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New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

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New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby BrownBear » July 31st, 2014, 6:35 pm

Today I bought a couple of Winston Boron IIIx rods- a 9' 5WT and a 9' 10WT. Am I ever impressed, but that's nothing compared to my wife's reaction. It's very important to me to have a happy fishing pardner, so I'm doubly pleased.

We don't have any 5WT lines here in Alaska (all in CA at the moment), so I put a 6Wt on the 5WT. You can't hold quite as much line in the air as with the right line (about 25'), but that's really no handicap. Loops are as smooth as butter frosting, and this thing shoots line like no 5WT I've ever seen, even if it's starting with the handicap of having some of the head still in the guides. I'll wait till we get back south in the fall and try a 5 on it before making a final call, but in the meantime it's going to get a heavy workout on searun Dolly Varden and pink (humpbacked) salmon.

As good as all that is, the story gets even better with the 10WT. I mounted an old 10WT Scientific Angler Tarpon line on it, and the rod just about jumps out of your hand, it responds so well to its rated line weight. More butter frosting on the loops, and it shoots line like a rocket. It's by far the easiest casting and lightest 10WT I've ever cast, and I've cast lots of them. The sensation is like casting a perfectly balanced 8WT. I held 30-35' in the air, slipped another 20' on my last backcast, then shot the rest of the line plus a little backing through the guides. In my geezerly state, it's been several years since I've been able to do that with a 10, and it's a grunt with an 8WT.

My wife has always had trouble with 10WTs, just not having the strength to load them well, with her casts going south any time she tries to stretch her distance. A 60' cast has always been her honest max, and she's missed too many ops up here and in warmer waters as a result. First time out of the barrel with the Boron IIIx she threw a 60' cast so hard that it ripped more line off the reel at the end of the cast. She pulled more line out and tried again. Second cast she knocked off an 80' cast with enough enthusiasm to turn the line over sharply at the end of her cast. Then she proceeded to do it again and again for another couple or three dozen casts without tiring. I'm betting that with a little more practice she can add to that casting distance. Don't often need such long casts, but when you need them you really need them. Even without reaching further, she's having a very easy time with her usual max 60' cast and no hesitation at all to stretch them to 80.

Like I said, when my principal fishing pardner is happy, I'm very happy. I can't find the right adjective for my own feelings when she's ecstatic! :bananadance:

One thing for sure----- If I want to fish with a 10WT Boron IIIX, I'm going to have to buy another. I've lost this one on the very first outing into our front yard. :doh:
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby midger » August 1st, 2014, 5:53 am

Actually you didn't lose the 10 weight--you bought it for her, no? Like you said, "a happy fishing partner......." ;)

Go out and get another one for you.
"Should you cast your fly into a branch overhead or into a bush behind you, or miss a fish striking, or lose him,or slip into a hole up to your armpits-keep your temper; above all things don't swear, for he that swears will catch no fish."
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby BrownBear » August 1st, 2014, 8:53 am

No kidding!

After posting last night I dug out 6 other 10WTs from our stash (3 generations of Sage, two TFOs and a Loomis) and tossed all of them alongside the Winston. That confirmed it is most definitely time to order another Winston. Sounds like a lot of 10's, I know. But we use them a lot each year and have been doing so since the early 1980's. Fly rods do tend to accumulate as the years pass! :bananadance:
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby briansII » August 1st, 2014, 12:45 pm

Thanks for the review. I'm always interested in non solicited customer reviews.

Is this rod slower than the other 10s you've tried. I find I'm gradually moving away from the ultra fast rods I once preferred.

I have a bxII that I just love. Could be close to the perfect action for me. I have a few different Winstons models as well but that BII rocks my world. :)

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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby BrownBear » August 1st, 2014, 7:05 pm

briansII wrote:Is this rod slower than the other 10s you've tried.


I don't know if "slower" is quite the right word. If so, it's only slightly slower. Sounds funny but "smoother" is what it really feels like. Might be a little more flex down into the belly than my faster rods, but not with any loss of power. If anything, it casts like it has more power.

Hard to describe, but definitely worth locating a shop with demos and giving it a toss. I won't take anyone's word and buy rods without casting them, so same goes here. Don't take this as a "you should buy" so much as a "you should try."
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby midger » August 2nd, 2014, 5:52 am

BrownBear wrote:
briansII wrote:Is this rod slower than the other 10s you've tried.


. Don't take this as a "you should buy" so much as a "you should try."


I like this attitude. Everyone's casting styles are different and what works great for one may be horrible feeling to another flycaster. Yes, they'll be able to cast it, but it may not speak to them like it does to another. Spot on advice!
"Should you cast your fly into a branch overhead or into a bush behind you, or miss a fish striking, or lose him,or slip into a hole up to your armpits-keep your temper; above all things don't swear, for he that swears will catch no fish."
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby briansII » August 2nd, 2014, 9:02 am

BrownBear wrote:
briansII wrote:Is this rod slower than the other 10s you've tried.


I don't know if "slower" is quite the right word. If so, it's only slightly slower. Sounds funny but "smoother" is what it really feels like. Might be a little more flex down into the belly than my faster rods, but not with any loss of power. If anything, it casts like it has more power.

Hard to describe, but definitely worth locating a shop with demos and giving it a toss. I won't take anyone's word and buy rods without casting them, so same goes here. Don't take this as a "you should buy" so much as a "you should try."


Understood. I think the term "slower" was my lack of expressing properly. Smoother was what I was looking for.

Very good description of the rod's action. "The more flex down into the belly" is stuff I want to read in a rod review. What you said about the BIIIx is close to my impressions of the BIIx. "Smooth", but with plenty of power. I've also read similar customer reviews on their BIII spey rods.

I'm not in the market for a new single hand rod, but have wondered about the new BIIIx and SX rods. Nice to read they are still producing rods i'd like to fish.

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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby Papasequoia » August 2nd, 2014, 9:57 am

briansII wrote:I'm not in the market for a new single hand rod, ...

Did you just say that with a straight face? :LIAR:
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby 209er » August 3rd, 2014, 7:46 am

As for fishing the b111x, waxing of the ferrules might be in order. In a fews hours of fishing mine loosened up/came apart many times. This happened all week before I was turned on to the wax by a rep. Or it might have been my ineptness of putting a rod together. :roll: 209er
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby BrownBear » August 3rd, 2014, 8:19 am

209er wrote:Or it might have been my ineptness of putting a rod together. :roll: 209er


I doubt that. In fact, if you get "enthused" about jamming them together, there's too good a chance of them staying that way. Wax is the answer for all brands, especially as they age. The alternative of not doing anything and fishing them loose has broken a whole bunch of rods.

Thanks for the heads up for everyone! I use Loon, but there are others out there.
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby 209er » August 3rd, 2014, 9:38 am

Actually that was last year and this year went back to my Sage SP that hasn't had problems unwaxed. Now if I could only catch a few more fish! ;) 209er
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby BrownBear » August 3rd, 2014, 10:04 am

209er wrote:...hasn't had problems unwaxed.


A heads up from rain country-

If you're assembling your rod in the wet, be sure to dry the male ferrule first. A wet ferrule is "lubed" by the water and usually shoves home deeper than usual. Once the water dries, it can be tough to disassemble. In worst cases you have a jammed ferrule.

I know, I know.... Rain is a dream right now in CA, but it will come back sooner or later.
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby BrownBear » August 4th, 2014, 10:58 am

Had an interesting experience over the weekend. The store where I bought the Winstons asked me to bring the 5WT back in because he had a customer wanting a high end 5WT and he didn't have any more of them in stock at the moment. Half a dozen of us got out on the lawn with the Winston IIIx, Sage One, Sage Method, Sage Accel, Loomis NRX Trout, an Echo of some sort and a TFO BVK. The Winston got the nod, but interesting enough the TFO BVK was a pretty close runner up to the Method for second place.

All that probably reflects more about the line we were using (a well-used parking lot line, one of the store's SciAng Headstarts) than anything else. The whole spectrum would shift with a change in lines, I'm sure.

But I darned near had to wrestle the customer to get my Winston back into my truck! :bananadance:

The only thing it really proves is that you're selling yourself short if you don't cast a bunch of rods before buying.
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Re: New Love(s)- Winston Boron IIIx

Postby BrownBear » August 7th, 2014, 11:11 pm

Just a quick update:

Borrowed a Rio Outbound Short in floating 5WT, and tried it on the rod.

Holy cow! With the head out of the guides it cast further than any 5WT combo I've ever used. But with the head back close to or in the guides it's as delicate as a feather and overhead casts better than any DT line I've tried. Same for roll casts. A line of our own is already on order.

Starting to look like I'm going to be buying TWO new Winston IIIx rods for myself. My wife sure isn't going to give me a turn with these. :bananadance:
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