I am hoping to get a new fly rod soon. I primarily fish a 5wt and I also own an 8wt but I would like to get something like a 3wt in order to fish some smaller streams with ease.
Anyone have a suggestion for a good rod? Rod/reel combo?
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I've been fishing a Redington 8' 3/4 wt with a Lamson reel for a good 12+ years and it's been a great creek rod. I've never had any problems with it.
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I was in that exact same situation last year - I have a Sage 5 wt and a Redington 8 wt and wanted a 3 wt.
I ended up getting a TFO BVK 8 ft 3 wt and I absolutely LOVE it. It's my favorite rod now. It weighs in at a whopping 2.4 ounces so you barely feel it even casting all day. It casts really well, comes with the lifetime warranty etc., and it's pretty cheap too. I would highly recommend it.
I paired it with a TFR P CLA 3/4 reel mostly because I wanted a matching set, but so far I haven't had any complaints at all about it. For a three wt I would say the rod quality is more important than reel quality so a different reel would likely work just as well. There are plenty of higher quality reels out there than mine, or you could probably even go cheaper and be just fine.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
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I fish the tfo mentioned quite a bit and love it. Only thing I would say differently is get a reel with good drag for it. You won't need a higher end reel on creeks. But come winter time when u toss size 22 dries with 7x on warmer days it will make the 3 wt your go to rod , it will flex more and be more forgiving on the light tippet, and you will need to use the drag on your reel if fishing either the Sf or nf with that lighter rod. Just what I have switched to and it has worked better for me in The winter months vs trying to toss small dries/light tippet with heavier rods. Hope that males sense.
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I have a Three Forks 7.5 ft 3 weight
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-T...l+Products
For an inexpensive rod, it has been amazing. I love how responsive it is and the length is great for small streams. Cabelas is pretty good about warranty, but at this price I am not as worried about toting it through the willows.
I also have an eight and half foot St Croix 4 weight that I love too, but it is longer than I like for the little willowy brush monsters.
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I second the three forks rod. I would get this and pair it with a decent reel. like b marsh said for small streams an expensive reel is not necessarily needed. I used to fish the 3 forks but then bought a redington crosswater in the same size. it is a lighter rod and i like the action slightly more. I personally would devote the rod to small stream fishing like you said. Iike Bmarsh said a 3 or 4 wt is great for protecting small tippets but I would say get yourself a 8 foot or 8.6 4 wt simply for the casting distance
I go with a rod and reel that wont break the bank for small streams. because
1. I am targeting smaller fish than the larger rivers
2. casting distance is very short
3. Its the small streams that I always seem to break stuff on
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Redington pursuit. 3wt. Is a faster action, and comes either 2pc or 4pc. I have the 7'6" with a Ross cla#1 I got a good deal on. Love them both.
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