If it is a super big fish, say over 20 pounds all you can do is point the rod tip at the fish and play it with the line. Your tippet will let you know if you can land it or not. We used to fish for Pink salmon with 5wts 10 lb test mono for a leader, 6 lb tippet. Occasionally a 40lb plus Chinook or 15 pound Coho would take us to the backing and way beyond. You just hang on till the tippet breaks. Better tippet than tip top.
For God's sake, Don't Quote me! I'm Probably making this crap up!
Fishaholic....
With a good 3wt...fish whatever they're hitting on! Really....drys. nymphs. streamers, trailers....ANYTHING! Good luck and Best Regards......
Exploring the waters of western Montana...
I caught a 5 lb. largemouth on my 3 weight yesterday, from the bank. You can handle a decent sized fish, though of course not in heavy cover. I had a 3x (8 lb) tippet on .
I used size 8 and 10 gurglers on gurgler-pop style flies up top, and mostly gill buster or wooly bugger types lower down. An #8 upside down marabou muddler is great too. The bass yesterday hit a size 8 "Plan B", as seen at the website below. It is hard to cast heavier flies from a canoe, at least for me as my rod is only 7'6", but it can be done.
http://www.warmwaterflytyer.com/patterns3.asp
Russ
I have caught and landed carp that are 30" plus on my 3 wt and with 6X tippet material. Don't be in a hurry and try to horse them with light tippet. That 3 wt will throw number 6 hooks wrapped with lead and a tungsten bead with no problems. Maybe can't throw 9" muskie flies, but go have fun because fun is what is in front of you. Enjoy and you probably won't use a 6 wt again unless you want to chase steelhead or something very big indeed.
Rick
Well, there are fly sizes that are certainly easier to cast with a 3wt, and ones that are harder. A big weighted streamer, for most casters, would be a bit more difficult than a #16 Adams. It wouldn't be nearly as pretty a cast, anyway. Conventional wisdom is great, but it doesn't mean you HAVE to do what "everyone" says.
I used to fish a spot that had lots of 18" fish in it and a 6 or 8# fish wasn't that hard to find if you kept your eyes open and paid attention. Good hatches, reasonably small water, perfect (IMO) for a 3wt. One day I was fishing it with the 3, and after releasing one of the big ones, had a gentlemen approach me and criticize me for using too light of a rod on the fish. Guess he saw it bent into the cork or something, as I hadn't fought the fish that long before landing it. Shortly thereafter, I hooked another similar fish, and the next gentleman berated me for not "playing" my fish long enough. I pointed to the first gentleman and suggested that he discuss it with him, not me.
I get twitchy when the fish (trout or steelhead for me) go into double digits, poundwise, with a 3wt in my hand. More because I am not used to fighting fish with the first two feet of the rod rather than the middle. Given room and decent tippet and a skilled person holding the rod, it can be done, and regardless of what you may hear, it does not necessarily mean the death of a fish through an overly long fight (again, the skill of the angler is the limiting factor). For a 20' wide stream, throwing a #16 dry fly, and the average trout (ten to twelve inches for the vast majority of us), a 3wt is great. I suspect most people would say that if you are throwing hoppers, and were chasing 20" trout, a 5wt would be more appropriate.
I am not most people.
thanks for all the help guys. I appreciate it.
God Put Fly Fishing Here For You And Me! Take Advantage Man! Take Advantage!
AKA GeorgeMcFly
Fishaholic69 -
Generally, I would be right down the line with DG. But I'm not as good a caster, so I tend to let conditions like wind and fly size and distance to cast dictate my choice of rod weight.
Biggest fish on a 3 wt was a wild 21" bow in some fast water. Not a problem.
Best fishing on a 3 wt is a small creek with big trout taking little dries.
John
The fish are always right.
Personally I'd watch out for anything with a bead head. Bead heads flies like to break 4wts and under. That fly carries a ton of force with it when it is travelling past the rod tip. If it happens to hit the rod near the tip, say goodbye to your rod.
Yeah, if you rod is warranted for life that is great but that won't help you when it happens when you are fishing, plus a LOT of rods are continually discontinued and finding an exact replacement any more is hard to come by.
Good fishing technique trumps all.....wish I had it.
Interesting fly, this beadhead adams nymph. I fish dry adams quite a bit, but I've never used it as a caddis imitation. In my mind, an adams is a generic mayfly imitation. I tie mine exactly the same way I'd tie a BWO or PMD or Hendrickson, just with different colors. Floats as well as any of those.Originally Posted by J Castwell
That being said, that beadhead version looks like a fishy nymph.
I own a couple of 3wt rods I use for trout in small streams. Casts medium to small dries and nymphs just fine. Even small streamers work OK.
If you're gonna use it where there's a possibility of catching larger fish, keep a couple of things in mind. 1. There's a chance you might break your rod. 2. There's a chance you'll kill the fish since you'll have to play it longer than you would on an appropriately-sized rod.
If you can live with these risks, go nuts.
fishaholic69,,,,,,
I was going to let this one go as you'll have a ball with that 3wt. and, land plenty of fish without harm or breakage.
Go to: www.byrdultrafly.com and get information from 40 years experience, or, purchase Tom Wendelburg's book, "Catching Big Fish on Light Fly Tackle."
Regards, Jim
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