Winston GVX Fly Rod Review
I managed a few minutes of throwing the Winston GVX at Cabela’s pond in Fort Worth yesterday, and as a Winston owner, I can say … it’s a Winston.
It’s not a B2-mx, but the GVX has the unique characteristics you come to expect from a Winston rod. It isn’t a “stick” for going after anything we typically find in the North Texas region, but I can easily see it fitting in to the quiver of someone who wants a little more “umph” in the middle of the rod with the touchy tip of a fine trout rod.
Fit and finish on the GVX rod are top shelf Winston, but the rod seat and rings are nothing compared to the quality of a top shelf series rod. They just seem a little thin. I am sure defenders would say “lightweight,” but I just say thin.
If you are used to throwing big heavy sticks, the first thing you will have to do is slow everything down. You have to wait on this rod – speed up and stop are not the order of the day. Smooth and soft will get you nice loops (I was casting a line of my own – S.A. GPX), and a distance that tops out (for me) at about 40-50 feet. This rod in a four weight could be the bomb for some place like the San Juan at the Navajo Quality Waters in New Mexico where soft supple tips are superstars for keeping a 20 or 22 in the lip skin of a three pound aquarium trout. If you need a good roll cast, or to lay down a dragless “s” of line (jiggle that rod tip on the line’s way down), this rod will do that all day long.
Is it worth 495-dollars? That’s a tough price point, and I am sure there are plenty of Winston smokers who will have to have one just because Winstons taste good, and generally they do. However, there’s a lot you can do with that coin in the slower line of TFO that could stack up just fine against the limited use of a GVX – in multiples. Think about it. There is the TFO Finesse line, the new BVK line – yet to be seen or tested, and a couple of Sage rods that can take this price point. I am thinking the BVK may well be a GVX killer, but without a test flight of the BVK, that one is still up in the air. As far as action, the vibe I get is they may be similar, very similar – with more spine going to the BVK.
In the end, the GVX has a place, but is less useful to Texas Fly Fishing in anything more than a four weight. I think if you get down to the lower weights, you will have a rod that can do small pond fish and typical Southern Oklahoma trout fishing. The three weight in 7’6″ could be a killer rod for the tight conditions offered to Oklahoma fly fishing. My suggestion; due to the way it’s constructed from the handle down, get a blank and have one built right if you want a good, almost medium action (they call it “progressive fast action” in their trout world) Oklahoma trout rod with the finish a Winston deserves. This rod is made in the USA.
