inside the rl winston fly-rod shop

SPECIALSECTION
Business
Profile
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INSIDE THE R. L. WINSTON FLY-RODSHOP
A Feelfor Rod-Buildirg
By Tom Keer
Winston rods have alwayshad a certain
'feel,'
rnhich made me a fan. Originally it
was becausethe rods had a softer action
than others, but now, even with the faster
action Boron rods, that sensitivityis still
ucked in the Ruby Vdley benareenthe
Tobacco Root, Highland and Pioneer mountain rangesis the town of
Twin Bridges,Montana. Lewis and Clark traveled through this valley;later,a small number
of trapperstrampedthe gametrails beween the
ranges.Cattle rancherswho werethen joined by
sheepfarmerseventuallypushedout the trap-
there. That senseof feelirg is an invaluable teachirg tool and, asan angler,adds
greadyto my fishing enjoyment.
-Joan W"lff
pers.In the 1860s,neighboringVirginia Ciry
attractedprospectorswho learnedthat the hills
Customer-servicemanagerKevin Tirrman is a
wereloadedwith gold and silver.Allegedlythere
passionateanglerand alsoa pastorof a local
Their
through researchand experimentation.
still are ghostsin the ghost towns. Nowadays,
church. LeslieClark in marketing raisessorrel
aptitudestoward constant improvementare
life in the 400-persontown ofTwin Bridgesis
and white paint Belgiandraft horses;sheand
no more apparentthan in the culminationof
slow-paced.As visitors arrive, odds are they are
her husbanddrove their teamsin the Oklaho-
the new \Winston Boron rods.
coming to fish the Jefferson,Ruby, Beaverhead
ma Land Racescenein the Tom Cruise/Nicole
The Boron'Way: \X/hile many rod com-
or Big Hole-and they often stop by the R.L.
\WinstonRod Company.
Kidman movie Far and Away. Production
panieshave experimentedwith boron, only
\Winston stayed with the material long
Everyoneat'Winston not only fishes,but
ManagerJoe Begin fuctuates berweenone of
his rwo immaculatelymaintainedmotorcycles.
engineeringfy rods.They push boundaries
enough to figure out how to make it work
they also bring a variety of creativeinterests
'When
to the company.
he's not developing
Cindy Giem, in accounting,spendsher spare
in fly rods. Boron's strength-to-weightra-
time working with her family on their purebred
tios are outstanding, but with the strength
rods, Owner/Chairman David Ondaatje is a
Angus ranch south of town.
came a brittlenessas well as a stiffness.With
filmmaker and photographer and is passion-
The diversepeople
ately involved in product field-testing.Away
who design the rods
from engagementin rod designand overseeing
that so many anglers
company performance,CEO Voody'Woo-
love have a number of
dard takeshis daily walk along the Beaverhead,
distinct similarities.
downhill skis in the winter and plays tennis
with his wife in the summer. Chief Rod De-
First, they're process'Whether
oriented.
signerAnnette Mclean hikesin the mountains
they navigatethe straits
with her husband:shet alsoa little bit of a locd
of town politics or re-
celebriryasshesits on the Twin BridgesTown
searchequine genetics,
Council. GayleBegin,materialsmanager,loves
their method of think-
to gardenand play with her grandchildren.
ing bodesperfectlyfor
72 Summer201O
a tremendous amount of time and creative
work, the company masteredthe material
and the \Winston Boron rod serieswas born.
"Our dealers,advisorsand pro staffprovided
has alwaysbeen smooth, progressiveand a delight to cast.Granted we havesomevariations
asto supply us with the highestqualiry and consrrucrionof cork grips available.Our reelseats
within this overalldesignparadigm,but in general, it's an easyaction for beginnersand it's a
an invaluableamounr of insight into the material modifications," saysMclean. "Their
aredesignedto our precisespecificationsaswell.
tVhen the raw materialsarrive
at our shop,each
great rod for experts,"\Toodard says.
'Winston
Throughout its 8l -yearhistory
has
is assembled,inspectedand machinedor buffed
outstandingfeedbackwas utilized in the protofypesthat we built. On severaloccasions,
we
thought we wereclose,and someparrsof those
'We
earlier sampleswere correcr.
found that
some of those early models would casrgrear
but theyd only fish okay. Others would cast
okay but rh.yd fish great.\fith insightful comments and detailedfeedbackfrom our dealers
and pro staffl,we were able to develop superb
castingand fishing rods. Vithout their input
we probably would have neededa far longer
time to bring a completedrod to the marketplace.As our dedersand pro staffspend a grear
asnecessary.
I love my job, and my job is mak-
Whenever we're presentedwith new
technologies,we revibw rhem with all rouch
points in our processro seehow they fit into
our specificdesignobjectives.
alwayschasedperformance...arrhe right pace.
"AIl companieswresdewith the conceptof time,"
saysLeslieClark. "In an idealworld, rodswould
movealongin a standardprocess,and new mod-
ing outstandingrods for our cusromersto enjoy
while fishing.\Mhat'sbetter than that?"
elswould be readyfor the marketplacejust as
Ondaatje ensuresthat pillars of
J)avid
I-r/ qualiry and excellencebehind the Vin-
dealof time on rhe warer,their input is important. And weie very carefulro listen."
Creativiry is at the heart of \Winston rod
customershaveoutgrown their favorites.Some
companieswork offof a panicular dme line, and
ston brand are upheld throughout the process.
"'Wepush boundaries.Ti'ueleadershipis defin-
that approachsatisfiesthe businessdemands,
particularly on rhe accounrs-receivable
side.But
design."Good rod designis a multi-stepcollaborative processand we've alwaysworked with
the bestway ro build a greatfy rod is to subject all designsand manufacturingtechniquesto
very specificdesign and performance objec-
ing what you wanr and designingto that goal
rather than simply going whicheverdirection
'We
the wind blows.
have help, of course,bur
knowing where we're going has always been
time.'We bring our rods to the tablewhen they
important to our success.
tivesrather than cateringto any market trend,"
are ready.\iMhenthey are better than any other
said CEO Voody'Woodard. "\(/e are always
on the lookout for new materids.A lot of new
rod out there,including many of our own, after
"As a steward of the \Winston brand, I
focus on severalcompany cornerstones.Ex-
materialsrecenrlyhave come out of military
applicationsand technology.Think about the
nano-technologythat enjoyeda brief lifespan.
Or thermoplasticresins.Or ceramic.Those
technologieshad a very short shelflife, and no
one hearsabout them much any more. Vheneverwete presentedwith new technologies,we
reviewthem with all touch points in our processto seehow they fit into our specificdesign
objectives.By working through the processas
a group we work asa true team, one that has a
built in mechanismof checksand bdances.'We
look for technologiesthat have sustainabiliry
all the bugsare ironed our, rhen we'll sell them.
cellenceof our product acrossall fronts, from
designto manufacturingto distribution.Satisfaction. Regardlessof one's passionand
Many times we have to resistthe urge to rush
them, but in the end, patiencealwayswins our."
"On the manufacturingside,we take our time,
pastime,nothing makesfor a more satis$'ing
aswell," saysJoe Begin. "'We make sureall pat-
experiencethan having proper equipment
terns are cut perfectly, and alwayslook at our
processto determine how we can do it bet-
that enablesone to thoroughly enjoy all of
the diverseparts of the activity. Innovation.
ter, not faster.Our finish is a perfectexample.
'W'e
went through a number of processesover
a few years ro perfect our unique \Winston
green color. And then when we gor the color
The purposeof innovation is to expandand
enhance.'Wepush boundaries.Alfred, Lord
Tennysonsaid it best: 'To strive, ro seek,to
find, and nor ro yield.''Whenwe hit a con-
right, we shifted our focuson the finish, making it as durable and as beautiful as possible.
sensusamong our internal design team,
dealersand guides, we then push hard to
There has been no need to changeblank colors for marketing reasons.All of our customers
castingand fishing fy rods possible.
"Our customers,which meansour dealers,
guidesand fishermen,help to determine the
posesand accuracy,"Begin continues."Our
cork originally was hand-pounded and then
turned, and recently we worked with our sup-
tweak and modifr. The beauty and esthetic
found in \Winston products offers rranscen.We
dence in fishing.
build rods that offer a
higher level of enjoyment.
"It takes more time, it costsmore and it
'We
certainly takesmore patience.
don't look
at a right or a wrong way to make a product.
\Wejust make it the Vinston
way," Ondaatje
expectations
of our rods.The'sfinston acrion
plier who willingly redesignedtheir processso
sumsup. I
and, though it hasinvolved a little extra invesrment and designtime, boron continuesto fit
the bill perfectly.Our processis simple-it's
drivenby our tirelessfocus on creatingthe best
love our finish just as it is. Our greenfinish is
part of the'S7instonbrand,our mark of quality.
"All wrappers wind by hand for qualiry pur-
FlyRod&Reel 73