Washington Fly Fishing Forum banner

Winston vs Beulah vs Burkheimer...

9K views 30 replies 14 participants last post by  Gregobr 
#1 ·
I'm am looking to replace a 7wt that just ain't my cup of tea. I have it posted in the classifieds, (wink wink nudge nudge). Love my Beulah Onyx's and Winston micro spey with skagit heads and am currently interested to see what Burkheimer offers. I've narrowed it down to three. Any thoughts or opinions on similarities/contrasts of these three? Any input is appreciated:

1)Beulah Onyx 7137
2)Winston BIII TH 7133
3)Burkheimer 7134
 
#2 ·
I have owned a few Beulahs and Winstons and enjoyed all rods from both companies, but haven't owned nor cast the two you mention. Having said that, it is pretty tough to beat the 7134 Burkie as an all-around northwest steelhead rod. I fish it summer and winter with scandi lines from 460-480 and skagits around 540, plus Nextcast lines around 510 grains(FF45 and Steelhead Finder FI). It casts all line systems very well and is a joy to fish and cast. It's smooth, powerful, loads deep, and generates great line speed. It's fun with fish from 6lbs into the teens. I typically carry two rods with on trips and 90% of the time this is one of the two, only leaving it home when I fish smaller rivers and opt for shorter rods. I think it would be hard to go wrong with any of the rods you mention.
 
#3 ·
Those are all very nice rods and all will perform, are beautifully made, and a joy to fish. I have cast #2 and own #3. Do yourself a favor and cast them, look at them, feel them ...and then decide. If you don’t you will likely regret not having done so. Most of what you hear on this forum will be heavily weighted with opinion and personal favor. You would be happy with any of them provided you spend the time and cement your muscle memory and timing—which is very important.
 
#8 ·
Get the Burkheimer. Great rods, great builds and great customer service. Beulah's are nice rods, but if you break a rod and they don't have the part, you'll have to wait for it to come from overseas. Burkheimer rolls his blanks in house, so if you break a rod they will be able to replace the part the quickest. Winston? Ehhh.
Tight lines,
Keith
 
#17 · (Edited)
Well seeing as how the Burkheimer 7133-3 is objectively and quantifiably the best spey rod ever designed that's the one I'd recommend.. they are fairly common on the used market as well.

The 7134-4 is great too.

Both are all purpose steelhead rods.
The 7133-3 i think has better overall capability but The 7134-4 might be a touch sweeter with a scandi line but just a touch.
 
#18 ·
Hi all,

First off just want to say thanks for everyone's input here. I have some how convinced the gal pal to let me make a detour this week while I'm up in Oregon, so I will be able to hit a few shops and give these rods a cast/wiggle. Thanks again and may your new year be full of tight lines and plenty of chrome.
 
#22 ·
Sorry to disagree with you but I don't think Winston builds are anything special.
Anyone who says this hasn't been on the factory tour in Twin Bridges. Winston does a outstanding job of trying to create a living wage environment in rural America. Every ferrel is hand fitted, every spine is centered and every craftsman along the way has the right to toss the blank if it doesn't meet with the quality they feel is representative of the brand. Argue the point in the technology, but don't blanket the company.

Burkhiemers are great too, personally I fish a lot of Beulah and Loomis rods. My favorite rod is the 8140 Onyx followed by the 16' 10/11 Loomis GLX Greased line. My go to skagit (sinktip) and mid upper Columbia stick is the 13'4" 7/8 Loomis GLX Dredger. This rod has gone everywhere and is a true performer if I were to replace it, it would be with a 7132 Beulah Platinum or 7137 Onyx. Beulah is a awesome grass roots company with their heart in innovation and feel without a $1000 price tag.

Winston is American Made so I have a 4110 Micro Spey which goes to the Yak and on every Montana trip. In my option the 4110MS is the best in this grouping of rods and hard for other brands to beat. The Gary Anderson rod of same proportion is a gem too.

Kerry is Washougals answer to what Winston does in Montana. I've cast his rods and love the build quality. Burkhiemer will go down in history as the most beautiful and ornate two handed rods in the world. I cast them every year at the Sandy clave, but haven't found the one to fall in love with.
 
#23 ·
Well I guess I should follow up on this thread since I asked the question. After receiving quite a few side messages and some here, I ended up getting an Asquith 7130... I've never cast a rod like this ever. The performance is amazing and feel like the limitations of casting was only due to me and not the rod. The price tag was a bit steep but the castability was just amazing. The feel was fantastic and fish fighting power was superb.

thanks to everyone who helped with the insight and answers to the questions asked.
 
#25 · (Edited)
One last thing everyone uses the same quality of graphite fiber. The idea that one company has better graphite than another is BS. If every fly rod manufacturer went out of business tomorrow the carbon fiber prepreg industry wouldn't notice. All the graphite used in any rod is available to every manufacturer. The exception might be the 3m stuff which pure fishing had an exclusive deal with and actually that was just the lay up with the 3m resin everyone can get the same fiber. Plus everyone has a nano resin these days.


Also lighter isn't always better even if some manufacturers claim that it is.

Also it is not possible to determine a rods capabilities or limitations with scandi or Skagit heads
 
#26 ·
Well seeing as how the Burkheimer 7133-3 is objectively and quantifiably the best spey rod ever designed that's the one I'd recommend.. they are fairly common on the used market as well.
Coming from someone that owns the 7133-3 Burkie, I'd give it up in a heartbeat for a 7133-4 Winston BIIX. Yes, that Winston is that fucking good. I'm not talking about the Boron 3TH, that rod series is a straight up dumpster fire. I'm talking about the real deal, Boron 2X; Andre Scholz the European spey casting champ helped design those rods and in so doing made the perfect 7 weight. The line speed, feel, makes the Burkie feel like a slow, clunky, hot mess.
#babyimsavage #sorrynotsorry
 
#30 ·
Im going to add a rod you should give a try if you get the chance. With the Beulah your already at 13ft 7" so why not try one a couple inches longer.

Enter Burkheimer 7139-4. My favorite of all the 7wts in the line up for small to medium size rivers. Its great with short head lines and has the length to cast mid belly lines with no issues.

I have spent time with all the rods mentioned in this post. I cast all sorts of two handed rods through the course of a season most are good enough for there owners if balanced with the correct line. Some are beyond good and then some are down right phenomenal. For me this one falls in to that phenomenal category. And yes I am affiliated with burkheimer rods so take this for what its worth. If you like rods with super stiff butt sections and light tip sections that load fast you wont like this rod. If you like rods with strong tips and a strong mid and butt section you will like this one.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top