Three Wt. Rods - A rookies perspective

[bob3700]

I have a three acre pond behind my house and get a chance at pan fish often. There are some large sunfish that really offer a fight and are a lot of fun to catch.

Have been fishing them with a 5wt. Sage Approach and a 6Wt. Winston B111x (I also fish these two rods for Trout, just not in my back yard). Both of these rods seem too much for the majority of fish that the pond has. You can over power these fish pretty easy with either of these rods.

My thoughts have turned to a 3Wt rod. Went to my fly shop the other day and cast a bunch of three Wts in various lengths. St. Croix in both 7 and 7 1/2 lengths. Sage Approach 8 1/2 and Circa 8 1/2. Winston Nexius and BiiiLS in 8 length.

The short rods (under 8 ft.) just didn't match my casting style at all. It seems that I tend toward slower action rods.

I liked the Circa the best. Very light wt. and had a very good feel, was very accurate out to 40 ft (all I would ask of a 3Wt) and presented the fly very delicately.

Both Winstons' were 8 footers and had the softest (BIII LS) presentation (like butter). The fly appeared to just drop out of a tree! I really want to try this rod in an 8 1/2 or 9 footer to see how it compares to the Circa.

Didn't have a chance to cast a Scott or Orvis as they don't carry those brands. Am I missing anything by not casting those two?

What about a reel to go with either a Circa or the Winston. Does it need to be a light reel. Most really light reels don't carry much line (30 - 50 yds), but that may not be a major factor as you are not casting distances like a 6Wt rod.

Thoughts?

Bob

 

[wjl]

Cannot comment on the 8 ft 3 wts but I do have a sage vt2 3 wt 7'9" and a Winston wt 7'6". The Winston hands down is like a feather when tossing small dries. The sage works well for all around.
I got to cast a Scott G2 (equivalent to Winston LS) was a very nice rod, just not in my budget.
As for reels yes you can light like a galvin brookie or a Orvis cfo II and a DT line.
Hope this helps:wiggle:

 

[tcorfey]

If you like a slower action you might want to try some of the 3wt fiberglass rods.

The Reddington Butterstick in 7' 3wt is one that comes to mind. Or the Orvis Superfine Glass.

But I can second the Sage VT2 7'9" 3wt as a nice rod. However, I overline it with a 4wt line and like it even better.

As far as trying the Orvis or Scott rods you will only know if you try them. It is worth the extra time in my opinion. At least then
there is no doubt in your mind.

 

[scotty macfly]

I second the fiberglass rod suggestion. I have read great reviews on the Superfine glass, but have not casted one. I do own a Superfine Touch which has the full flex and is very fun to fish with, but I believe the Superfine Carbon has replaced the Touch.
As for fiberglass, I have a Scott F2 7' 3wt which is the most versatile of the family. The 6.5' 3wt most people say is the gem. I picked the 7' rod because I like a little more versatility. But I must agree that the 6.5' is a darling of a rod.

 

[shifty242]

I also agree that panfish/bluegill/sunfish are a lot of fun on a fiberglass rod. A new Scott F2 will be $500-600 bucks, but there are other options as well. The Orvis Superfine Glass has already been mentioned. But don't look past the Eagle Claw Featherweight for $40. Echo has reasonably priced 3wt and 4wt glass rods or you can order a DYI kit from Carl at Swift Fly Fishing.

 

[troutbum_74]

I also agree that panfish/bluegill/sunfish are a lot of fun on a fiberglass rod. A new Scott F2 will be $500-600 bucks, but there are other options as well. The Orvis Superfine Glass has already been mentioned. But don't look past the Eagle Claw Featherweight for $40. Echo has reasonably priced 3wt and 4wt glass rods or you can order a DYI kit from Carl at Swift Fly Fishing.

Where does one find the eagle claw featherweight these days?

 

[bob3700]

I did some searching on-line and found a like new Sage Circa 8' 9" for $400. Don't think I can pass that up as it felt the best and matched my casting style of the 5 or 6 rods I tested.

Appreciate the info on the glass rods. I have two, an old Wonder Rod and a Fenwick. Don't know how to rate the Wonder Rod as far as wt goes but the Fenwick is a 6 wt. They are both pretty stout rods for the pan fish.

Going to give the Circa a try. Can't get hurt at that price plus it was the one that casted the best for me. Good feel and nice soft presentation of the fly.

Just need to figure out which real to pair it with. Looking at the Nautilus FWX reels. Which reel, the 1-3 or the 3-4? You can get more line on the 3-4 but is that really a factor. Both reels are within .2 ounces of each other. Would you know the difference?

Bob

 

[Curtis]

My absolute favorite three weight, in any price range, is the Redington Classic Trout. Lucky for me that my favorite also costs $150..... Or right now is on sale online through Cabelas for $89. I have both the 8.5 and 7.5 foot version and cannot begin to say enough good about them. They are a nice, deep flexing moderate action but have good reserve power as well.

They also have a six piece, 3 weight, though I have never tried that one. Have only had the four piece rods.

---------- Post added at 09:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:02 PM ----------

Where does one find the eagle claw featherweight these days?

Cameron at the Fiberglass Manifesto sells them.

 

[r reese]

7ft Winston WT 3wt I use it for everything warm water to trout. don't target big fish but have caught several in the 4 lb range and did just fine. Great rod

 

[rangerrich99]

Everyone's already given you several good choices as to the brand of rod, so I'll just comment on the length. If you're mostly fishing ponds with it, I'd suggest going with a longer rod, so maybe 8+ ft. That way you can get a bit more distance with accuracy when the fish are 'out there,' which seems to happen to me more often than I care to think about.

Peace.

P.S. About the reel. I'd think you'll want a light reel. If you're not averse to click and pawls, I'd look at Orvis' Battenkills, Redington Drifts, Abels TR 1s, etc. I have both Battenkills and Drifts and like both, though the Orvis is better made and just looks better for about the same coin ($100).

 

[shifty242]

Where does one find the eagle claw featherweight these days?

The Fiberglass Manifesto: STORE

 

[horsehead]

Cabela's also has their two glass rods on sale right now (CGR and PRIME) with free shipping. If I had a pond behind my house, I'd be looking real hard at the PRIME one piece glass (heck, I don't have a pond behind my house and I bought the 5wt anyways!).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[retreive]

Have a custom made 3 wt.
Great disappointment1!!! Glass, flimsy, cant do squat!!
Well, that's it

 

[huntschool]

I dont know for sure but I would think Feather-Craft in St. Louis would have a Scott for you to try. Ya might just give them a call. If you can see the arch they are on Manchester so its like a short drive for you

I fish almost all Scott stuff (Orig. G and G2) and really like their feel. JMHO

 

[fly_guy12955]

Get you a 3wt fiberglass rod and you'll always be glad you did.

 

[shifty242]

Have a custom made 3 wt.
Great disappointment1!!! Glass, flimsy, cant do squat!!
Well, that's it

Are you sure you were using it correctly?

 

[these go to 11]

The favorite rod that I own is an Orvis Superfine Touch 3wt 6'6". I use it primarily for chasing brookies on small water, but it can do more than that. It is awesome for going after sunfish, and it can make them feel like monsters. Last summer, I caught a slab sunfish that I thought was a decent brown with the way it went to the bottom right away on a local trout stream that I had never even considered catching pumpkinseeds in. This rod has also handled 20 inch bows and browns when I have ventured downstream to bigger water. The accuracy is great and the fly goes right where I want it to. It is a pleasure to cast and well made. It's worth checking out. The Superfine glass may be worth a look in 3wt as well. I have cast the 4wt, and will be picking one up very soon.

 

[bob3700]

What type of line is appropriate for a Circa 8'9" 3wt rod.

Have see folks talk about Rio Gold Trout LT in a weight forward or double taper.

Curious to see what your experience says.

Bob

 

[bob3700]

Got a chance today to cast the Winston Biii LS in 8' 6" against the 8' 9" Sage Circa. Both had 3wtf line.

If you put a piece of tape over the brand name, you really could not tell the difference between the two.

For me, the Circa had a touch more feel in the rod tip and that gave me a little bit better feel for the rod loading. It also was very accurate in the 40-45 ft. range with a bit of wind blowing.

Also looked at reels for the Circa. Tried the Lamson Speedster 1.5 but it was too light and the rod was tip heavy.

Put a Hardy DD 3000 reel on it and the balance was perfect. This reel has a large arbor and over 3" diameter. This might be the perfect reel for this rod in my hands.

Just wanted to update you on the rod selection progress.

Bob

 

[tcorfey]

Good job Bob it seems to me that you are going about your decision in the right way. I think you will be very happy with the end result!

Congratulations.