Best 3 Weight Fly Rods in 2023

In this post, I’ll cover the best 3 wt fly rod on the market in 2023

About 15 minute’s drive from my house there are two beautiful trout rivers. Depending on the beat I fish, I could be casting at a rising rainbow with the taste of the day’s first coffee still lingering in my mouth.

In that regard, I am privileged to live near such amazing fly fishing destinations. I’m saying this not to make you envious, but rather to introduce you to the fishing I do with my fly rod 80% of the time.

Our Top Pick 3-Weight Fly Rods

Best Overall: Moonshine Vesper
Best Budget: TFO BVK
Best Top-End: Sage ESN

These freestone rivers are, at most, 3 to 4 rod lengths wide and produce fish up to 15 inches long. Obviously, as with any fishery, you do get larger fish, but in general, that’s the maximum size.

Compare 3wt Fly Rods

The average size is between 7 and 12 inches.

To target these fish successfully one needs to put away the heavier 4, 5 and 6 weights. You need something delicate, accurate, and subtle. You need a 3 weight.

In this post, I’m going to list not only the 5 best 3 wt fly rods you can buy, but also list some key things to look out for when shopping for these lighter weight fly rods.

Let’s get started.

Best 3 Weight Fly Rods 2023

When choosing the perfect 3 wt fly rod, you’ll likely be looking at a price that’s best for you, as well as the length and the quality of the build. In the list below, I’ll include all of this valuable information, plus some pros and cons for each rod.

1. Moonshine Vesper

• Length: 10’6″ & 8’6″
• Action: Moderate-fast
• Pros: Super lightweight, great for euro nymphing, excellent blank recovery
• Cons: Not great for long casts

We’ve reviewed and tested quite a few of the Moonshine Vesper series rods in different weights, as well as some of their Epiphany rods as well and we feel that the Vesper is the best 3 weight fly rod of 2023 thanks to it’s great price, excellent build quality and Moonshine’s legendary after-sales service.

This rod is built like a premium rod but for a more mid-range price tag. It feels great in hand and it has an amazingly fast blank recovery rate, especially when compared to the cheaper Epiphany 3 weights.

What sets the Vesper apart is the warranty that Moonshine offers and just how great their service is.

I had a minor issue with the butt section of my rod that may have been damaged in shipping and I contacted Moonshine and they had a new section sent out to me for free within a week.

I love this rod. I love the casting feel, the build quality, the aesthetics and the way it feels in hand. If you’re looking to get into Euro Nymphing, then you can’t beat the 10’6″ Vesper with it’s well-balanced fighting butt.

If you just want a normal dry fly or light nymph 3 weight, I’d go with the 8’6″. Both are excellent rods.

Don’t miss my Moonshine Vesper Euro Nymph Review.

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2. Temple Fork Outfitters BVK

• Length: 8 feet (10 feet with extension piece added)
• Action: Fast
• Pros: Lightweight, 10 feet conversion kit
• Cons: Finish quality isn’t as good as more expensive rods (expected for the price)

The Temple Fork Outfitters BVK (named after one of our sport’s greatest contributors Bernard Victor Kreh) has been around for a while now. Better known for its impressive 8 weight, this range has an incredible 3 weight offering.

Once you pick the rod up you’ll notice its very light in hand. Although the BVK series is classified as fast action, the three weight does feel smooth.

As an 8 foot rod, it presents dries and small streamers beautifully and accurately. The trick that this rod has up its sleeve is the optional extension pieces (+$150) that convert it to a 10-foot nymphing rod.

For around $400 you can have a potent dry fly rod and a capable nymphing rod.

Read More: Check out our In-Depth Hands-On Review Of The TFO BVK Fly Rod.

3. Echo Shadow II

• Length: 10 feet
• Action: Fast
• Pros: Dedicated nymphing design, tremendous value for money
• Cons: Better for short casts, harder to get line speed on long casts

The Echo Shadow II is packed with clever features that make it very capable at what it is designed to do. In my opinion, this is the best 3 weight fly rod 2023 has to offer.

These include a matt carbon finish that prevents rod glare and the first line guide is positioned on the butt section of the rod making line control easier.

To balance the fishing set up effectively, you can purchase dedicated counterweights that screw into the butt of the rod.

The rod tip is extremely sensitive allowing you to detect the faintest takes – should you be tight line nymphing.

When fishing in close quarters and only the leader, tippet and flies are out of the rod’s tip, I find that it has enough backbone to turn over multiple flies.

Echo has, in my opinion, one of the best value nymphing rods on the market today with the Shadow II.

If you’re considering this rod, check out my in-depth, hands-on Echo Shadow II Review.

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Trident Fly Fishing
AvidMax

4. Thomas and Thomas Zone

• Length: 7 foot 6 inches
• Action: Medium – Fast
• Pros: High quality, lifetime warranty, made in the USA
• Cons: Not anything, really. Amazing rod.

Here’s a very interesting offering from one of America’s greatest rod builders – Thomas and Thomas. Their Zone series is very popular for being a good value for money saltwater fly rod.

But here, I want to introduce you to the smallest brother of the series, the 7 foot 6 inch 3 weight.

Even though the 5 to 10 weight renditions are built on fast action blanks, Thomas and Thomas have slowed down their 3 and 4 weight models. They’ve also chosen to make use of single foot guides and a hook keeper.

The result is one of the best trout fly rods that you can use to fish dries, small streamers, and nymphs.

Considering this rod? Don’t miss Complete Hands-on Review of the TFO Zone fly rod.

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Trident Fly Fishing

This is one of the best 3 wt fly rods for smaller rivers. It delivers dry flies and smaller streamers with ease. A perfect trout rod. The material also makes it very durable, so you’ll be able to fish it for decades to come.

If the price is too high, the rod is also available in a “build it yourself” kit. This kit comes with everything you need (parts, material, tools and manuals) to complete the rod.

Who wouldn’t want a rod that they can say: “I even built it myself!”

Did I mention that, in doing that, you’ll be saving over $400?

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From the handle’s cork quality, the components used to the clear coat on the guide wraps.

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Compare At:
Trident Fly Fishing

Complete Your 3wt Fly Rod Setup:
Best 3wt Fly Line
Best 3wt Fly Reel
Best Trout Flies For 3wts
Best Euro Nymphing Fly Rods

What Makes a Great 3 Weight Fly Rod?

In order to look at the aspects that make the best 3 weight fly rods, we need to have a look at different fishing styles.

You should also have the best fly reel to match the weight of your rod and line. If you’re looking for the best beginner fly rods, you may want to consider purchasing the perfect 3 wt fly rod is as part of a fly fishing combo, which will include your reel, line, rod and usually some extras.

A popular method for 3wt fly rods is the traditional dry fly style. This usually entails making use of a leader between 9 to 15 feet.

The flies are lightweight and range from size 26 to 10.

The manner in which these flies are presented are crucial for the success of this method. It is of paramount importance for the leader to turn over effectively.

The new kid on the block is called nymphing. This is a very broad term used for a wide range of nymphing styles.

In general, these methods are derived from successful competition casting techniques. I would like to touch on this briefly as well.

Although both of these methods can be executed by making use of a general 3 weight rod, there are inherent differences between a rod dedicated to each of these techniques.

Fishing Techniques on 3 Weight Fly Rods

Before we dive into this, I would just like to mention that both of these styles can be executed, with great success, with either type of rod. You can cast a dry fly very well with a longer nymphing rod and you can definitely do tight-line nymphing with a shorter dry-fly rod.

Dry Fly 3 Weights

The best 3 weight fly rod for any application relies on 4 main factors. Length, action, presentation, and fighting ability. Let’s look deeper into these aspects of a 3wt fly rod.

Length

In general, these rods will be 9 feet and shorter. One of my favorite 3 weight dry fly rods is only 7 foot 9 inches long.

Action

Mostly, these rods are designed to have a medium to medium-fast action. Bending deep into the rod, they give that wonderfully smooth feeling which is associated with dry fly rods.

Presentation

As mentioned earlier, one of the features a proper dry fly rod needs is the ability to present a fly delicately. When a trout feeds on the surface, any excessive disturbance will spook it.

With the slower rod action, you’ll have more control over the line speed, enabling you to present the fly delicately.

The rod should also be able to turn over the leader effectively. There’s nothing that spooks a trout more easily than a heap of tippet on the surface of the water.

Fighting Ability

A good 3 weight fly rod must assist in protecting light tippets. In the rivers that I mentioned earlier, it’s not uncommon to fish tippet down to size 7X when fish are spooky.

During the fight, make sure that you make use of a substantial bend in the rod so that the rod’s tip can absorb shocks and not cause the tippet to snap.

Nymphing 3 Weights

The best 3 weight fly rod 2023 has to offer is often going to be a rod with nymphing in mind. Euro nymphing and competition nymphing has become so popular these days that many rod builders intentionally develop their signature 3 wt fly rod for nymphing applications.

Length

These rods will be at least 10 feet in length. The extra length allows the fisherman to produce drag-free drifts by minimizing the amount of line on the water. He/she does this by extending their arm in the air.

Action

These rods will not have the same slow feeling that their dry fly counterparts will have, but will still have a sensitive tip. This is crucial for the success on these rods as it transfers information from the flies to the angler.

Presentation

When fishing in close quarters, as you so often do while nymphing, it is rarely required to let any fly line out of the top tip of the rod. This is because, in general, you make use of very long leaders (sometimes in excess of 20 feet).

A nymphing rod will be capable of casting multiple flies to a target, utilizing these long leaders.

Fighting Ability

As with a 3 weight dedicated to dry fly fishing, a 3 weight nymphing rod needs to be able to protect very light tippets. Its also advisable to make use of the rod’s tip during the fight – so make sure it has a proper bend in it.

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Conclusion

If you are fishing small rivers or target fish that are on the smaller side, a 3 weight is an essential weapon in your arsenal. It offers better tippet protection and has the ability to present flies more delicately.

We’ve covered some of the best 3 weight rods available today.

Some rods are dry fly specialists, others are dedicated to specialist nymphing techniques and some are good all-rounders.

I hope that this writeup gave you some clarity on the method(s) that are most suited to you and that you could relate to some of the methods used.

As always, please feel free to share this post with your friends. If you have any questions or require more information on certain topics discussed here, do let us know. We’d love to have a chat with you.

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