Winston Rod Company has increased its product portfolio with a major acquisition, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fly rods.
The Twin Bridges, Montana company has taken over Bauer Premium Fly Reel Company in a move that Winston’s Chairman and Owner, David Ondaatje, says gives it a business with ‘a beautiful product, good people and leading edge technology’. He added: “There are a lot of similarities between Bauer now and Winston when I first became involved over 20 years ago: a fantastic company led by industry visionaries and passionate anglers who make products they love to use. That continues to be our philosophy and Bauer shares the same culture of passion, excellence and innovation.”
Bauer founders, Jon Bauer and Barbara Mackenzie Bauer, said: “We are proud to join the Winston family with our history of quality built USA products. Jon in particular is excited by the opportunity to expand development of new innovative products with Winston.” Jon Bauer added: “The two companies will be able to achieve more exciting products together for the benefit of the angler.” Annette Mclean, Winston VP of Operations and Rod Design, said: “We are excited that Bauer Reels will now be part of the Winston family. While it will continue to be run as a separate company, we plan to do a lot together. For now reels will continue to be made in Ashland, Oregon, but we are going to look at how best to help the business grow over the coming months and years.”
