My cousin has a birthday coming up; his father in law just called me and asked if I would build him a custom fly rod, I was honored to have this opportunity. In the past I have only built for myself. I have fished with him several times and he is an experienced fly fisherman, no beginner. On several occasions he has mentioned how much he loves the feel of the Winston WT, and that he needs a knew 4 weight. As much as I’d love to build that particular rod, it is a little out of our price range. So, instead of that rod what should I build him? He will be using this 4 weight for spring, summer, and fall trout fishing on Washington and Montana rivers. maybe medium to med/fast action, I don't think he wants fast.

I have built in dan craft blanks before and I love them! I have never casted a CTS, St. Croix, rainshadow ect.

Thanks

Check on the Rainshadow They are selling there transparent green blanks. Beautiful color, kind of like an emerald green. A lot of sales on these.

Rainshadow RX7, St Croix SCIV, and the Dan Craft Sig V all meet your description. They all are good medium fast action quality blanks.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

I think the Rainshadow will be closer to the Winston than the others, although I haven't tried the new Dan Craft FTL blanks yet. The Rainshadow in the green is really striking in the sun on a trout stream as Bill noted. Have sold a lot of them to steelheaders.

The SCIV I would say is more a fast tip flex. Has a lot of power. I had a 5Wt 9FT I used a 6WT line on and it was nice for the wind and still had plenty of power in it.
I would think the SCIII would be more of what you are looking for.

Robert, take a look at the CCS database. There are only a few entries for Winston WT (IM6) rods in there but I think from those data, and my memory of the Winston IM6s I have cast, and the many comments I've heard about Winston IM6 over the years, there is an important point to keep in mind. Compared to many rods on the market, the IM6 (WT) do not have much power for their line rating. Many interpret this as moderate action because the rod flexes deeply when cast. This is due to their power more than their action. Some of them have very soft tips and relatively fast action. I think what people like about these rods is the relatively low power. If you pick a blank to simulate a 4wt. Winston WT, I would be careful not to get one with an ERN much over 3.0 or 3.5.

I have built the Rainshadow RX7, Raninshadow RX7+ and the Winston WT for myself. I like them all. The RX7 is compariable to the Winston WT and is priced right but does not flex as much as the Winston like Steve was talking about eventhough it will deliver a delicate cast. The RX7+ IMO handles better than the Wisnton WT but is higher in price (although still about 1/2 the cost of the Winston). I had the Winston break on a windy day when the bead head nymph I was casting hit the rod. Winston replaced the section with no problem. I built the Winston several years before I started building on Baston (Rainshadow) and other blanks. Personally, I would perfer the Rainshadow.

Maybe I'm off base here but, your cousin's father-in-law asked you to build a rod for him and expects you to pay for it? Or, are you so honored by his request that you feel obligated to pay for it yourself? My point is, if he's willing to pay for it ,or is willing to split the cost with you and consider it a gift from both of you, you can purchase the Winston blank he would truly enjoy instead of some brand/action he may not like.