R.L. Winston 8’6” Joan Wulff Favorite Rod Review

By Emily Neiley

At first glance, R.L. Winston’s Joan Wulff Favorites rods don’t look like the usual fare for lady anglers. With no pink paint job, no glitter, and no nonsense, they may seem like the sensible shoes and slacks of fly fishing, but don’t be fooled—these rods are light, springy spitfires that get the job done beautifully.

Their unisex finish belies the fact that these rods are designed with female physiology in mind—specifically, our hands. Even those of us who fix our own trucks and kill spiders with extreme prejudice have to admit to occasionally losing the battle against a jar lid. Even more frustrating are the sore hands that come from long days of casting weighty rods. Our thumbs—stoic warriors doing the lion’s share of rod stabilization over their neighboring digits—take the most punishment, particularly when laid flat against a thick cork grip for hours at a time.

That’s where the Joan Wulff Favorites’ special grip comes to the rescue. The cork has a thinner-than-usual diameter overall that allows even the tiniest of hands to get a secure, comfortable hold. And then, there’s the divot for your thumb. The little well’s usefulness had me skeptical at first. After all, by the time you’re ready to invest in a $665 rod you should know where your thumb goes! Despite my skepticism, I soon discovered that the better ergonomics and extra bit of leverage it provided made casting noticeably easier on my hand.

The rod’s svelte construction doesn’t hurt matters either. Joan Wulff has designed two female-specific versions from R.L. Winston’s WT and cutting-edge, Boron IIx lines. The 8’6”, 5-weight from the WT line (JW586-3WT) I used weighed in at a scant 2.5/8 ounces. Want to go after bigger game? The Wulff variation of the Boron IIx 9’ 8-weigh steelhead rod weighs just an ounce more.

I wouldn’t recommend the WT for distance casting or fishing in heavy winds. That’s not a flaw but a result of its intended purpose. Winston designed this rod with a medium-fast action and more progressive taper than their fast-action, aggressive-taper Boron series. The result is a great, all-arounder that’s more inclined to lay down a fly delicately than shoot out yards of line. After all, Winston designed it as their “Classic Trout” rod with the pinpoint accuracy and delicacy required for finicky trout in slow water.

The beautiful thing about the Wulff WT is that it backs up this delicacy with the strength and suppleness needed to land a foot and a half of fish on a couple millimeters of hook. With both strength and sensitivity, the Joan Wulff Favorites rods are the best of both worlds—much like the women they were designed for.

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