Cuba October 2015
Lucky me, when I called Winston to ask if they had any loaners in stock for an upcoming trip to Cuba, they offered to let me fish both an 8 and 10 weight in their new Boron III Plus saltwater series. You betcha I said.
I have a long history with Winston, working for them as a rep for thirteen years. Over that period of time I saw the evolution of their saltwater rods, from the very innovative BL5 all the way up through the Boron III SX series and everything in between. Building saltwater rods, and keeping them feeling like they are part of the Winston family is no easy task I am sure. For me, I want all rods to cast easily, and smoothly, bending evenly throughout the rod load. Rods that require herky-jerky stops and starts in order to make the rod bend have never been my style, but often end up being what saltwater rods are expected to be.
Ultimately, I have to say that I was extremely impressed. Both the 8 and 10 weight rods were physically light, but more importantly continued to feel light even when pushing them at great distance. Furthermore, the rods cast very easily, but created tremendous line speed. This shows how balanced the Boron III Plus rods are, and how much attention the team at Winston has put into their design. One day on a Bonefish flat I had exhausted myself on several dozen fish, and convinced my guide to let me pole our small skiff while he fished the 8 weight. I knew he was a great caster, and he immediately made a cast all the way to the end of the fly line to hook a fish that only he had seen. He looked back at me and said “ I have never cast a rod that could do that so easily.”
Besides Bonefish, I was lucky enough to land two Permit, and many Tarpon on the 10 weight. This rod cast everything from a floating line with a heavy shrimp pattern, to a 375 grain sink tip with a large Tarpon fly. This was easily the best 10 weight rod I have ever fished, making casting easy, accurate, and fun. Too many 10 weights are a chore to cast, and the Boron III Plus was anything but that.
Congratulations to Winston on doing the hard work in order to make a truly great product. I highly recommend the Boron lll Plus series to saltwater anglers the world over.
Jon Covich
Pacific Northwest Sales Representative
Cuba Specialist and National Sales Manager for Fly Water Travel
www.joncovich.com
http://www.cubafishingoutfitters.com/#cfo
