly work, I’d recommend the 4-weight instead.
No Hook Keeper
When Orvis debuted their H3 rods without a hook keeper, I made sure they knew I thought it was a bad decision. I ripped them (unfairly, I’ll add) for a small feature that I’ve come to use less and less over the years. I’ll use hook keepers if my leaders are short (when I’m fishing hoppers or stoneflies), but often, I’ll tuck my line behind my reel and hook my flies on the guides.
That’s Haen’s approach, as well, and part of the reason he opted not to add a hook keeper on the Reach rods. “You’ve got 11 guides on that rod you can hook your flies on,” he told me with a chuckle. I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker, but if that’s a must-have feature for you, it’s worth noting.
Final Word
The Air 2 Reach is an interesting rod series. These rods aren’t what you’d typically expect from Winston, but they’re executed with standard Winston excellence. The 5-weight has the backbone to handle big fish in heavy water, and I’m itching to put it to the test on some larger lakes. It’s a fantastic drift boat nymph rod, and I love the extra reach it offers on small streams.
It’s a bit niche, and $1,195 is far from cheap, but it’s an excellent tool that’s primed for success.