The 7'6" 3wt Standard

Many anglers who fish small streams around the country consider the 7'6" 3wt fly rod as the standard model for most environments. It certainly is versatile for a wide variety of small streams. Through the years, I have acquired a few of them looking for the perfect rod with the right action in my tiny Rios and small streams. I'm talking about my Home Waters that are found running in the mountain tops and high altitude meadows of New Mexico. These streams don't hold large trout for the most part. An 8" to 12" trout is what an angler can count on for action in these streams. When you net a trout larger than 12" in these streams, well, you think you caught a hog of a trout.

Below are the rods that get packed for fly fishing adventures...they each have designated stream environments where they shine.

Winston BIIt 7'6" 3wt rod - The rod's sensitive tip with traditional action is perfect for my small steam fishing. That tip will protect your tippet while tight lining a trout and the boron butt section will help you land the larger trout that sometimes surprise you. It has that famous "Winston Feel" that I like with my IM6/WT rods, but it is a tiny bit firmer allowing longer casts. The photo is the stream where I enjoy this rod most. Yeah, I would say it's a contemporary classic worth having.

Orvis ZG Helios ION 7'6" 3wt rod - This little wand was built in 2008 and originally came with dual sliding bands on the reel seat. The bands were tiny slivers of gold anodized aluminum. It seems that gold reel seat hardware was a theme for Orvis rods in that era. I never cared for the gold bling thing, but loved fishing this rod. So, one year I modified the reel seat and replaced the gold rings with black cap and sliding band hardware. Now it's as satisfying to my eye as it is to fish in those tiny Rios of mine. This rod is mid-flex, with some power, and has brought many trout to my net. It's a keeper that still gets fished often.

Winston IM6 7'6" 3wt rod - This rod is a custom build by Marty DeSapio who is known back East for his bamboo rod making skills. The rod was built in 1997 and may be a G-Loomis supplied blank to Winston. Difficult to know for sure. What I do know is this rod is about as sweet as it gets for fishing small streams. The action of the taper, that "Winston Feel", all make for one of the best rods there is in this lightweight rod category. It's one of those rods that is effortless to cast and has the sensitive tip for protecting light tippets...very effective for keeping the fish on the line all the way into your net. This Winston model is magic as far as I'm concerned and the rod design will remain perfect for many years to come. The new-tech rods still don't reach this rod's capabilities. It's a rod that is a true classic and iconic in many ways. Tom Morgan knew what he was doing when he designed this rod. Update: Ben of Flatcreek Rods upgraded the reel seat in 2023.

Sage X 7'6" 3wt rod - This is a rod with power (as far as 3wts go) and I rig it up for small to medium size streams where long casts are beneficial. A fast rod with a sensitive tip, powerful butt section, and can shoot line like crazy. Because of the firm blank, I have to be mindful of managing the drag when fighting a trout. If I get too aggressive in a tight line moment, it is easy to lose the fish. That's not a negative, just a skill required of the angler when fishing with this rod. Talk about tight loops...it can throw them with the best of rods.

Scott GS 7'6" 3wt - This G Series is the current model from Scott and is quite good. It's a medium fast rod with a very sensitive tip section. And, it feels very light. I'm still experimenting with fly lines on this rod, although I do believe I have found the winner. This rod model is going to find much success for the Scott Fly Rod company and I enjoy fishing it! I have to be honest here...I bought this rod to save my classic Winstons from fishing in places where accidents are prone to happen (broken rods).

R.L. Winston: I have fished the above rods extensively and find the Winstons are more satisfying for creek fishing. That "Winston Feel" was intentional by design and is a perfect action for those who love creek and small stream fishing. And, as good as my 7'6" Winstons happen to be, I have other Winstons that are even better in shorter models. Nope, nobody pays me for saying that. And, Winston doesn't even know who I am...

Note: click on photo for larger view