The vast majority of trout fishing situations involve casts of less than 60 feet, usually far shorter. And when you're working a fish closer in, success often depends on your ability to make gentle, delicate, accurate presentations. For this reason, many experienced anglers consider our WT rods to be the perfect choice for such fishing. With progressive tapers, they work nicely at close distances yet can make longer casts when needed. Proven on trout waters worldwide, these medium-action graphite rods are incredibly smooth, offer wonderful touch and feel, and the tips are soft enough to protect 6x and 7x tippets while playing large trout. Available by special order only.

Size Info

Standard Handle: Cigar, except Half Wells Special on 5-wt. JWF.

Sections: 3, except for 8' 4-wt. TMF, which is 2-piece only.

Standard Reel Seat: Uplock Nickel Silver with Burled Wood insert.

Options: 4 to 6 weeks; contact your Winston dealer for specific information.

Reel Seat: Choice of Nickel Silver Uplock with Zebrawood, Cocobola, or Walnut Wood insert. $80

Handle: Choice of Winston Full Wells. $80

"Might as well wear your scuffs, the oily flats at Kilpatrick Bridge are just too soft for wading. Silver Creek regulars stopped even trying after Papa lost his '39 Bantam wagon in the ooze one Saturday night 65 years ago.

"Instead, they stretch like birds across big round belly boats with truck tire innards, sliding through weeds, channels, and muck at bug-level with all the drifting bits—tapas for trout.

"They use tweezer-tiny flies on downstream presentations; 7x leaders longer than their Airstreams; and smooth, clicking reels snugged to Winston rods—particularly the 8' 3-wt. WT - the specialist's choice for handling invisible tippets and oversized, cotton-mouthed browns – everywhere."

R.B. Craddock: Wine Valley Outfitters, Walla Walla

"On the larger tailwater rivers like the Missouri and the Bighorn, stalking fish occurs often. The WT allows myself, or the anglers I am guiding, to get much closer to the fish than with most other rods. The casting stroke is a bit slower, but that delicate stroke allows for a presentation that is supple and unlikely to spook even the wariest trout. The sensitive tip allows a tough hook set with the confidence that your tippet won't snap. Fighting fish is fun because it's a Winston—you feel every move of the fish as the rod has just the right feel."

Pat Straub: Winston Pro Staff

"Winston rods were always a symbol of success to me for TCO Fly Shop. I opened my shop in 1990 and was proud to be able to hang the Winston sign on the wall. When the UPS man came to deliver the first shipment to fill the walls, I felt like a kid again at Christmastime! I couldn't wait to open the box....The first rod out of the box was destined to be mine!! It was an 8' 4-wt. TMF....I still own this rod...and it is to date my go-to trout rod! Nothing compares to the beauty, elegance, style, and class of Winston Fly Rods!"

Tony Gehman: President TCO Fly Shop, Authorized Winston Dealer

These rods are light, springy spitfires that get the job done beautifully, and the Joan Wulff Favorites are designed with female physiology in mind - specifically, our hands. Even those of us who fix our own trucks and kill spiders with extreme prejudice suffer from sore hands after a long day of casting weighty rods. Our thumbs take the most punishment, particularly when laid flat against a thick cork grip for hours at a time. That's where the Joan Wulff Favorites' special grip comes to the rescue. Their thinner-than-usual overall diameter allows even the tiniest of hands to get a secure, comfortable hold, while a divot for your thumb provides enough extra leverage to make casting noticeably easier. The WT's svelte construction, medium-fast action and progressive taper give it the ability to lay down a fly with the pinpoint accuracy and delicacy required for finicky trout in slow water. The 8'6", 5-weight backs up this precision with the strength and suppleness needed to land a foot and a half of trout on a couple millimeters of hook; with performance like this, the Joan Wulff Favorite is one of my favorites, too.

Emily Neiley: Blood Knot Magazine

"For 11 years I have fished with Winston fly rods and have found the 6-wt. WT to be one of the best all-around, do-everything rods that I have. From 200-grain sinking lines to light-tippet dry fly fishing on the Missouri, to nymphing big stoneflies on the Madison - this rod does it all. I am pleased that this rod is still offered after all these years and recommend it to everyone if they want just one rod, but of course, owning just one Winston is next to impossible."

Joe S. Moore: Winston Pro Staff, Big Sky Anglers