Wanted to Buy: 8'6" or 9' 3 wt fly rod

Notices Things Wanted
1

I broke my favorite “all around” rod for fishing small to medium size streams here in the dirftless area and am looking for a replacement. I’d like to get an 8’6" or 9’ 3 wt graphite rod with med-fast to fast action. I am not interested in a 8’ or shorter rod or in a long 10’ nymphing rod. Looking to spend $300 or less. If you’ve got something that might be interest, I’d be happy to hear from you.

2

John -

I hope someone has something that you would like and can make a reasonable deal for a used rod.

But if nothing works out for a used rod, I suggest looking at a TFO BVK 8’6" for 4 wt rod, currently retailing for $250. It is a fairly fast rod to start with, and if you underline it with a 3 wt line you might end up with just what you are looking for. ( And with a good warranty behind it .)

For the past few years I’ve been fishing, for the most part, a BVK 9’ for 5 wt underlined with a 4 wt line and really like that combination. This past week or so, I got out my GLoomis Streamdance 9’ for 4 wt and underlined it with a 3 wt line and really like that combination for closer in ( out to about 40’ ) fishing. I’d recommend the GLoomis Streamdance, my all time favorite fly rod, but it is priced well beyond your target figure.

John

3

Thanks John. I actually own a BVK, but mine is a 10’ 4wt. The BVKs are definitely fast rods and a good value. There are surprisingly few 8’6" - 9’ 3 wt rods especially in the moderate price range. Everyone makes 7’6" 3wt and increasingly 10’ 3wts, but not much in between. I may just step up to a 4wt which seems to have a lot more choices around 8’6".

4

Check out the classicflyrodforum site. Someone just listed a Sage 9 ft 3 wt. for sale for $225.

Dave

5

I have a Winston cutthroat that I think is 9’ 3 wt, but am not home to check it. If you are interested, I should be home in a few days and will let you know.

6

John -

Check into this https://www.tcoflyfishing.com/products/redington-classic-trout-rod-3wt-86-4pc

7

I have a St. Croix Imperial 9 foot 3 weight I would let go for125 bucks shipped and insured. It is only a 2 piece rod with rod sock and cordura tube.

8

Thanks for the offers and suggestions. I’ve sent the broken rod back to Redington and they said they’ll give my a credit, so I think I’m going to buy a new Redington. Thanks again.

9

Just a final update for those of you interested in rod manufacturer customer service …

The broken rod was a Redington RS4 8’6" 3 wt. I had purchased it new in 2009 for $169. It had a lot of fishing days on it and had already been repaired twice when it recently broke the 3rd time. I sent it back to Redington and they quickly confirmed that the rod could not be repaired or replaced since it was no longer stocked or manufactured.

Redington waived the usual warranty fee and offered me a 50% coupon on a single order. I thought about both the Classic Trout and Hydrogen, but after reading So after reading some reviews, I decided to buy a Redington 9’ 3wt Hydrogen for $149 (retails for $299).

Overall, I’ve been pretty happy with Redington products and customer service – certainly a good value.

10

Let us know how you like the new rod. I do like Redington reel but never owned one of their rods.

11

I have a Hydrogen 9ft 5wt. Best rod I have. Amazingly smooth action.

12

I have an Orvis Unsanded Superfine 8’3" 3wt Western I would part with. The Westerns are more of a Medium 3-to-4wt.

13

Redington gave me a 50% off promo code and waived the warranty and return shipping fees, so it cost me $150 to upgrade from my 10 year old broken rod to the new Hydrogen. That seemed like a very fair deal to me. So I placed the order and received my 9’ 3wt Hydrogen a week or so ago.

I have since lawn cast and fished it a couple of days. I wanted a longer 3 wt for occasional tight-line nymph fishing and I really like the new rod for that. It’s got plenty of reach for most of the small streams here in the driftless area and good action / feel for short-line nymphing casts, drifts and strike detection.

I’ve also fished it with a hopper and dropper. I didn’t like the new rod quite as well for hopper / dropper fishing as I did my old rod (which was a little shorter and faster), but it handled the task well enough with a little adjustment on my part.

After two pretty full days fishing, I also appreciated the rods very light weight (Redington specs the rod weight at 2.3 oz). The rod has single foot guides, a skeletal reel seat, and a simple matte black wraps and finish all of which contribute to a minimum of fatigue.

Overall, I’m very happy with my experience with Redington and the new rod. I think the rod will be an excellent all-purpose, all-day rod for fishing small streams here in the driftless. I’ve got other rods that do certain things better than this rod, but this rod fits the bill when I want one rod that does everything pretty well.