Winston WT or Biit

[r reese]

please give me thoughts wanting a new 3 wt rod

[comeonavs]

I have no experience with Winston WT. My fishing buddy has a BiiT in a 4wt and it is a good rod. I am a Sage guy so I would put it n the TXL range of faster but not to fast like a Z-axis or Sage One.

I just recently picked up a Sage ZXL 3wt so I have the TXL and ZXL 3wt and while they are both awesome the ZXL I like better. It is so soft for laying out dries, protects even 7x tippet when you have to run that light. The TXL is a close competitor but not quite as perfect. The reason I bring up the Sage references is to me remember the reason for a 3wt. Super fine dry fly presentation, casting tiny nypmhs / midges. Therefore I personally prefer the "softer action" in 3wt.

Really both rods you are looking at are cream of the crop rods and you cant go wrong either way. If you already have a 4wt for windy days and fishing heavier rigs then I would recomend the slower/softer of the two which I believe is the WT.

[jaybo41]

Both fine rods for small streams. The BIIT is going to have a stiffer butt from the Boron than the WT and thus handle wind a bit better. The WT seems a bit slower to me than the BIIT. Something to consider, the WT's are 3 piece, the BIIT is 4 but probably not an issue for you in the smaller rod configurations. The WT has a thicker butt but when you cast it, it flexes deeper into the butt than the BIIT. The Boron allows the IIT to have a thinner diameter butt but a stiffer one at that.

Far from an expert in Winston rods but I have the 380 WT and it's a blast for close to medium range casting. If you like a full flexing rod, this is probably the one. If you want something that's close to full flex but with a slightly stiffer butt, go for the IIT.

Now let's see what the experts have to say

[fishiowa]

I have both in the 8'6" 4wt. WT is a classic, fishes well with a Wulff TT line and you can really feel it load, makes you want to slow down and relax. The BiiT feels lighter in hand and a bit crisper, I use a Rio Gold on it. I would give the BiiT the slight edge in accuracy on longer casts. Both fish extremely well at small stream distances, WT may load a bit easier inside 15'.

Rich

[r reese]

Thanks may buy them both.

[fishiowa]

Originally Posted by r reese

Thanks may buy them both.

Now that's the spirit!