Washington Fly Fishing Forum banner

Echo Glass 7'10" 5 wt. ?

Fiberglass 
2K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  clarkman 
#1 ·
This morning I cast three 5 wt. rods, and ended up falling in love. Seriously.

First was the Vapen 9'. Meh. Fast rod which I thought I might like, but it wasn't a standout.
Second was the Orvis Superfine. I liked it a lot, and didn't think it was too soft.
Then….the Echo Glass 4 wt 7'6". O-M-G!! NOW I see what you are all crowing about with glass!

I can't get over it, and it's been a couple of hours. It was the sweetest rod, and as the fly shop guy said I was throwing it as far as the Vapen with better accuracy. I want one.

BUT…not in a 4. I need something a little stronger and have some greats 4s including an original G series Scott. They didn't have the 5 wt. Question is, because I might to get it on spec, is the 5 wt. very similar to the 4? If it is, I'm totally done shopping unless someone has strong preferences elsewhere in the same $200 -$300 price range. Thanks, guys. ~John

I should add that 90% of my fishing is from a pontoon, tube, or skiff. I don't fish rivers much anymore. Too much work, too many people.
 
See less See more
#5 ·
If you want to demo various glass rods, check out The Fiberglass Manifesto. Cameron has a demo program and has a bunch of rods you can try out for a short period of time.

FYI, it'll take someone prying my Steffen 8' 5/6 from my cold dead hands before I'll ever give that rod up.

I have the Echo 4 and quite frankly was a little under-whelmed. Nice rod, feels great when fighting fish, but it's just not versatile enough. Now my Lamiglas Honey 7'6" 4wt on the other hand...pure money.

If you can stretch that budget a little bit, get a Steffen. Or, you could get a blank and build it yourself if you're so inclined. My Lami came in waaaay under your listed budget. So if you're prudent in your search, there are deals to be had. Also check out the Fiberglass Flyrodders Forum...classifieds.
 
#8 ·
If you want to demo various glass rods, check out The Fiberglass Manifesto. Cameron has a demo program and has a bunch of rods you can try out for a short period of time.

FYI, it'll take someone prying my Steffen 8' 5/6 from my cold dead hands before I'll ever give that rod up.

I have the Echo 4 and quite frankly was a little under-whelmed. Nice rod, feels great when fighting fish, but it's just not versatile enough. Now my Lamiglas Honey 7'6" 4wt on the other hand...pure money.

If you can stretch that budget a little bit, get a Steffen. Or, you could get a blank and build it yourself if you're so inclined. My Lami came in waaaay under your listed budget. So if you're prudent in your search, there are deals to be had. Also check out the Fiberglass Flyrodders Forum...classifieds.
Randall, I didn't see any classifieds on the forum, but maybe they aren't viewable until my membership is confirmed? That's a great site, thanks.

Not being able to test drive the larger Echo, and reading a myriad of comments about how great the Steffan is, and given people seem to like their #5 8' which is precisely what I can use the most, I think I will give this a little time.

All I know is no more fast graphite rods. I have plenty, and didn't realize how much more fishable the slower rods are until this spring when I blew the dust off the little Superfine, used a cheap IM6 graphite, and fished the CTs.

I loved the #4 Echo, but I'm covered there and light only in 5s. Rather than spend $200 or $370 and find the rod not being quite right, I just ordered a $28 Eagle Claw 8' #5. i know it's not what I want, but I think it will give me a much better idea of what I do want in a final product. Looking forward to learning from all the glass guys, thanks.
 
#7 ·
Randall, thank you. FWIW, this rod will either be a staple rather than a backup, or a complete novelty rod, not in-between like say a CT. The Steffan is $370 I think. The Butterstick is net $170 after a free line and the Echo is $200. There is not much difference there over time. As to the novelty rod idea, I haven' t rejected picking up an Eagle Claw to screw with it while looking around a bit. I know it's not the same but for $25 it's glass and might give me some direction on what works for me. If not, Goodwill tax receipt.
 
#9 ·
I honestly think that the Eagle Claw is pretty underrated as an actual fishing tool. Cheap and poorly made, yes...but once you hook a fish on it, you'll be "hooked"

yes, you have to be a member to see it. in fact, there might be a minimum number of posts you need to have in order to look at it, but I'm not sure.
 
#10 ·
I've cast those Eagle Claws and they are darn fun. Jack Devlin has one he named "The Margerine Stick" as a cheaper replacement for the Butter Stick, which is also a fun caster. There was something sweeter about the Steffen rods though, so so smooth. I love glass!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ron McNeal
#12 ·
Since I started this thread, and with some help from the experts, I finally figured that out. First the 5/6, next the 3/4. If one deal I'm working on doesn't come through I'm tempted to get an old Fenwick to start. I cast the 756-4 and loved it.
 
#13 ·
I picked up a new to me Steffen 5/6 8'6"-3 last night. Interesting thing is I cast an identical rod over the weekend and liked it, didn't love it. This time I tried a 6 wt. Rio Grand and the rod came to life and casts like butter. I can see this one quickly becoming my favorite rod out of the 19-20 I have.

Special thanks to everyone who helped me, especially Randall and Lugan. I could not have made a good decision without the guidance. Glass rods are so varied each model even within a line can be so different and intended for different applications. I was lucky to be able to try some out first, but if you're sure of your applications there are a lot of glass enthusiasts that will gladly help.

i never though I'd sell my 4wt. original Scott G series rod, but I might be convinced to trade it in for a glass equivalent. Thanks again and now on to the search for a 3-4wt.

John
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top