Hi guys,

Has anyone built on the rather new Winston boron IIx blank and can give me an honest comparison to other blanks out there....namely the SC V fly blanks? I've built two fly rods on the SC V blank and they are my favorite right now. The SC V has a great fast action combined with a lovely feel. How would you rate the Winston's IIx feel and performance? Are they worth the price of around $300? Any info on these blanks greatly appreciated. Thanks......Dave.

My personal tastes lean towards the SCV. I find it lighter and crisper than the lone Winston boron/graphite composite that I've cast.

I have no doubt the Winston performs fine. Whether or not it's worth the money is really only something you can decide. Is it going to be head and shoulders above the SCV? I don't think so, and I'm not sure it's even as good as the SCV, but once you get to a certain level a lot of this is very subjective.

If you can find a fly shop that stocks those Winstons, you might want to go in and cast one just to get a feel for it. And while you're there, buy a couple leaders or something to repay them for the opportunity to cast a rod you know you're not going to buy (I assume you're only wanting a blank).

........

Actually you might just as well order the blank through the shop you do the test casting at. Unless you know some way to get one wholesale. The shop can order the blank and sell it to you at retail just like everybody else does.

Have not tried the boron blanks.

My taste runs to med-fast rods although I have many fast tip action
rods. The B IIx is not a tip action rod. It feels like a med-fast rod, but
when you lean into it, you can generate very high line speed without tip bounce. Magic. I can cast farther with it than with my SageXP,
SageRPL, LoomisIMX. If you really like tip action rods, this may not satisfy you. My favorite had been a Winston LT. The BIIx is faster, but very smooth. Good advice is to try one out.