Winston Air Salt Review: First Impression

This post was first publish on June 29, 2019.

2 Years Later Review Update

For some reason, Winston now calls the series Saltwater AIR but I shall still refer the name as Air Salt as that’s what it says on our rods.

Well, I’ve had the Air Salt 6-weight for sometime now and am still happy with it. 

Initially intended to act as a companion/spare rod to my #6 Sage Z-Axis, it’s now also capable of being fished alongside my other 7-weight rods.

I feel I can go on long saltwater fishing trips bringing the Air Salt #6 and my Sage Method #7 and both can share the exact same fly line and either one can act as a spare rod.

If fishing freshwater I can include the 6-weight Z-Axis.

CASTING AND COMPARISONS

I think it is an appropriate time to give you guys an update especially since I had the opportunity to have a casting session with some friends using it. 

These friends consisted of Yew Kong and David, two very advanced fly fisher and casters.

Yew Kong was intrigued by the Sage Method #7 during some recent fishing trips and wanted to compare it with the Winston Air Salt which is also a very fast rod. 

I’ve to add that by this time the Method had been replaced by the Sage Igniter, a similarly fast rod. 

So we met up at the field and had the following to compare;

• A Winston Air Salt #6
• A Winston Air Salt #7
• A Sage Method #7
• Fly lines to test with;
• SA Shark Skin Trout #6
• Airflo tropical #7
• Rio Elite Flats Pro #6

Summary

The Method is the lightest rod to cast with and had the lightest swing weight while still being ultra fast.

The Air Salt #6 was equally nice and was just a tad slower with a bit more bend in the mid-section compared to the Sage Method.

The Air Salt #7 felt very heavy and least liked. It is very strange that this #7 felt so much heavier than the #6.

I much prefer my Winston Boron III Plus 8-weight over the Air Salt 7-weight.

The Rio Elite Flats Pro line was superb on all the rods, so smooth and slick, and so easy to cast it felt almost like cheating!

Bloody expensive fly line and I’ve been wanting but hesitant to buy the Rio Elite range of lines with Slick Cast due to the pandemic having a huge impact on the business and cash flow the past two years. 

Conclusion

If you want a fast or saltwater Winston rod and you’re thinking of getting the Air Salt (Saltwater Air), get the 6-weight. That’s my personal opinion. 

If you want something beefier to throw bigger flies, get the Boron III Plus 8-weight. Again, my personal preference. The Boron III Plus is no longer listed in the Winston website and its replacement could be the ALPHA+.

Original post

I got myself a Winston Air Salt #6 and am liking it, a lot.

I must admit during the deciding process and making the decision to purchase this rod there was a feeling of uncertainty, some doubts were cast upon (pun intended) whether I should be spending so much money on a rod. $975 USD is no small change.

What Made Me Decide To Buy It?

I’ve always liked the way Winston rods cast, especially the Boron. 

Spare 6-weight. I have only one 6-weight rod in my possession and 6-weight is one of my go-to when river fly fishing.

A saltwater weight 6 will suit a lot of my heavy fishing both in the salt and freshwater (my other the superb #6 Sage Z-Axis is more suited for freshwater)

Without researching any reviews or hearing from any owners I went ahead and purchased the Air Salt keeping my fingers crossed.

First Cast and Fish

After a short and sweet 2-hour session on the water fishing and catching a couple of mangrove jack and juvenile gt, this could be my new favourite rod, taking over from my 7-weight Sage Method!

Though light in the hand the Air Salt is not the lightest of rods. In fact the #7 Sage Method feels a tad lighter than the #6 Air Salt compared side-by-side but I don’t feel any difference when casting.

As you may have guessed by now, I like fast and medium-fast rods – and this rod is powerful!

The Air Salt has a lot of power, adds energy to line speed and tracks beautifully making casts seem more effortless.

I found it easy to send the flies out a fair distance even with less than ideal back cast space and fighting MJ and juvenile GT ranging in size from 2kg to 4kg was without much drama.

If there’s a rod that makes you want to go out and fish, this is it. At least for me it is after that 2-hour session and 6 fish later.

I can already imagine some locations this rod can apply to my fishing. The #6 Air Salt will be great on the Maldives flats for bonefish. On the rivers such as in Mongolia it can be my everyday main rod for big trout and even taimen. Meanwhile in the rainforest jungle chasing mahseer I can see the #6 Air Salt being my spare-rod for the #6 Z-Axis.

Watch the blog for more adventures with the Air Salt on the waters.

But That’s A Lot Of Money for a Rod

True, purchasing an expensive fly rod is a big decision for many and no doubt there are much cheaper rods out there that will cast well, get the same distance and catch the same fish. I have a couple of those, too. But what you’ll get when you spend this much are quality materials all over from the finishing to every single part of the rod, even less glorious parts such as the cork which is fantastic on the Air Salt. What all this translates to are years and years of enjoyment and something that will last you plausibly, forever.

“Don’t wait for the right moment to go fishing, just go.”

Tight lines,
Juan Wei