One of the fly-fishing industry’s most respected brands changed hands this week when longtime owner of the R.L. Winston Rod Company, David Ondaatje, announced the sale of the company to Lance Robertson.
In a press release from Winston dated May 14, Robertson is described as “a longtime business leader, engineer, and passionate fly fisherman” who lives near Twin Bridges. According to Robertson’s career history, he spent the last two decades in prominent roles at various Texas-based petroleum companies, culminating with a four-year stint as president and CEO of Texas-based Endeavor Energy Resources until 2024, when that company merged with Diamondback Energy in a $26 billion cash-and-stock transaction. Robertson currently serves on Diamondback’s Board of Directors.
“My family and I are excited to have the opportunity to be part of the Winston family,” Robertson said in the press release. “We look forward to helping people enjoy their outdoor pursuits and build cherished memories through great products.”
Robertson said Winston, which also consists of Bauer Fly Reels and Winston Polarized Sunglasses, “has a compelling team in place,” and that he anticipates that all present Winston employees will remain with the company as he takes over the mantle from Ondaatje. “We are pleased that David (Ondaatje) will continue to serve the company as an advisor for a year after closing.”
Winston started in San Francisco in 1929 when Robert Winther and Lew Stoner of the Winther-Stoner Manufacturing Company started building bamboo fly fishing rods, archiving each product with a company journal entry and serial number. The name “Winston” is actually derived from the elements of each of the original owners’ last names.
Winston’s new ownership has publicly stated it intends to keep the rodmaker’s entire team of employees on board despite the ownership change (photo: Winston Rod Co).
Over the years, the venerable company changed hands several times, and it made the move to Montana when former owner Tom Morgan bought the company from Doug Merrick in 1973. Ondaatje purchased Winston from Morgan in 1991. In 1995, Winston took total control of its quality and design operations and started rolling its own blanks. Today, Winston’s rods are among the most appreciated in the industry — and among the most expensive. The least-pricey fly rods in Winston’s quiver today are the Pure 2, and the Tom Morgan Favorite, an 8-foot, 4-weight rod originally designed by former owner Morgan, who loved to fish Montana’s spring creeks. Both rods retail at $955. The company’s Air 2 TH, a salmon and steelhead spey rod, retails at $1,495.
In 2016, Winston acquired Bauer Fly Reels, and it launched its own line of polarized sunglasses in 2024.
Winston and Bauer President and General Manager Andy Wunsch, who’s been with the company for two years, will stay on under Robertson’s ownership.
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