Best 3 wt. options....fiberglass?

[Bogey]

Hi guys,
I have been looking at 3 wt.'s for smaller streams as well as targeting brookies.

Would a fiberglass rod be more fun for this lighter style of fishing? Any recommendations for a great 3 wt.? I was looking at the Biiix, but the orvis superfine glass rods look pretty fun. Any thoughts would be appreciated...thanks,

 

[CastingAcross]

It depends on how "small" your small is. A quicker rod is very helpful for tight loops in close quarters. But if there is ample room for casting a slower rod is a lot of fun.
The Douglas Upstream series is a blast and worth checking out. Super light, delicate, and sensitive.

 

[Bogey]

Thanks CA, does anyone out there own an orvis recon, Helios 2 or carbon? I like the idea of getting a nice rod and reel outfit for less than what I would pay for a biiix (excluding the Helios) and they all seem to have great reviews.

 

[coachbarak]

I will using my Scott F2 703 this upcoming week. While this rod is the most expensive I own now, I am happy with the purchase as I have used a friends in the past. Perfect rod for Dunbar Creek.

 

[boychick]

I have a superfine glass the 7.5' 3 wt, its a sweet rod. I also have a 7.5 5 wt fast action graphite that I also use for small stream fishing.

CastingAcross makes a good point about the need for tight loops on brush crowded streams. I think the graphite is better for a bow & arrow cast, which you will need to do frequently when brookie fishing. All that said, I have used the superfine glass on some small overgrown brookie streams. It was challenging in the tightest areas, but workable. Since that experience, I trend use the glass when there is more casting room and the graphite when there isn't. The fast action and heavier line allows you to load the rod with very little line out of the tip or by just barely beginning to move the line (this is the "Joe Humphreys" model - see his video "A Casting Approach Dry Fly Tactics In Brush").

I suggest a short, fast action, 5 wt as your first small stream outfit. It will do the job you need it to do everywhere. Add the 3 wt glass later, if you still want to own a 3 wt rod. The 3 wt glass rod is a lot of fun, but has its limitations, especially on a tight rhododendron choked brook trout stream, which seems to be what you want the rod for. I will say, the glass is a lot of fun fishing ponds for blue gill on dry flies.

 

[Bogey]

Thanks boy chick, I have a 4wt. Sage one for larger streams and am happy with it...I think it's a little too large for the streams around here and for brookies.

Thanks for the feedback everybody, any more suggestions on the best 3 wt. option would be appreciated.

 

[Tiogadog]

I have two three weight rods. One is an 8 foot Redington rs4 the other is a 7.5 foot Cabelas Three Forks. The Cabelas Three Forks in that configuration is a pretty good rod for the price. I typically use the Redington, but I am not sure why.

I also have a 7.5 foot fiberglass four weight. It is a rod I built on a now discontinued Lamiglass blank (Spring Creek series). It is a little faster than traditional glass, but still way slower than graphite

What does all of this mean? I have used all of these rods on the small brook trout streams on Shenandoah National Park. They all perform the job well.

Try to cast a few and see what you like.

 

[DGC]

This is just FYI as I have never built or used these blanks, but Hook and Hackle has some glass kits for $100 and a limited number of the old Diamondback dark blue blanks in 7.5 ft for 3 wt for $145. You might want to look them up. Good luck.

 

[Cold]

Not to steer you away from glass (as I have an original Diamondglass 7' 4wt and love it) but these guys make an excellent point about the space required.

You *can* fish a glass rod in tight quarters, but it's not exactly fun.

So for a 3wt, you're talking small streams, usually, and while you can fish a faster graphite rod in tight spaces or out in the open equally, the glass may well become a liability in the thick crap.

Speaking strictly in terms of 3wt rods, I have a 7'9" 3wt St. Croix Avid that is one of my favorite rods. It's what I'd call moderate to moderate-fast (depending on what you're coming from), and the 7'9" length is great, being long enough for most mending on small streams, but short enough to be practical and maneuverable in thick brush. You may wish for a bit more length if you nymph a lot, or a bit less length if you're upstream and dry in tight quarters, but imho, 7'9" splits the difference quite well.

Expanding to other light lines, I have the 7'0" 4wt Diamondglass that I mentioned, and while I do love it, like others have said in regard to glass, I only fish it when I know I'll have the room. Very maneuverable, accurate, and smooth as a baby's #censor#. Cast a WF4F Sylk line on it.

I also have a TFO Finesse 1wt that, if the action translates well, would also be a great choice in 3wt for you. Moderate-fast, with just enough zip to shoot a bit of line when you need it.

 

[birdog]

Check these out:


http://www.jprossflyrods.com/

 

[Millsertime]

Many on here have said it before but a 7'6" 4 wt rod is ideal for small PA streams.

Just because a stream is small doesn't mean that you need a "low weight" rod. A short 4 or 5 wt can fish underbrush better than a flimsier 2-3 wt rod. At least IMO...

 

[lestrout]

Yo Bo - if you are wanting glass, the Cabela CGRs are Best Buys, even at list price. When they go on sale (a couple of times a year), they are an absolute steal. Glass is nice in heavy cover if you sometimes whack the bushes and branches, which I do.

What flies are you thinking of using? Some of my brookies hunting buds like bushy dries, and any 3wt would be stressed pushing those. Small muddlers are like candy to brookies, and they need a little line weight to punch them out, especially at short distances. If you're searching with a bugger or maribou streamer, likewise a little more line weight is your friend.

Now, midging and using BWOs on smaller, more open streams is where my 1s, 2s and 3s come into their own.

 

[Cold]

Some of my brookies hunting buds like bushy dries, and any 3wt would be stressed pushing those.

Really?

I fish those kinds of flies (stimmies, humpies, wulffs, etc.) to brookies all the time, and do so on a 1wt most often, with no problems at all.

Maybe it'd be different if you played the brookie game out around 35-45 feet, but on most brookie streams, a 25 foot cast is a bomb...at that range, even my 000wt handles a #14 stimmie with zero issues.

 

[Bogey]

Do you need the same kind of space for bamboo rods that you do for fiberglass?

Would a bamboo 4wt. 7'6 be the best rod for pa small stream fishing?

Thanks for all the replies, definitely gave me a better understanding of all the 3 wt. models out there...

 

[salvelinus]

Sure glass is slower, but no reason you can't throw tight loops. The timing is different that's all. But for me the limiting factor for a small stream rod is the length. I use glass 6'6" and 7'2" three weights depending on how open the stream is. The Orvis Superfine Glass 7' three weight would be a fine rod for this type of fishing. Glass rods make small fish feel bigger because they generally flex the whole way to the cork. They are also less likely to get broken when you are busting brush.

 

[lestrout]

Yo bo

In general, I think of rod length first when ffishing confined spaces, then action; rather than rod material. Granted most graphites will more easily toss a tight loop than most bamboos, glasses and borons. But for a given length and line weight, I don't really distinguish between bamboo, glass, boron or graphite when ffishing a particular stream or pool, other than thinking about the rod action.

7'6" 4wts must be one of my favorite sizes, since I seem to have more than a dozen of them (and still looking for more). But then lately, I've been getting into 7' 3wts too.

 

[outsider]

+1 what salvelinus said.

 

[troutbert]

For that type of fishing I recommend a 7 1/2 ft, 4 wt rod.

I prefer a graphite rod with medium fast action, i.e. enough flex in the tip that it loads well and feels smooth on short casts, but has plenty of backbone for long casts.

Some people do prefer rods with slower action than that, such as the Winston graphite rods, or fiberglass rods.

This is simply a matter of casting style and preference.

 

[steveo27]

I have two 3Ws that I use.

One is a cheapy 'glass Eagleclaw 6'6" Featherlight and the other is a cheapy graphite 7'6" Cabelas Three Forks.

I enjoy fishing both of them depending on the stream size. I overload both of them with WF4W line and both do what I need them to do.

The 6'6" is perfect for me for small streams. I can easy throw a 15ft cast with it. Ive found more often than not if I am fishing a small stream Im doing more roll casting and bow & arrow casting vs traditional casting.

I fish the 6"6" a lot on the small mountain streams in the Laurel Highlands with no problems.

Another nice thing about them being cheapy rods is I dont feel so bad jamming them through brush or dropping them when I slip and fall.

 

[Bogey]

Hey guys,
I went with the superfine glass 3 wt,7ft. It was extremely accurate casting in the lawn. I took it out today at white clay and had one of my best days (25+ fish in less than 3 hours), landing each fish with a look of amazement at the rod and a smile on my face. I am now a glass convert and will eventually look at the 4 wt.7'6 for larger streams.

I will post a stream report when I get my pics in order, but just wanted to give a thanks for all the feedback.