Our pal Warren Moran wrote this review of his Echo Carbon 9′ 4wt. 4-piece:
A Good Stick: Echo Carbon 9′ 4wt. 4 pc.
This is a great rod and a nice compromise between power and grace. It’s also something everyman can afford.
The matte finish on the blank and reel seat are really nice. It’s about time they got around to this. I can’t tell you how may times I think I’ve put fish down with a shiny rod. If you’ve ever been looking for a buddy fishing on a wild stretch of river just look for the rod glare – it’s the fist thing you see from a half mile away.
As far as casting goes this thing feels like a 3 1/2 wt. and likes a slightly slower casting stroke. With a SA Trout taper WF-4-F line it seemed to have a moderate action – not slow at all with plenty of power lower in the blank with a soft tip for nice presentation. Should handle some wind and be able to present very small flies to big fish. I’m thinking this will be a good stick for easing trico spinners and midges in front of at big browns on the Owyhee.
The only downside was the grip size. It’s a bit thin and delicate for my mitts but I can live with it.
Here is a video from Jay Nicholas, talking about Echo fly rods:
The warranty and service from Echo are great, they are quick to ship we like working with them, Tim Rajeff is an excellent rod designer. -CD
