The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Ouch!

ECHO fly rods are tough, and this is something I’ve learned over a long stretch of time. While I do not recommend doing silly things like the photo above reveals, it is but one more example of how durable Echo fly rods are. This is what happens when I loose my grip on a fly rod handle when inserting or removing it from a ceiling rack at my cabin. the rod bobs and hangs while I shriek and wait for the shaft to break. So far they have not, and this is not the first time I’ve made this error. Thanks to Tim’s drive for great casting rods that are also very durable, I have been saved the humiliation of breaking rods in this manner. And no, I have not fished this rod since this event so I guess we will have to see if it is damaged or not! I have goofed with ECHO 3 SW and PRIME rods in this same manner and gone on to fish them with no apparent ill effect.

ECHO Warranty: All ECHO fly rods are covered by a lifetime original owner Warranty that is among the best in the entire fly fishing industry.

The fly fishing industry is in a constant state of flux based on new material and manufacturing technologies; design modifications, consumer feedback, and yes, the value of the dollar in a world of global trade.

Folks who know me understand that I appreciate the opportunity to fish many brands of fly rods, reels, lines, leaders and such forth. That said, I have a deep understanding and appreciation for a few of these, and ECHO fly rods are among the brands that I am particularly well acquainted with.

This post is a quick update on some of the goings-on that are radiating from the Rajeff Sports site in Vancouver Washington, where Tim Rajeff and his adept staff are on the cutting edge of rod and line design – while I’m the lucky end-user of their new or modified products.

Kindly forgive the fact that these are not studio glamor shots of the gear,  just simple images to set the stage for each product.

Echo ION XL fly rods. Here is a great example where Tim took an already great and modestly priced fly rod, switched up the cosmetics, decreased the swing weight of the rod, maintained the durability and dependability—with a decrease in consumer price. Amazing. My ION was a great rod before, now it looks sharper and costs less. Go figure.

Echo Shadow II. This specialty nymphing fly rod was redesigned prior to 2016. How so? Tim and Pete Erickson preserved the core elements that make this a great European style nymphing rod, but they added a little more flex in the butt section thereby making this long rod (10 ft for the 2 and 3 wt models versus 10 ft 6 inches for the 4 wt model) more user friendly as a casting tool rather than a purely high-stick rod. The rod is light and a joy to cast dry flies and small wets on the Deschutes or wherever you consider your home waters, and is well worth trying as a dual purpose fly rod. The addition to the Shadow II line for 2016 was adding the 2 wt to the rod series.

Echo Dec Hogan II. This is a rod that was re-designed a few years ago but that I only had a chance to experience in 2015. I liked the first DH spey rod series, and I love this DH II. I especially like the 6.5 wt because it gives me a genuine ‘tweener that has more power than the 6 but less than the 7 – as if anyone really cares. These spey rods allow you to really feel the load and are tremendous fun to fight fish on.  Tremendously easy to cast, anyone who swings the two hander should love these rods. I fish the seven wt in winter and the 6.5 in summer.

Echo Boost. Less expensive than the Echo 3 SW rods. More expensive than the ION XL. Faster than the ION. Powerful Fresh and saltwater fly rods, these are tough fly rods that you can overload and pull hard on but are super casting tools. If you like to power out your flies and wrangle fish giving little quarter, these rods sure are fine to fish. I fish the 8 wt for rockfish, lingcod, and king salmon. Solid performance.

Echo Base. In my opinion, these fly rods over perform and are under priced. I fish the 8 ft 4 wt rod and it casts like a rocket. Seriously, if you told me this was an 800 buck rod I would believe it based on the casting it delivers. Of course the components are budget minded on this sub-hundred-buck rod, but if you fish any of these you will be amazed at how well they cast.

Echo Glass Switch and Spey rods. These are economical and fun to fish. I love the 3 wt and 4 wt rods fishing sea run cutthroat and summer steelhead in the coastal lakes. I fish the 8 and 8 wt spey rods for kings and winter steelhead. These take some getting used to after the fast recovery rods we have become accustomed to, but in terms of having fun fishing and playing fish these are superior rods. I thought initially that my casting range would be restricted by these slow rods, but it is not.

Echo Glass single hand fly rod. I have the 5 wt and LOVE it for trout fishing, plus I have also caught summer steelhead on this rod with small dry and wet flies. This rod will not cast as far as the BASE or Echo 3 rods in the five wt series, but it casts plenty far for my needs. In this photo I’m actually pulling on a summer steelhead on 5X tippet.

The Gen 2.0 Airflo Skagit Compact is noted by the blue hue on the rear of the head.

Skagit Gen 2.0 Skagit Compact Spey Head. Not a fly rod but what the heck. I have fished this line and find it performs very well, especially when paired with the new Super Dri Ridged 30 LB floating running line. 

The generation 2.0 skagits are shorter by about a half foot per size, and the rear taper is about a half foot longer. Overall, these skagit compact upgraded designs just make an already fine line even better.

The new super dry running lines have a black large loop that is I think tougher than the original line loop and is a nice visual cue to recognize how much overhang you have at your rod tip. The new super dry coat on these running lines is superior to the previous line coating and these are slippery and float better too.

Echo Carbon XL. The carbon is another Echo fly rod that is lighter and a tad less expensive in 2016. Good before, still good now, you can not go wrong with the fly rod.

ECHO 3 SW new titanium stripper guide on right (upper).

Echo 3 SW fly rods. These already excellent fly rods have been very slightly upgraded for 2016, with a titanium insert first stripper guide and a tip acton that is reportedly some 6% softer than the former models. I’m told that only expert casters will notice the difference but Tim Rajeff made the change to give these rods a slightly better feel when loading on short and moderate range casts. I loved the rods already and these changes only make them better. Fantastic fly rod at a fantastic price. Still, if you can afford it and want a rod in the 8 and up class, give the PRIME a serious consideration, I can’t imagine anyone regretting it.

Echo PRIME. This one piece fly rod is a fast action beauty that I love to fish offshore and in the estuaries for everything that swims within my casting range. At 8 ft 10 inches, this is a fantastic, light, tough-as-nails, fly rod. I’ve fished kings, silvers, rockfish, lingcod, and albacore with these rods available in lines wts from 8 – 12 only. The eight wt makes a fantastic all season rod for salmon. The the wt is acceptable for albacore (i usually fish the 12 wt though) and I have yet to find another 10 wt that I would fish albacore with. Is the one piece construction a problem? Not to me. And I have never broken one of these either. And I fish them hard too.

ECHO 3 Switch Rod – seven wt. Not changed, just a dependable great switch rod. I fish the 7 wt with a 450 Airflo Skagit Switch compact or 375 gr OPST Commando head on the coastal rivers, and this is a fantastic steelhead switch rod – light, powerful, casts long and short and generally a pleasure to fish all day long.

Echo 3 FW  – 10 ft six wt. When I’m feeling like indicator fishing, this is my go-to rod. Light, powerful, casts far and handles fish with authority (wow nice phrase)  this is a great fly rod. As this fly shows, I also swing flies with this rod fishing my indicator line or a OPST Commando head.

ECHO Gecko kit with rod, reel, line, and leader. It is snappy bright to appeal to the youngest potential angler but this is no toy. At 7 ft 9 inches, this forgiving action fly rod has a short fighting butt to make two hand assist casts and the shaft is sturdy enough for the rod to take considerable amount of messing around poking at salamanders or just generally whipping around when not actually fishing. At under a hundred bucks for the rod only and well under two hundred for the complete outfit, this is a great fly fishing starter combo gift for very young anglers.

ECHO BASE Fly Rod – Reel – Line – Leader combo kit. offered in line wts 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 – these combo outfits offer the ready to fish outfit in a carrying case at well under two hundred bucks. All Echo/Airflo, and all durable highly fishable gear, these are wonderful starter combos, backup combos, and gifts.

ECHO PIN. Not a fly rod, I know, but I’ve fished these rods two full seasons and can report that they are a delight to fish for steelhead and chinook. My Centerpin casting skills are so rudimentary that I often just strip cast off the reel, and I’ve had some bonafide snarls in my line playing fish but these long rods at 13 ft cast great and have full flex action to absorb the surge of big fish while still making five pound steelhead seem like linkers. If you fish a center pin rod, this is a great option. Am I an expert in these rods? Heck no. But I’ve fished a lot of rods over the last fifty plus years and can recommend the PIN as an honest to goodness great value and effective steelhead/salmon “bobber” rod. Rated for 8 – 12 Lb line, Ive fished 15 when the going gets tough.

ECHO TR (Tim Rajeff) Two Hand rod series.  I have no image for this rod and do not normally fish this rod, but I have fished it and have several friends who count this as their number one two hander. Met a fellow recently who has a seven wt TR spey rod and was helping him tune his casting. Wow. This is a cannon. With a  powerful butt section, this TR is on target for powerful casters who like to push out the heavy tips on skagit heads. This is a long proven rod design and there are none tougher.

Hope these notes pique your interest, time for me to head out and hitch up the boat to go trout fishing on the town lake.

ECHO offers many more fly rods plus over roughly 20 fly lines, and great leader materials and various Polyleaders, Flow tips and custom cut sink tips too. I have fished most of these products (not all) and would be pleased to offer my thoughts if anyone calls or emails me.

Same goes for SAGE, SCOTT, WINSTON, LOOMIS, RIO, SA, HATCH, BURKHEIMER, and the entire range of great tackle I am fortunate to be able to fish. With so many solid options out there, I hope to be able to guide anyone into an outfit that fulfills your fly fishing dreams.

Jay Nicholas, March 2016

Fluorocarbon and traditional steelhead leader options – are they all good?

 Saying that you are fishing Fluorocarbon is like – well – it is not very informative. There are many Fluoro brands and formulations on the market, and I have only fished a few, but I have learned that they are very VERY different.

Compared to nylon monofilament, Fluorocarbon is:

Denser/harder: this makes is paramount to keep your leader wet and lubricated when tying knots. If you do, your knots will be strong and secure. I sometimes carry a chapstick to lube my knots.

Sink rate – faster: This means that fluorocarbon is not necessarily superior when fishing dry flies, although this is up to you to decide.

Less stretch? Gosh this is a tough one since I have not tested it on fancy machine myself. Whether Fluorocarbon stretches less stretches less than mono is a factor not all reviewers agreed on. I think after reading all the tech info on the Internet that fluorocarbon may indeed stretch as much or more than mono – but its hardness may fool people into thinking that it does not stretch. Honestly, I’m not sure on this one.

Abrasion resistance is generally greater for the hard Fluorocarbon formulas but may be less abrasion resistant in the fluoro that is manufactured to emphasize suppleness and small diameter – depending on the specific product

Less visible –  but this is probably irrelevant except when you are fishing in very clear water.

Equivalent knot strength – as far as I can determine, good Fluorocarbon leader and good knot tying skills yield the same results as if you were using mono.

Superior resistance to UV deterioration – but  this is only seems important if you save spools of leader a long time and it is exposed to light for extended periods.

Less water absorption – compared to mono.

Variable stiffness – whether your Fluorocarbon leader is stiffer or more pliable than mono depends varys greatly between products, just as it does with mono leader.

Higher cost – Your Fluoro leader will cost more than mono.

Best knots to use – Improved clinch, non slip loop, loop knot, double surgeons knot, double uni knot( to join two pieces).

Maxima Ultragreen. This is mono. It is great stuff. It is under labeled. By this I mean that the 12 Lb Maxima is really more like 15 Lb in any other mono. It is thick but tough. This may be my all around all species if it was all I could use leader.

OPST Fluorocarbon. New product, the spools are smaller so they fit in less space, they have great stretchy grips holding the leader. The labels are waterproof –  a unique feature that is really nice. I have used this enough and lost enough flies up in trees and on rocks to be confident that it is indeed strong and durable. No fish landed yet but I think this is a winner.

Rio Salmon Steelhead Mono. This material is new in 2015 and is dependable. Make no mistake however. this 12 LB is actually thinner than the above pictured 12 Lb Maima and is what I would call a true 12 LB. it is not fair to compare this RIO 12 head-to-head with Maxima. I fish this regularly and it is dependable.

Hatch Premium Fluorocarbon. No,   I do not have a micrometer, but I think this material is thinner than the 12 Lb Maxima pictured above and is about the same strength. I fish this material regularly for spring chinook and have complete confidence in it.

Airflo Sightfree Fluorocarbon Salt. New stuff, like the OPST, my experience is limited to break offs in trees and on the river bottom, not on fish. It is tough and as near as I can determine, every measure as dependable as the Hatch Premium Fluorocarbon material. I remain completely baffled at how these manufacturers come up with the decision regarding how they will label the diameter and break strength. They all seem to be drunk as far as I can tell. This AIRFLO Fluorocarbon formula is my choice for steelhead and salmon, not their other fluoro brands, which seem better aligned as trout and small fly leaders (they are softer and more supple).

Rio Fluoroflex Fluorocarbon. This is an old time dependable for my saltwater and salmon/steelhead fishing. I would compare this material very favorably with the Hatch, AIRFLO, and OPST materials. I know this material will not fail me.

Are there some bad brands of Fluoro to avoid when salmon steelhead fishing?

Probably. But each of the mono and fluoro leader options shown in this review have proved themselves to me sufficiently for me to recommend them all without reservation. I am biased. Most anglers are a little weird about their leader choices. Maxima Ultragreen is the tippet I have used more years and have the most experience with. I do remember that I found myself with  several spools of 12 LB Ultragreen that was crappy. It was weak. At least I decided it was after loosing several Chinook. I discarded the spools, and had no problems thereafter. I have also had experiences with hooks over the years when some lots of hooks had improper temper and either bent or broke too easily. Overall, anomalies are rare with lines, leader, and hooks, but anomalies in manufacturing are still possible.

Overall, I’d say that any salmon/steelhead angler should be able to purchase any of the leaders I’ve shown here, and go fishing to decide what you think for yourself. You decide about the diameter in hand versus what it says on the label, You decide whether the labeled strength is real or a marketing strategy.

Me? I’ve got all of these leaders and am happy to tie on any of them when I’m fishing steelhead and salmon.

Hope this helps confirm or clarify whatever suspicions you may have about mono and Fluorocarbon leader materials.

My best to you on the water and at the fly bench.

Jay Nicholas, March 2016

This image is simply a teaser to let the reader know we are going to be talking about fly lines. Several of these fly lines are now obsolete. Where we once had our double taper and weight forward lines that never changed for a decade, now it seems that fly lines are morphing ever few years, with new lines being introduced every year in some cases.

I received a note recently from a friend who is a very experienced a fly fisher/tyer. I pass it on as an introduction to my brief response. The fact that an experienced fly angler is growing more confused as time goes on is a fair representation of what is happening to many of us. Me included. Each year it seems that fly lines become more complex. I make a point of understanding fly lines and fishing as many as I can so that I may provide customer service and help people select proper rod/line combinations. Each year, I find the process a little more daunting.

This is not a new dilemma.

I found a detailed post from 2011 linked here on fly lines – this post will be yet more proof that we, as fly fishers, continue to be baffled by many aspects of fly lines.

First the enquiry.

___________________

Jay: As a noted scientist, author, and fly fisher maybe you could pen a few notes on the “amazing world of fly lines” or “how to match a line/s to a rod/s”. It is a bewildering world indeed. Rio, Airflo, SA et al all have line recommendations for most of the fly rods available. They all have different grain weight recommendations, of course, and few of which actually match those suggested by the rod manufacturers themselves. At least Airflo has the good sense to print the line type/size on the line. Rio goes as far as separating out good and bad caster recommendations. You got your skagit, scandi and switch lines. You got your full length, compact and short heads. Scandi gets even worse with polyleaders. Things used to be so simple when we had a few rods with a few lines. I have a hard time even keeping an accurate inventory of lines on a spread sheet, let alone knowing which storage container they are in, or on which spool, or on which reel. This whole mess has come to the forefront once again as I try to match up scandi lines, etc with the rods I already own in “fat chance” anticipation of making a trip to Nova Scotia or Gaspe Peninsula for some salmon fishing before I get too old. Damn Henrik Mortensen videos…

Take Care,
An experienced fly angler
Anytown

________________________________________

I checked our online catalog just now.

We offer 62 RIO fly lines,  43 AIRFLO fly lines; 57 Scientific Anglers SA fly lines;  plus fly lines by Wulff, Hatch, Cortland, Beulah, Sage, and so forth. I have researched many of these fly lines and should be an expert. I’m not. I do know some cool facts like relative core strengths of several fly lines, which lines do and don’t have loops at front and rear line ends, whether the lines are labeled as to rod weight or head grain wt, and some general taper features.

I can’t begin to cover the entire scope of fly lines here so I’ll grab a few nuggets and hope that these help.

I’d also add this note: sometimes we hurt ourselves by over-thinking fly lines. We may be prone to believe that there is a perfect line taper or weight that is the ONLY line for each rod.

In my world, this just isn’t so. I’m no expert caster, I string up a line on a rod and go fishing. I’m surprised when I meet customers who obsess over very small differenced in the weight of their fly lines. These hyper-sensitive casters are tying to find a line that will allow their rod to balance (whatever that means) in their hand when casting. While I listen I’m thinking:

1.  Will you have 30 ft; 45 ft; or 60 ft of line out of the guides when you want the rod to balance?

2. How much does the fly weigh?

3. How much does your reel weigh?

4.  Do you have 100, 150, or 200 yards of backing on your reel – and how much does this backing add to the reel.

5.  Where on the handle is your reel located (distance from the butt)?

6. What is the overall length of the rod handle?

7. Where exactly will you grasp the handle along it’s length.

By the time I get down to Number 7 I’ve decided that all of these (and other) factors introduce so many variables that I’d best just throw on a fly line and go fish it, because it’s probably going to work just fine.

As far as I’m concerned, it is difficult to find poor fly lines these days. I fish fly lines by RIO, AIRFLO, Scientific Anglers (SA), and Wulff. I have friends who fish VISION fly lines and Beulah fly lines. SAGE and ORVIS offer  good fly lines too. And many of these brands offer leaders too.

OMG – I have completely lost track of any point I wanted to make in this post.

Line storage and organization: I recommend the OMNISPOOL Switch Box storage system as a simple to use means of keeping fly lines twist free and labeled.

Line match guidance: The RIO 2016 Spey line chart is great. So is the AIRFLO line chart that offers recommendations for all ECHO rods.

Note that RIO manufacturers their spey lines in 25 gr increments, but AIRFLO uses 30 gr increments. In my opinion they should get their act together and use one increment or the other, and I think it makes a more confusing process of line comparison for us as angler consumers when these folks fail to align their wt graduation system.

Grain window concept. If you look at many line vs. rod charts, especially for spey and switch rods, you will generally see that the manufacturers say that you can cast the rod with at least three line classes. Some rods will say they match with a 480 gr, 510 gr, and 540 gr Skagit lines. This is a reminder that our single hand rods will fish just fine with at least three line wts too.  You may be fishing a five wt nine foot trout rod and it will cast satisfactorily with lines labeled from 4 to 7, especially if it is a fast action rod. Note: my standards for casting well are far more forgiving than expressed by some fly casters. I have found that I can cast well enough with a wide range of lines that are a little lighter or a lot heavier than the exact wt of the rod’s recommended line weight.

I mention the forgiving nature of the rod’s grain weight window as a way of saying – relax – throw on a line and go fishing, it will probably work out just fine.

Is it possible to fine-tune a line to a rod? Absolutely yes. With the opportunity to cast several fly lines on a rod, you can figure out which feels right for your style, normal casting distance, flies fished, and so forth. I’d never suggest that any old fly line will be perfectly matched with your favorite fly rod. All I’m suggesting is that it is possible to go fishing and have a good time – casting adequately – with a wide range of fly lines.  Whether you decide to zero-in and find the fly line that will be “best” for the particular rod is up to you.

How to figure it out? Good question.

I look at line charts, and I ask the experts working at fly shops too. Not every person working in a fly shop will be able to recommend the best line for every rod. Ask if the person can help. Ask if they have experience with the specific rod and line. If necessary, talk to your friends and see if you can borrow some fly lines to try out on the rod you are tying to match with a line.

Fly line trends.

1. Labeling all fly lines as to gr weight or rod wt size. This is very good and helps us all figure out what we have on a reel or in our hand.

2. Low stretch cores. FANTASTIC for detecting strikes. RIO seems to be leading the pack in this product feature

3. Species-specific fly lines. You have your bonefish line, redfish line, striper line, brown trout line, tarpon line and sea run cutthroat line. When I research the taper of each line and its core and such forth I often wonder how different these lines really are. This strikes me a little as over-kill but I suppose many consumers find it simpler to ask for a Redfish fly line if they are headed out the door to fish with a guide for redfish for the first time. Heaven help us if someone catches a bonefish on a permit line. Decide what you will, this is a common trend.

4. Lines with super strong cores.If you are going to fish for big fish with heavy leaders you need stronger fly line cores, now you can select these and be on target. This is a super nice feature and one that is worth your time to look into.

5. Shorter heads on many lines. Skagit Spey heads are getting shorter and shorter, and the OPST Commando is the latest example of this trend. Expect more line manufacturers to follow this trend. The OPST Commando Skagit head is a prime example that other brands are likely to follow shortly.

6. Heavier heads on many lines. These lines make it easier for the average skill level angler to cast at short range. I like this trend. Back in the 1960s, Wayne Doughton taught me to fish a 7 wt Cortland Type III sinking line on my five and six wt fly rods when we were chasing sea run cutthroat. Lining up with heaver lines allowed us to minimize back casting and maximizing the time our fly was fishing.

7. Loops on one or both ends of the line. Great idea – BUT – the front end loop will often be cut into by the leader loop. Sometimes I just cut off the loop and nail knot a short heavy butt to the fly line to resolve this issue.

8. Tougher front-end loops are being made that are far tougher and will not be cut by the leader. Thank you for this.

The Caddis Fly Shop stocks a wide range of fly lines for single hand, switch rods, and spey rods. We offer every fly line you can imagine through our internet catalog. If you want it, we can probably provide it to you promptly.

If you are not sure what line you need, shoot us a call or email and we will do our best to make a decent recommendation for the fly line that will meet your individual and situational expectations.

Final thoughts on brand preference in fly lines. Every of the big three (RIO, AIRFLO, SA) produce very good fly lines. Our shop and guide staff sometimes prefer certain brands for certain line configurations, and we may have more expertise with some lines than others. If you are a RIO flyfisher and just prefer RIO lines, I’m pretty confident that we will be able to recommend a RIO line that will be superior performer for your.

The same is most likely true if you self-identify as an AIRFLO flyfisher, or an SA flyfisher. So relax, dip your toes into the waters of modern fly lines, and allow us to help make recommendations if you think it might help.

Thanks always for your interest, support, and good spirits on the water.

Jay Nicholas – March, 2016

PS: I know this post did not explain every line in the universe, but – along with the 2011 linked post, I hope it helps take the anxiety edge off many of our readers.