3 wt brookie bugs

Wildfish

Wildfish

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Joined
Sep 4, 2009
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Just got my first light rod, a Scott A3 7' 3w. Can't wait to get this puppy out on the streams Tuesday. I have a reel waiting for me at the fly shop, going to put on some orvis superfine line and should be good to go.

Problem is, there's nothing rising on these streams. Buggers are the fly of choice, but I'm not sure how a sz8 bugger is going to cast on a 3wt. So what would you recommend? I already tied up some microbuggers. Of course I have plenty of midges, which is really what this rod is for. But what if they aren't doing the trick? Any prospecting flies for a 3wt?
Thanks!
 
throw dries , they will rise , adams parachute size 12 , royal wullf , yellow caddis stimulators , alot of brookie streams aren't real fertile but they will rise to bugs all year
 
A size 3 for midges? Bah...You can do sz8 buggers with some practice, just might have to forego a little of the weight and use a shorter, stouter leaader.

How about wet flies? You can tie up some winged wets like the Royal Coachman or just about anything out of Bergman's Trout, and if matched quill wings isn't your thing, try rolled mallard wings which are much easier.

Theres also feather wing and buck tail streamers, like the Mickey Finn, Black Nosed Dace, or Montreal Whore (see the current thread).

All of those are light and easy to use like a streamer (ie, dead drift and then a little retrieve action).
 
troutslammer, you got that right. I fish a size 12 or 14 royal wulff on my G. Loomis 6'6" GL3 3 weight. It works fine. I fished it a couple weeks ago on a local small freestone. Got one wild brown and 5 native brookies. All on the royal wulff. I think you will find you can cast bigger flies with a 3 weight than you would imagine. Try it wildfish and see. You might be pleasantly surprised! Scott makes a fine rod by the way.
 
After getting my 3 wt last year I rarely use my 5. I fish dry dropper with weighted nymphs etc all the time. It doest feel as nice as casting dries but its still a blast to fight fish on.
 
WILD...........do the same thing you would do with your 5 wt , keep trying till you figure them out , the only thing different is the rod weight , it won't change what the trout eat , it will just be more fun on the 3 wt , YOU"LL GET 'EM , HAVE FUN!!!!!
 
Thanks for the help guys. I'll try to throw the usual stuff and see how it goes. The rod is med/fast, so it does have some backbone.

Still, going to tie up some royal coachmans per gfens advice just in case the beadheads are unpleasant to cast.
 
Try omitting the metal bead on your buggers in favour of no bead, or a glass bead. That'll help you out, too.

It is harder to cast some of these things as they get heavier, but if you practice, you'd be surprised how how well you can do with big flies on little rods... You'll probably have to adjust your leader a bit, though.

As WTT earlier said, you'd be surprised how big a fly you can cast once yourself adjusted to it. A sz14 Wulff and a sz16 wire-wrapped wet has been a standard fare on my 1wt for the last 3 months, and its no problem once you get the leader build figured out to turn it over.
 
throw a 10 or 12 instead...what are you gonna get on a 3wt that you'd need a size 8 bugger anyway.
 
I guess but as he said the rod was made for midging...

I've thrown buggers as be as weighted 2's with my three wt but as a beginner he might not be looking for a MedXpress visit this early in his FFing career.
 
as long as it is not windy u can throw many many different size flies with a three wt and as gfen suggested shorten up the leader , maybe a 7' 3x leader , brookies in fast water and plunge pools are not leader shy typically
 
A 3wt is simply a horrible tool for fishing weighted flies. It can be done, and I have done it, but it's a royal pain. Normal 3wts have little practical use IMO. The long ones are good for various new exotic types of nymphing, but beyond that, they're basically toys.

I love my 3wt unconditionally, but it is and always will be a novelty. It's only been the optimal tool for the job a handful of times in the ten or so years that I've fished it, which is why it's such a treat when I actually do get to use it effectively.

I remember one point two summers ago, where conditions were perfect for it. The trout were smashing ants in a relatively tight limestone stream. I chose the 3wt. After a few hours, a large brown trout chased a smaller one that I was in the process of fighting. I had a few buggers and slumpbusters, but I was left with a 3wt to fish them. The fish was living in a log jam, and it was nearly impossible to accurately place the fly where it needed to be.

A rainstorm removed the log jam before I could get back there with a 5wt.
 
All it takes is practice. I been fishing a 3wt for a few years now and find it no more difficult than a 5 weight.
 
They're all toys jay. Its just a matter of which ones are the most fun.
 
Of course, but when I say "toy", I mean that one chooses to fish it for reasons other than using the best tool for the job, even for brook trout fishing. Given that the 3wt is rarely the best tool for the job, I classify it as a toy.

Having fun is all that matters, so I think one should use whatever suits them best.

But if the question is about fishing as effectively as possible, a 3wt rarely fits the bill. That's all I was saying. I think I'm going to fish mine this week. :)

All of this is IMO, of course, but I feel I have reasoning to support all of it. I'm not criticizing anyone that chooses to use the lighter rod. I do it now and then too. Just weighing in on the conversation about fishing weighted flies with the 3wt.
 
jayL wrote:
Of course, but when I say "toy", I mean that one chooses to fish it for reasons other than using the best tool for the job, even for brook trout fishing. Given that the 3wt is rarely the best tool for the job, I classify it as a toy.
Click to expand...

Depends on the job. Don't bring a knife to a gunfight. :)

jayL wrote:
But if the question is about fishing as effectively as possible, a 3wt rarely fits the bill. That's all I was saying. I think I'm going to fish mine this week. :)

All of this is IMO, of course, but I feel I have reasoning to support all of it. I'm not criticizing anyone that chooses to use the lighter rod. I do it now and then too.
Click to expand...

For my idea of fishing, a 5wt is a club, and its not effective. Matter of fact, I'm in the process of picking up a 9' 3wt to be the new regular use rod. Should be perfect for a dry/dropper or a couple of barely weighted wet flies.

I come at things at a direct opposition to where you're coming to it from, but that's fine, because to qoute a forum member, "its just fishin'."

Or was that "its just fish'n?"

jayL wrote:
Having fun is all that matters, so I think one should use whatever suits them best.
Click to expand...

This is the most important answer. No argument here.

I mean, unless you want to.
 
thats why i think my 7'6" 4wt is the best small brookie (wild trout ) ditch pole imo
 
I think Jay has that 3wt response saved in Word and just copies and pastes.

I used a 8' 3wt Winston WT quite a bit over the last couple years. I often found myself slightly under gunned. I found the 8' 4wt to be a much more effective tool. Just a world of difference.

Jay, I really think you will be happier with the 10' 4wt than the 3wt for Euro nymphing, depending upon manufacturer of course.
 
jdaddy wrote:
I think Jay has that 3wt response saved in Word and just copies and pastes.
Click to expand...

He's an Apple man, now.. that's iWork.
 
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