Brian;

I got the three forks 3wt this spring, and have caught a TON of Crappie, Gills and Bass on it this year. I bought the combo with the Prestige reel, which is decent too. Mostly over my lunch hour at work. It casts really nice for me (better than either of my 5 wts) and is a ball to use. Some of the bass have been around 16" and in the weeds and caused no problems. I was using 2x tippet however.

I was told at one of the Cabela's that if I was there during the week when it is slower, they would be happy to go out and let me cast a number of rods. If they are close enough for you, that might be a good option, cause they seem to have a pretty wide array of brands and weights.

Good luck with your search!

Don