I am planning on purchasing an echo switch rod very soon. Which is fun. 30 lb Ridge Extreme : 50 lb Ridge Extreme. Switch rod recommendations are for two-hand spey casting; subtract 60 grains for single-hand or overhead casting. You are sight fishing and need to fire a cast very quickly. I’ve been so pleased with the performance of these fiberglass rods that I now consider them a permanent resident of my cabin at Pacific City. The Echo River Glass 5wt 8'0" Fly Rod is perfect fly rod for the small to medium sized creeks and streams. - YouTube Get the best deals on Switch Fly Fishing Rods when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. The Echo 3 freshwater fly rod series has an extremely diverse set of rods ranging from a 7 6 3wt trout rod to a 10 8wt Steelhead and Salmon rod. Apply power on back and forward strokes smoothly with a gradual transition and save the most power for the last portion of the stroke. This rod is available in 2 switch rod models an 11′ 3WT rod and an 11’4″ 8WT rod. You'll get full glass feel out of that rod. Photos by Elgin Rahaming. It’s a great fishing and casting tool. I doubt that anyone wanted our fly rods to get heavy again, but a little extra weight might be worthwhile if accompanied by better “feel” when casting, deeper flex when fighting fish, and greater resistance to the impact of misdirected bead heads traveling at Mach 3.5. The Echo 4 wt seems to be a true 4 wt. I love the 3 wt and 4 wt rods fishing sea run cutthroat and summer steelhead in the coastal lakes. The rod comes in a nice natural colored cordura case with sock that’s a “rounded-triangular” shape. The other rod I fished during the week was a similarly sized Sage METHOD 12’6″ #6, and I definitely could feel the difference. And for $300 you can easily afford to pick one up for a second (or 3,4,5) rod. I find it a little strange that I’m writing about fiberglass fly rods in 2018. We had briefly “grass-cast” the rod at our shop a few weeks ago during a visit from ECHO rep Brandon Prince. There’s a lot more room for error when a manufacturer decides to go down the glass road. ECHO FLY FISHING IS A PRODUCT OF RAJEFF SPORTS. Recently though, rod manufacturers are paying a lot more attention to light weight switch rods and that’s been a game changer. The vertical axis indicates the rod’s power, while the horizontal axis indicates the rod’s action. Watch out Walleye. The perfect place to try it out. I need to slow down a little more to make the longer cast. I fished the ECHO glass 95% of my trip, lined up with a Airflo Compact Scandi 480gr head. They don’t quite have the same ‘feel’ as the rods of old. The very first thing I ought to say is this: Echo Bad Ass Glass fly rods are not your typical freshwater trout, switch or spey rods—these are very powerful saltwater fly rods that generate high line speeds and deliver serious lifting power. The big concern with fiberglass (or bamboo) is the extra weight you’re carrying while holding your rod. Good job ECHO. Here’s the product intro from Red at ECHO via Midcurrent: So, there they are. ECHO RIVER GLASS FLY ROD Anglers fish glass for a long list of reasons. I never felt that I didn’t have enough rod or distance, but I could get to “the end” of what the rod was capable of doing comfortably. I openly admit that. The 8′ QS and 9′ BAG rods are perfectly suited to fighting Chinook in the 6-24 pound class—these salmon put an impressive bend in the rod, but the rod was clearly up to the task. This series from Echo encourages castability at both short and long distances and is a testament to Rajeffs expertly designed rods. 3wt would be fine for those stockers! We review Echo’s best selling fly rods below. Casting is effortless with this rod at short and medium distances. Robert. The four piece pearl green blank features chrome snake guides and silicon carbide (SIC) stripping guides, an anodized aluminum reel seat, and a full Wells style cork grip. Instead, apply power later in your forward stroke. At least a few anglers and rod designers began to imagine a return to fly rods that delivered some of the desirable features of glass rods. No tuna this time, but this rod was tons of fun to flight tuna on in 2017. Like the glass rods I've tested, the Echo Glass 474-3 is heavier than a comparable graphite rod. You'll be amazed how cool a 8" fish is on a rod like that. We like the 3 weight for ultralight trout spey with small streamers, and the 7 weight is the most popular steelhead rod. The grip is a classic “cork-only” style that you rarely see anymore. I cast a traditional WF fly line a little farther with the 9′ than with the 8′ (I think). The blank is a classic glass color I believe aficionados refer to as “honey”. We wanted to cast farther, with tighter line loops and higher line speed. I really like the reel seat. Amazon Influencer . 5 out of 5. Another way to phrase this point is to say that applying too much power too quickly runs the risk of collapsing the rod. Tim Rajeff's Echo Fly Fishing is the culmination of his huge personality and an outlet of both creativity and service to the industry. Very cool and the olive wraps look great on it. No, it doesn’t have 15 colors of burled and rubberized cork spaced throughout it. With the resurgence of fiberglass fly rods, it was only a matter of time before someone brought archaic glass technology to the two-handed market. A glass Spey rod for $300 could sell as a “gimmick” rod. Bad Ass Glass rods are engineered to cast in harsh environments and fight strong, hard-pulling fish. Action The ECHO 3S is fast, but not unnecessarily so. You'll need a 2wt or 3 wt soon, but a 4 is a good place to start the disease. My current go-to switch rod for trout has been the Echo … It really has few weak points, and for most anglers it may be all they need. The 4 wt switch is equal to a 6 wt singlehanded rod. Somewhere along the way, I think, the incremental improvements we gained in casting performance we gained with successive generations of graphite rods were coming in such small increments that the typical fly angler was incapable of discerning the difference between “old” and “next gen” graphite fly rods. The ECHO Glass Series will be priced at $200.00. ECHO River Glass ECHO Shadow II ECHO Shadow X Echo Streamer-X Echo Traverse Kits ... Switch Rods. My 7+ was a touch on the light side, but I would have used it without complaining. The actions of the newest fiberglass fly rods continues to impress me, and this one was no different. I make the same 50-80′ casts with my BAG rods that I make with fast action fly rods, fishing fly lines that feature both modest and aggressive weight forward tapers. I think using a 510gr line (or a longer head) would have added a few feet and some “punch” to the end of my  longer casts. 6'3" Two Weight 6'9" Three Weight 7'4" Four Weight 7'10" Five Weight Each of these fly rods will be three piece models and will have a downlocking reel seat hardware. Echo Dry Fly Rod Review ... With my softer rods, I would have 3 choices. There is quite a bit of filler in the grip, but grips I see on rods costing 3X as much have the same. Utilizing this chart, you’ll be able to choose an ECHO rod that best fits you and your personal casting stroke. The point here is that the timing of my 50-foot cast is a tad faster than the timing of my 70′ cast. Customer reviews . These rods will not tolerate your impatience. Fit & finish are very nice on this rod. Onsite Associates Program . This is a fishery that requires perhaps a thousand casts between grabs—I choose the lighter swing weight of the #8 BAG rods over the #9 rods. Customer Review: Top 10 Must Have Fishing Gadgets. Casting in environments where you will have brush or boat gear behind you may call for the longer BAG. The River Glass series carries a traditional feel, old-fashioned componentry, and a user-friendly design. Shane Townsend recently put this review together of ECHO’s new River Glass fly rod. Back to making 50-foot versus 80-foot casts, I can look anyone in the eye with a straight face and claim 70′, but the 80′ might need to be wind aided. Which is fine by me. The very first thing I ought to say is this: Echo Bad Ass Glass fly rods are not your typical freshwater trout, switch or spey rods—these are very powerful saltwater fly rods that generate high line speeds and deliver serious lifting power. If I was packing for Smithers today, it would be the first rod in the car. I will find out shortly here on the Missouri. While the slow action makes you think Skagit, it throws a Scandi with power and accuracy, though you do need to nail the timing at longer distances. All for now, but expect to hear and read more about the ECHO Glass Spey and Switch rods from us this winter. Switch rods in the 10’9” to 11’4” range offer such incredible versatility but once they hit 11’6” to 11’9”, you’re not single handing anything with them unless your Doc is on standby for your forthcoming Tommy John surgery! The ECHO Glass two-hander is a great rod, and what I would call an unbelievable deal. Let’s say that you’re fishing from a boat—you may need to cast very quickly, minimize the number of false casts, and make sure your back cast doesn’t foul another angler or the boat rigging—these conditions all favor the 8′ QuickShot. Echo Glass Spey and Switch rods feature sensitive tips to protect tippet when slinging surface patterns on a dry line, and plenty of “sneaky power” to catapult long, heavy sink tips with ultimate ease. So, if you’re a fan of glass, don’t miss this review. Thanks Tim, another winner! Giant rivers like the Thompson, and very windy rivers like the Snake and Deschuttes come to mind. I found the rod light enough to balance with a Hatch 9+ no problem. We wanted rods that were lighter and lighter and lighter, faster and faster, thinner and thinner, less and less wind resistant. I've looked at Blue Halo but, from what I understand, you pay $100 extra for a 2-time warranty. The Echo 3 fly rod series features powerful rods that are fast-action and encourage a quick casting stroke. We wanted fly rods that felt light in hand and wouldn’t wiggle and bounce when we released our forward cast. The Echo fly rod line has been years in the making ever since Tim started casting competitively at the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club in San Francisco. Utilizing this chart, you’ll be able to choose an ECHO rod that best fits you and your personal casting stroke. A glass Spey rod for $300 could sell as a “gimmick” rod. The slow action and extra weight do make mending a breeze, however. The Action vs. Power matrix is used for comparison between ECHO rod models. More importably, those new to two-handed fishing can get a great rod without selling your roommates gear on ebay. Steelheaders looking to increase their “hook-to-hand” ratio will be impressed with the way these rods absorb the energy of active, unpredictable fish. Leave it to ECHO to be the first with a production model (there are some blanks out there), and they’re bringing both switch and spey models to us this winter. ©2017 HEADHUNTERS, LLC – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Missouri River Montana Fishing Report 11.5.14. 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