The sport of fly fishing can be based on feelings. The feeling you get when surrounded by a magical landscape, the feeling you get when you see large trout actively feeding, the feeling you get when it is on the line, and the feeling you get when you slide that fish into the net. The word “feel” is how I describe Winston fly rods. With the Boron III Super 10 , you are prepared for battle and can maintain a connection with length and height, get better lifting power from the master blend of Boron and Graphite, and finally feel every movement the trout makes from the mid flex to the tip. You can then reel in, adjust angles, and truly land more fish and larger fish with this rod.Many images from our sport’s past feature an angler fighting a trout with the tip of the rod straight up in the air and with arms fully extended. A vertical lift is not the answer for quickly getting a trout to the net because there is not enough lifting power in that particular tip section of the rod. Instead, try lifting while performing a convex bend with the rod. This applies power from the butt section—the strongest portion of the rod. Most anglers lose trout in the first or last thirty seconds of the fight by applying the wrong amount of power. For example, if you apply a smooth lift when the trout eats and reel down to maintain the convex bend, you can adjust if the trout runs away from you without reaching the breaking point by pointing your rod straight at the trout. This lets the high-end drag on the reel do its job.
Photo by Russ Schnitzer
Then, when the fish bolts back toward you, as many trout do, lift to a vertical position without losing tension during the fight. If your rod were vertical, it would reach the breaking point, and the trout’s bolt back to the bank would cause your line to go limp. By using a convex bend, you can move up and downstream with all of your tools in front of you. With the trout in your direct vision, the reel, line, and the entire 10 foot rod falls in your peripheral vision. This way you don’t have to move your head to coordinate landing the fish.
Landon Mayer is a Winston Pro Advisor and enthusiastically teaches and demonstrates techniques and on-river knowledge to fellow anglers. He has developed innovative strategies for sighting, hooking, and landing selective trout. Landon played a major role in helping develop the Super 10 series, which are demonstrated in this blog article.
