reviews

Winston Boron IIX Fly Rods

Reviewed by Scott Richmond

Boron IIX Fly Rods from R. L. Winston. $650 retail. Available at many fly shops and online stores.

hen I first got serious about fly fishing in 1982, Boron rods were a trendy item; graphite was fairly new, too. Boron soon disappeared, however, and graphite became THE rod building material.

Now Boron is back, in combination with graphite, in the Winston Boron IIX series of rods.

Winston designed these rods with a slightly softer tip than many other contemporary premium rods. The idea is that this gives the rod a wider casting range--capable of loading at short distances as well as throwing long lines. In addition, the softer tip protects the leader tippet. Also, these rods are very light weight--" lightest in the industry" says Winston; I can neither confirm or gainsay that statement, but they are light rods.

I like these rods well enough to own three of them: the 7, 8, and 12 weight models; the former is a 9-foot, six-inch rod that I use for bull trout, coho salmon, and larger trout in lakes. The 8-weight is suitable for steelhead and bonefish. The 12-weight is a specialty tool for chinook salmon, tarpon, and big trevally. My 8- and 12-weight are nine-foot rods.

Frankly, they're a delight to use. The BIIX rods cast easily and pleasantly, and live up to their claim of a wide range of casting distances. They're beautifully finished--and at their premium rod price tag, they better be. The only manufacturing defect I've found is that the tiptop on my 8-weight was a little lose and turned, but it was quickly fixed.

Winston claims that these rods are suited to "very pleasant, all-day casting, even with the 10 and 12-weights." Well, I've spent a fair amount of time with the 12. As 12-weights go, it's really nice. But I'm not about to cast it all day. Shoot, I'm not going to cast for more than 15 minutes. You just don't cast a 12-weight single-handed rod all day unless they figure out how to replace Boron/Graphite with fairy dust. A 12-weight is for targets of opportunity, not dawn-to-dusk blind casting.

Winston also calls these "fast-action" rods. I wouldn't go that far. I find them "fast action" in effect, but more "medium-action" in effort. I slow down my casting stroke a notch when I use these rods.

I've cast the smaller rods, including the six and five weight models. My take is that the softer tip makes the rod somewhat less forgiving than more traditional rods, such as the Winston WT. It's easier to over-power the lighter rods and collapse the loop. This is not as big an issue for the heavier rods, but it can still be an issue. Of course, this is a matter of personal preference and casting style; everyone has to make their own decision about what "feels" right to them.

I encourage anyone looking at premium rods to give the BIIX are thorough try-out. Be advised, though, that testing any rod in a parking lot is not a fair shake. You need water and real-world conditions.

Bottom Line: Light weight and a pleasure to cast. My favorite production rods. Reviewer Rating: 5

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon Fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 03/10/2006.

User Reviews

5=tops  3=average  1=low

Rated as 5 by michael on 02/19/2008

Comments: I own the Winston BIIx 9' 5wt fly rod and find it a joy to fish. It is extremely lightweight and casts well at a wide range of distances, which is something alot of production rods do not do as well. It meets the winston standards of craftsmanship that you would expect from a premium rod. If you are looking for the elusive do it all trout rod then give the Winston BIIx 5wt a test drive.

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