# Echo Bad Ass Glass



## Gervais

This probably doesn't help because I haven't thrown one but I did pick up a 10wt in the shop the other day and just waving it around it felt a lot faster then I thought it was going to. It is a beefy looking rod and heavy but it is glass and they probably can speed it up by increasing the diameter. I'm new to glass rods so don't take me too seriously. For the price you can't beat it and it should be tough as nails.


----------



## crboggs

I have a couple of buddies here in the Tampa area that love their Echo rods, specifically the Bad Ass Glass. I haven't cast one myself, but I've heard nothing but positive reviews.


----------



## Wilson

Last spring I picked up an 8wt bad ass glass for salty applications. If you like to fish fiberglass, I think you'll enjoy this rod. It has the deep bend and feel of glass but with more backbone. For a glass rod I would say it falls into the fast category. Only down side, its a little heavy (compared to graphite rods), and its not the rod I reach for on a super windy day. When conditions are reasonable, its a blast to fish. What wt are you looking at?


----------



## slewis

Wilson said:


> Last spring I picked up an 8wt bad ass glass for salty applications. If you like to fish fiberglass, I think you'll enjoy this rod. It has the deep bend and feel of glass but with more backbone. For a glass rod I would say it falls into the fast category. Only down side, its a little heavy (compared to graphite rods), and its not the rod I reach for on a super windy day. When conditions are reasonable, its a blast to fish. What wt are you looking at?


I've never actually thrown a glass rod but have wanted to try one. Figured I would go this route over an $800 Swift for my first one.
Thank you all for the input.


----------



## crc01

They are coming out with an 8 ft version soon. For the price, I plan on getting a 6 and 8 to try out.


----------



## slewis

Wilson said:


> What wt are you looking at?


Sorry missed this. 8WT.


----------



## crc01

UnitedFly said:


> I've never actually thrown a glass rod but have wanted to try one. Figured I would go this route over an $800 Swift for my first one.
> Thank you all for the input.



I got my first back in January. I had thrown glass but never owned one and my exposure was limited. It's so much fun to fish and is a really great rod for redfishing here in Texas, even by graphite standards. It has become my go to rod. It's an 8'4" 8/9 weight built by Marty Romero at Deepbend Rodworks on a McFarland blank.


----------



## slewis

crc01 said:


> I got my first back in January. I had thrown glass but never owned one and my exposure was limited. It's so much fun to fish and is a really great rod for redfishing here in Texas, even by graphite standards. It has become my go to rod. It's an 8'4" 8/9 weight built by Marty Romero at Deepbend Rodworks on a McFarland blank.


Ill have to check them out.
Thanks,


----------



## crc01

UnitedFly said:


> Ill have to check them out.
> Thanks,



His work is outstanding and he's an all around nice guy.


----------



## 994

crc01 said:


> I got my first back in January. I had thrown glass but never owned one and my exposure was limited. It's so much fun to fish and is a really great rod for redfishing here in Texas, even by graphite standards. It has become my go to rod. It's an 8'4" 8/9 weight built by Marty Romero at Deepbend Rodworks on a McFarland blank.


Is it one of those lowcountry flats glass rods? Those are great looking rods, I'd love to cast one.


----------



## crc01

mosquitolaGOON said:


> Is it one of those lowcountry flats glass rods? Those are great looking rods, I'd love to cast one.



Yessir that's it. I wasn't really sure what to expect but it is awesome. Does exactly what it was designed to do. It's really accurate up close and I have no problem going long for fishing situations. It can be lined MANY different ways so big flies are no problem. I've thrown everything from a 7wt Wulff BTT to the 9wt Rio Permit i'm fishing on it now and it handles them beautifully. You could no doubt fish a 10wt on it. Long story short, I love it.


----------



## 994

What lines are you throwing on the echo rod? I'm thinking about getting an 8' 8wt when they come out, and I love the BTT but at 243gr I don't want to over weight the glass. 7wt BTT comes in at 225gr.


----------



## slewis

I just received the rod yesterday, and have only thrown the SA bonefish on it so far. I actually ordered the Airflo bonefish to give that a shot as well.
This rod is something special. I can shoot about 70-80 feet out somewhat consistently, but I will tell you its not the prettiest thing in the world. Have to slow waaaaaaaay down.


----------



## Backwater

UnitedFly said:


> I just received the rod yesterday, and have only thrown the SA bonefish on it so far. I actually ordered the Airflo bonefish to give that a shot as well.
> This rod is something special. I can shoot about 70-80 feet out somewhat consistently, but I will tell you its not the prettiest thing in the world. Have to slow waaaaaaaay down.


Wait.... whatchu get??


----------



## jwskiff

crc01 said:


> Yessir that's it. I wasn't really sure what to expect but it is awesome. Does exactly what it was designed to do. It's really accurate up close and I have no problem going long for fishing situations. It can be lined MANY different ways so big flies are no problem. I've thrown everything from a 7wt Wulff BTT to the 9wt Rio Permit i'm fishing on it now and it handles them beautifully. You could no doubt fish a 10wt on it. Long story short, I love it.


I'll second all of comments about Marty and Deepbend Rodworks and Lowcountry Flats Glass. A terrific all around rod 8/9 weight.


----------



## texasag07

I really like the airflow redfish/bonefish line for saltwater glass and bamboo rods.


----------



## jsnipes

If you are looking for a heavier glass rod I would strongly consider the Bandit from Swift. The shorter length helps offset some of the weight of glass (it's significantly lighter than the Echo BAG). It's also got a compact taper so still feels pretty fast for a glass rod. By far the favorite glass rod I own.

As far as lines, I use SA tropical bonefish tapers on nearly all of mine. Those lines are true to size and seem to cast remarkably well on glass.


----------



## sjrobin

The Bandit is a easy casting 10wt glass rod and I know a couple of people that use it for reds here in Texas.


----------



## crboggs

crc01 said:


> They are coming out with an 8 ft version soon. For the price, I plan on getting a 6 and 8 to try out.


That's the Quickshot rod right? I'm very curious about picking up a 10wt.


----------



## texasag07

Well I got the 9wt echo BAG quickshot 8' model today. I was looking for a glass rod that had no issues casting 60-80' into decent wind and handling most flats scenario's with light 10-15lb tippet which is not something that traditional glass rods do well.

All I can say so far with my lawn casting is I am very impressed. First I lined it up with a 9wt SA aircel clear int tip line. It had no problem tossing this line to the backing knot with a small bead chain shrimp pattern. I then swapped to the cortland flats taper 9wt liquid crystal flyline with very similar results with the same fly. 

I have never casted a glass rod like this. If you slow your stroke down the rod casts similarly to a lot of glass rods and easily hits short shots. Though I feel the defining factor for this rod is what it can do when you speed up your stroke and push the rod. Most glass rods seem to fall flat on their face when you try to speed up your stroke and tighten your loops. The echo just smiles and grins and shoots line nobody's business. I could apply a stroke almost as fast as my graphite rods with a very tight loop or I could slow it down and get a more traditional glass feel.

I have a feeling this rod is going to take a lot of market share from EPIC and other high end faster glass rods business.

I will hopefully get the rod out this weekend to test it on some redish or bonito to get the full review.


----------



## jsnipes

Thanks for review - planning on picking up one of those quick shot models!


----------



## crboggs

Wife gave me a BAG 10wt for Christmas today. Now I have an excuse to look for a reel to hang on there. Excited to get some experience with a glass rod. Any line recommendations?


----------



## 994

Is anyone throwing the newer 8’ quickshot?


----------



## jsnipes

Yea I bought a 7wt a few weeks ago. Only fished it a few times but REALLY like it for redfishing. Feels more fit-for-purpose than my Epic 888 honestly.


----------



## 994

jsnipes said:


> Yea I bought a 7wt a few weeks ago. Only fished it a few times but REALLY like it for redfishing. Feels more fit-for-purpose than my Epic 888 honestly.


What line?


----------



## saltydg0089

I have a Bandit also, that thing is awesome. I use it as a 9wt.


----------



## jsnipes

mosquitolaGOON said:


> What line?


Used an SA as well as an Airflo. I like the SA lines better on all my glass, seem to cast well.

Yea, the Bandit is the coolest glass rod of all (IMHO). If they made a smaller one I would buy it asap.


----------



## Sublime

Bumping this one. I have a bad ass glass 8wt - *8ft* rod coming and looking for the right line now that people may have had more time under their belt with this rod. My understanding is with these glass rods, you want a short head and thick taper, but no too much overall weight. (8wt line weight in grains are all over the board)

My target is redfish primarily with lots of 30 ft and under shots usually on short notice in 2 ft or less of water.

I'm looking at SA Mastery Redfish Warm right now.


----------



## 994

Sublime said:


> Bumping this one. I have a bad ass glass 8wt - *8ft* rod coming and looking for the right line now that people may have had more time under their belt with this rod. My understanding is with these glass rods, you want a short head and thick taper, but no too much overall weight. (8wt line weight in grains are all over the board)
> 
> My target is redfish primarily with lots of 30 ft and under shots usually on short notice in 2 ft or less of water.
> 
> I'm looking at SA Mastery Redfish Warm right now.


I’ve been meaning to bump this thread. I have the 8’ 8wt “quickshot” and absolutely love it. I thought it was gonna be a wet noodle but I have no problem making accurate casts at most distances. Most of my fishing is what you mentioned, sight casting to redfish within 50’. 

I tried both the Wulff BTT and Bermuda Shorts and much prefer the shorts line on that rod. 224 gr with a 23’ head, perfect for that application. The SA mastery redfish warm is similar and should do just fine on that rod as well.


----------



## eightwt

Echo site has line recommendations


----------



## mpl1978

I am considering the 8 wt BAG quickshot and wanted thoughts on the weight of it. I don't throw 9ft rods anymore since they seem to hurt my bad shoulder more than the 8 footers. I know this is a 5 ounce rod but how is the swing weight?


----------



## 994

mpl1978 said:


> I am considering the 8 wt BAG quickshot and wanted thoughts on the weight of it. I don't throw 9ft rods anymore since they seem to hurt my bad shoulder more than the 8 footers. I know this is a 5 ounce rod but how is the swing weight?


It’s a heavy rod, no doubt about it. It’s not a rod I would ever consider throwing all day. I really only use it at first light with a gurgler, and it’s a really fun rod in that application.


----------



## el9surf

So I'm confused, you guys will have to humor me here. With all the rod tech we have why are folks are spending money to go back to fiberglass, which is old tech in comparison to what we have available now? Fiberglass rods are heavier and slower, so to offset the flex you are going shorter on length with more material? That adds weight and stiffness doesn't it? Just trying to wrap my head around this? Why not just find a slower taper graphite rod and manipulate the action with your line choice? I hope you aren't dropping big money on ultra light weight reels to hang on these rods.


----------



## EvanHammer

el9surf said:


> So I'm confused, you guys will have to humor me here. With all the rod tech we have why are folks are spending money to go back to fiberglass, which is old tech in comparison to what we have available now? Fiberglass rods are heavier and slower, so to offset the flex you are going shorter on length with more material? That adds weight and stiffness doesn't it? Just trying to wrap my head around this? Why not just find a slower taper graphite rod and manipulate the action with your line choice? I hope you aren't dropping big money on ultra light weight reels to hang on these rods.


Like shooting a recurve, sometimes it's just more fun?


----------



## mpl1978

Personally, I like the feel of glass and most glass rods are sub 9 foot, and despite weighing more, seem easier on my shoulder. I would be interested in more graphite sub 9 footers, but not a lot our there other than sage bass, Loomis shortstix, and orvis recon.


----------



## jsnipes

It's more fun and in some applications, they can outperform graphite. For instance, redfishing making 30-40 ft shots I would much rather be fishing an Epic 888 or BAG 7/8 than the newest super-fast action graphite rod.


----------



## crboggs

el9surf said:


> So I'm confused, you guys will have to humor me here. With all the rod tech we have why are folks are spending money to go back to fiberglass, which is old tech in comparison to what we have available now?


Because its fun. 

My BAG 10wt won't pick up line like my NRX for quick re-casts but I can't wait to get hooked into a nice fish on it. It has a totally different feel to it.


----------



## BayStYat

jsnipes said:


> It's more fun and in some applications, they can outperform graphite. For instance, redfishing making 30-40 ft shots I would much rather be fishing an Epic 888 or BAG 7/8 than the newest super-fast action graphite rod.


I started moving to glass. My EPIC fast glass, Kabuto and soon Blue Halo gen 3 are my go to rods. My EPIC 6wt for reds is freaking awesome.


----------



## bryson

I see what you're saying @el9surf -- I *assume* (watch out!) that the reason people like the higher-end glass rods is because it's difficult to find a slow action graphite rod with similar performance (i.e.: >6 weight, corrosion resistant hardware), and even if you do find one -- I'm guessing it would be more expensive than even the higher-priced glass rods.

I haven't thrown any fancy-glass yet, but I did pick up a Cabelas CGR 7/8, and it's fantastic for <40' shots at tailing reds. It's a great rod for wading the flood tides, but I don't enjoy making long casts with it, or casts in the wind, or casts with super heavy/bushy flies. It's definitely a specialty tool for me, but I'm sure there are other glass rods that are a little faster, while still being considered slow overall.

I've also heard that one big advantage of those nicer (and slightly faster/stiffer) glass rods is versatility. Apparently you can throw at least a few different line weights effectively, which opens up a lot of options for just bringing spare spools or extra reels.


----------



## jwskiff

For many applications fiberglass (or slower graphite) works better for me. Like others have said shorter (<40') shots at reds in the spartina. Modern slower, salt graphite isn't easy to come by.. but glass is readily available (Deep Bend, EPIC, BAG, etc). Yes it's heavier but easy enough to get balanced with an appropriate reel.


----------



## el9surf

jwskiff said:


> For many applications fiberglass (or slower graphite) works better for me. Like others have said shorter (<40') shots at reds in the spartina. Modern slower, salt graphite isn't easy to come by.. but glass is readily available (Deep Bend, EPIC, BAG, etc). Yes it's heavier but easy enough to get balanced with an appropriate reel.


I understand what you're trying to achieve, I don't like a fast rod for short shots either. Many of the low end graphite rods are on the moderate to slow action side of the spectrum. From there you can tune and manipulate the feelf further with line choice. Just seems like that would be a lighter weight and less expensive way to achieve the same thing.

For anyone looking for a short-range red fish stick for slot size Reds, the sage bass 290 grain rod with 8wt Rio Bonefish quickshooter has been pure magic for me. The rod is short, very accurate and has a good amount of flex to it. It really shines in the 30 to 50 foot range , but can go 60 to 70 foot if you need it to.


----------



## Greg Allison

Why Glass?
The glass is less brittle material, which can make it a better from an abuse stand point. The rods are slower and can give you a softer presentation. You can also put the wood the fish and not worry about breaking your leader since they are typically slower and will absorb the shock loading of the leader. Once I good a hook set on fish with a glass rod, it very rarely comes off. And we need more toys. They also can be relatively cheap compared to some other rods. The Cableas rods go on sale often for under $75, and the Asian produced stuff ranges from $200-300.

I fish the new Fenwick Fenglass stuff some. The 7wt is my go to trout streamer rod. Most new unidirectional S2 glass stuff these companies are coming out with is generally great. I have really enjoyed the Epic stuff, the 686 is a fine rod.


----------



## cj.james

Sorry to revive this thread, just curious what lines you guys are throwing on this rod are these days and what reels to balance it out? I'm looking at the 7 or 8wt for bones


----------



## commtrd

I bot a 6wt BAG using a Nautilus NV 6-8 reel, seems to balance well. I like the rod for casting, just got it and no fish on it yet.


----------



## Rookiemistake

Looking to build a few how does the echo compare to blue halo?


----------



## ERK

I've got a 6wt BAG with Solitude 4 reel and Airflo Super-Dri Bonefish in 6wt. Very well-balanced and fun to cast and fight fish with


----------



## cj.james

ERK said:


> I've got a 6wt BAG with Solitude 4 reel and Airflo Super-Dri Bonefish in 6wt. Very well-balanced and fun to cast and fight fish with


Thanks for the input! The Airflo bonefish lines are all a full head weight heavier, I'm assuming the rod doesn't feel overloaded with the heavier line?


----------



## ERK

I don't think so, but Airflo is all I have known for the past 10 years. I typically use this setup for redfish/snook from the paddleboard, so lots of short, quick casts. Rod loads fine in those scenarios. Have also used in Exuma for small bonefish, requiring long casts, and had no issues there either.


----------



## texasag07

Rookiemistake said:


> Looking to build a few how does the echo compare to blue halo?


unless blue halo has drastically changed their blank construction they are much much slower action rods than the echo bag. The epic, echo bag quick shot, and fenwick fenglass all kinda play in the same niche with subtle changes, where has blue halo and a few of the others are way slower action rods.


----------

