Fly fishing the GBFS 3 Weight Graphite Rod

Fly fishing the GBFS 3 Weight Graphite Rod

by Ed Mashburn

I appreciate a good tool whether it is a saw that cuts straight, a garden tiller that starts and runs every time I need it, or a fly rod that works and puts me in contact with fish.

This spring at the start of the Covid19 isolation, I ordered a matte green graphite three weight fly rod and associated guides, handle, and reel seat from GB Fly Shop. The ordered stuff arrived within a week, and it took me only a couple of days to put the rod together. I added an appropriate reel and I overlined the rod one step- a weight forward four weight floating line- and I took the new rig to the local lake for a try out. At the end of the first day, I knew I had a winner. The bass and bream I caught on this little rod were a lot of fun, and I enjoyed using this rod very much.

How Does the GBFS Three Weight Work?

I really do like the way this rod picks up the line and loads it up behind me on the back cast. I tend to rush my casts when I'm on the water and trying to get a fish to bite, and this rod is very forgiving and helps keep the line moving and straight through the entire cast.

And I have found the rod to be very good and solid when I have cause to set the hook. I fish small poppers and other topwater flies a great deal for the bream and bass I catch here locally, and this is not the easiest form of fly fishing to do. A too-soft and “mushy” rod has trouble setting the hook in a topwater fish- at least in my hands it does. This graphite three weight is very good at allowing a good hookset when a big bream sucks down the popper.

And playing a good bream or bass on this rod is a real blast. The rod takes a good bend without being soft and floppy as a good fish makes a run. I think this rod would be totally suitable for smaller stream fishing for smallmouth bass or trout, and I think with the right line, it would be great nymph rod. It telegraphs gentle takes from fish quite reliably.

Evaluation

As with all of the rods I have put together using GBFS materials, the graphite three weight I built assembles quite well with supplied reel seat and handle, and the line guides all are quite well-made.

Perhaps the thing I enjoy best about this little rod is just how light it is and how strong it is at the same time. I've hooked and caught some decent bass over two pounds on this rod, and I never felt under-gunned or that the rod could not handle the larger fish.

Combine the strength, the light weight, and the really good casting qualities of this little three weight rod, and I think anglers are going to have to pay a whole lot of money to find a rod to equal this one.

For less than $35 this four-piece blank is the start of a very nice rod for smaller water applications.