Winston Ascent Rods - opinions

[Fly_Goddess]

@Gnu_Bee_Flyer

Fly Goddess , please re-read the post you quoted.
In it I show no loyalty at all to Winston, just to whatever rod it was that Dana Kindly let me cast. Heck it might be a Dorber or a Sage or a Wally world special I don’t really know . I really could cast better with that particular rod. It felt really good to me.
What I meant was ;
If I have a choice between buying a product from store XYZ or from one of the sponsors on here I will pick the sponsor over store XYZ . Winston has nothing to do with my post except that the rod in question might be a Winston.

No worries, didn’t mean to sound as though I was attacking you. The post title. I am not a snob, but Winston does make some of the smoothest casting rods out there. The LT, the Boron, their Glenn bamboos, I just think that the Ascent, Vapor, Ibis are imposters with a WINSTON sticker on them. Not just this forum, but others I have read come off like MAN I SCORED A WINSTON and then they mention one of the three names. There are far better casting rods for the same or less, but they don’t say WINSTON on them. I am familiar with Dorber and I have read a lot about Rainshadow and I am sooo impressed

[sport]

My last trip out I used my 9’5wt TFO Pro, and for the money it is a great rod. Also put my new fly reel dots on my reel, and for the first time used that so simple it can’t possibly work “Castwell Knot”. It worked just fine!