# Echo rods



## gh_estero (Feb 22, 2019)

I've had a few and they tend to vary based on wt and model. I've had an 8WT E3S-ti and 8WT EPR that were not great. I also have a 9WT EPR which is one of my favorite and most used rods and a 12WT EPR which I don't have any problem with at all, though I don't use a 12WT on a regular basis. Which model did you get?


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

The new Prime rods are great. Very light in the hand but powerful and accurate. I'd be curious to see what model you got. I love their freshwater rods!


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## black_drum (Mar 9, 2019)

Salt boost 8wt. Guides breaking and epoxy is bad it seems


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

Guides on the Echo BAG Quickshot series aren’t great either, very soft it seems and ceramic insert tends to pop out on stripper guide. The guides on the 4 times less expensive Cabelas CGR series are much better and more durable. I believe Cabelas used genuine Fuji guides on those CGRs. 

Not impressed at all with the guides or overall build on the Echo. Haven’t looked closely at the epoxy lately to look for cracks.


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## Greg Allison (Mar 13, 2018)

I had an Ion 8wt (original series) with no issues, but sold it because it weighed about 6.0 oz. I would call the company, they might want to know about it.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

black_drum said:


> Salt boost 8wt. Guides breaking and epoxy is bad it seems


You definitely would want to send it back. What's the conditions where you fish where you are using it for?

About 2 yrs or so ago, I felt up the Salt Boost, the EPR and the Ion XL at the Compound Board Shop, located in Sarasota, FL (cool lil shop). And funny thing, I actually like the action of the cheapest one of all those, the Ion XL and found it wasn't a bad lil rod for the $$. However, not "owning one" I can't comment on the hardware or coating of the rod.

In the case of yours there, it's definitely a manufacture defect and it's on them to replace it, citing the warranty is still good.

On the flip side, I was at a fly casting event this past Jan and the Echo Rep is a guy I usually cast against and he handed me a Prime 8wt to try and I have to say, in a short range fishing situation, it was very smooth to cast and felt to be an exceptional casting rod from 20 to 60ft, short loading the rod very well for a fast and lightweight rod. I think it can be a real winner as a redfish rod or a rod to cast up tight against the mangroves or in close tight quarters. It's not really a distance rod, but then again, many distance rods don't perform well in the conditions I just mentioned. Haven't fished it yet tho. But maybe they can upgrade the Salt Boost you have there to that Prime, if those are the conditions where you use it in, since he claims they are using high-end Pac hardware and a new resin system on that particular rod, which gives it that specific action and light feel in-hand on the swing.

Ted


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## lionthefly (Jan 19, 2016)

They will cover any issues you are having with it.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Greg Allison said:


> I had an Ion 8wt (original series) with no issues, but sold it because it weighed about 6.0 oz. I would call the company, they might want to know about it.


Not to get off track here, but sometimes physical weight is not a factor when it comes to actually fishing the rod, whereas even thou it's a little heavier than another rod, it could actually feel light on the swing, whereas a lighter but stiffer rod can feel heavier on the swing. But it really depends on the bend and action of the rod more so than the actual weight of the rod on a scale. Although you can get a rod that has both light weight, feels light in hand and light weight on the swing. I've also see the polar opposite on that as well.

One day I had a guy tell me he wanted to get a lighter rod because the one he was fishing felt heavier than his buddies rod and felt he wanted to sell his rod and buy his buddies rod. So I looked at the rod, tossed it a few times and asked him what line was on it. I'm not going to say what fly line mfg it was (Ok, it was a Wulff! ) and so I grabbed another reel I had spun up with a true to weight fly line (SA Mastery Saltwater) and we strung his rod up (similar action to your original "Ion," I remember that rod, a little clubby but still had some good bend to it, unlike the newer Ion XL, which was faster and lighter on the swing). Anyway...., the rod woke up and felt like a totally new rod instead of a slugish heavy on the swing rod with a line 1 rod weight over the stated rating. So what's the moral of that story? Sometimes you need a heavier line while you are learning how to cast and "need" to feel the rod loading, for short loading or fishing close up and/or tight conditions with heavier and/or bulkier flies. But once you learn how to cast properly, most of the times, you don't need a heavier line, especially if you know how to properly size your fly to the fly line you are using. Otherwise, you can be flailing the water with a fly too heavy or too big and then you'll need that crutch of using a heavier line to make that cast, or just trying to distance cast with that heavier line, but it wouldn't be a fun cast to make on that rod. 

Just sayin....


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## eightwt (May 11, 2017)

Have a 9 weight E 3 S ti, casts fine for my stroke. Quality has been a ok. Needs repaired right now (my clumsiness in the boat). Shop is closed right now because of virus mandate in Washington state.


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Yeah contact them and they will make it right.

I have some older prime one pieces and the guides are not the best quality want to collect corrosion more so than most of my other rods that get fished the same amount of time.

I love a lot their blanks but their guides could use some improvement.


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## Greg Allison (Mar 13, 2018)

I felt like the Ion was on the tip heavy side, it did cast well though. This was at a time when I worked at Pure Fishing. They had just acquired Hardy so I was happy to order a ProAxis at my employee discount, sell the Ion.

I think Echo makes there mid tier and lower tier rods a little tougher (which causes an increase in weight) on purpose. I read somewhere that Mr Rajeff believed that in that price range it would either be someone's only rod, or a back up in that line weight. So he wanted to make sure they did not break on them when it was in use. Which is a noble idea. I guess it might need to be applied to the components.

Cheap guides can be a fickle product to buy. When you draw out metal that thin its composition needs to be very uniform (usually not cheap). If it is not you can you make 200 guides that are perfect, and then ten guides in row that will be weak, and then another 200 that are perfectly fine. There are only so many ways to cut cost on making a snake guide. Its literally just a piece of formed wire.


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## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

i fish the EPR in 8wt and 10wt as my main rods. I like the rods and i like the company. For like $15 you can buy extra tip sections. The EPR remind me of the loomis cc glx in action. I use a lot of sinking line here on the west coast in the 300g to 450g and these rods handle them well.

I like the 8wt the best of the 2... matched with a SA grand slam 8wt it is a great flats rod.


I would say the EPR are like a 1/2 weight heavier... ie 8wt is like a 8.5wt.

this is the only echo rod i have fished


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## Rookiemistake (Jan 30, 2013)

Well that just sealed the deal i was gonna try a 6 or 7wt quickshot but if the guides suck the rod blank is also in the same quality department


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## black_drum (Mar 9, 2019)

Im aware of the replacement tip service and it’s great. It’s mainly crappy guides elsewhere on the rod. I don’t have the budget to drop coin on much else and it’s funny that my beater redington rods have outlasted this echo by a mile.


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

I've got ion 8wt and 9wt and they've been fantastic. I think pairing lines with the rod takes some time but when you get that dialed in it's been fantastic. My guides and everything have been perfect for over 4 years now. The only part that isnt great is my cork is showing some age but that can be fixed.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

I have three echo rods.

Echo 2 790SW-4X - 7wt. I've had this rod for over 10 years I bet and have used it a LOT. Still in excellent shape. This one also came with two tips, which is nice.

Echo BAG 880-4 8wt. Got this rod last year. Have stuck a few reds on it, but haven't had it long enough to see if it holds up as good as the 7wt. Plan on using this one in close quarter, short cast scenarios. Which is most of my fishing.

Echo 3S 1190-4x 11 wt. This one only gets used on rare occasion if I have an opportunity to cast at poons.


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

Rookiemistake said:


> Well that just sealed the deal i was gonna try a 6 or 7wt quickshot but if the guides suck the rod blank is also in the same quality department


I have the 6 weight Quickshot. It’s been hard to get the butt section ferrule to stay seated. It’s not a rod I have enjoyed casting all that much, I just can’t seem to ever get in a good groove with it or stay in the groove. I have at least a dozen rods, including other glass ones, and the 6 weight Quickshot is the hardest one to cast well. 

I like my 9 weight Quickshot much better. That rod is heavy, but casts really nicely with a variety of lines.


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## Wilmywood (Oct 7, 2019)

I was given a bunch of fly fishing gear by my neighbor whose dad passed and was a huge fly-fisherman. 3 of the rods given to me were the old school echos and I have had no problems with them. The 8 wt has become my go to 8 weight and while it is heavy I have grown to like the weight.


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## JGore712 (Jan 12, 2020)

I don't have as much experience with their bigger salt rods, but I have a few of their freshwater rods and reels and like them.

That being said, I have had a couple issues with the reels. Nothing major. Every time I have reached out to them, they have been quick to respond and help resolve the issue. As mentioned, they are closed currently due to the virus. I would shoot them an email explaining whats going on with pictures, and I'm sure they would be happy to make it right for you.


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