Air and Energy
The week before the show, we got the heads up from the Winston team
that they’d be launching Winston Air, and that this rod would be the most
exciting launch for them in a long time. Remember when Nike launched
the Nike Air? Me neither, but I bet it was a huge deal. They have figured
out a way to keep the Winston feel in a higher performing and lighter rod
than ever before. “The combination of our new SuperSilica™ resin system
with high modulus Boron means significantly less weight,” that’s from their
website. So how did they do it? I don’t think they are going to say too much
about that. In fact, I was at their factory in Twin Bridges a month prior to
the show. I never even caught wind of this new rod. For a little company
in Twin Bridges, Montana they are up to some stuff. We will be carrying
the new Winston Air and their new 10’ Super 10 rods in a few of our stores
following the show.
Winston also launched a new series of fly lines called “Energy” to enhance
the Winston experience and match their rods better than any off the shelf
product. The Energy lines are a textured line that boast an Optimized
presentation by, “utilizing an entirely new scientific approach and state of
the art analytics to enhance the energy transfer.” The analytical tools they
used to develop these lines was rad—check out their blog here.
In case you haven’t heard
yet. Sage launched the best
rod they’ve ever made a few
weeks before the show, the
Sage X. Sage X swept IFTD
in best of show classes.
Now, nearly $900 for a single
hand top of the line Sage,
this rod will be a staple in
fly shops this fall. The X
rod’s all-new fast action
taper built with KonneticHD
Technology delivers greater
blank recovery and a crisper
tip stop. We have demos
on the way and we will be
talking more about this rod
in the coming months.
X
Duffels
We were impressed with some of the newest
releases from Fishpond this year as well.
Three items that really stood out are their
new water tight travel duffels available in
two sizes. Their new coozy neck lanyards
will probably win the hearts of the river raft
community as well. With Yeti popularizing
the soft sided cooler business this year, the
re-launch of their soft sided cooler category
should be a strong option for people not
willing to pay Yeti’s price, but still want a
really cool cooler… cool… cooler.