Echo Carbon XL Fly Rod

I have 5 seasons under my belt with this rod. I like the rod and it's great looking. Works well fighting trout. Tim Rajef the designer and Echo owner is correct when he says this action leans toward the faster than the moderate for a Mod Fast rod. The rod casts very well, throws tight loops . Works good for nymphing and drys. I'm extremely happy with it. I recommend it. Updating this review, I can tell you the rod is strong and unlikely to break where others might. Very well build. I have a 5 wt and its perfect for nymphing but can do dries very well also. Perfect all around rod. No need to spend a thousand on a fancy rod when this one does it almost as well. I am buying my second in 4 wt.

Hard to beat this rod for the price. I got a 5wt on a special Amazon deal for $70 and for that price it's a steal.The rod has a medium fast taper and is light with good balance. Just throwing line in my back yard my assessment is that you won't go wrong here. My yard is full of trees and bushes so I was only able to get 50ft of line out, but it was pretty effortless to cast. I think a good caster would probably get at least 75ft out of this with decent accuracy. Cast under 30ft with the Carbon XL felt good too.If you're in the market for a new rod and are considering paying > $300, you should try this one out first.

Good value for the money fly rod. Check out reviews, and see what I mean. Is it a great rod, not really. Is it a great rod for $200, absolutely. You can spend more, and get better, just a question of do you want to.It's well made, no defects in craftmanship. Sections fit together perfectly, not defects in cork. It's a medium fast action. I bought a 9' 4 wt and paired it with a Lamson Liquid and Rio Trout line.

I asked a question about this rod not long ago. My question was is this a true two weight rod or do I need to over weight the rod with a three weight fly line. Two people were kind enough to answer my question. Their responses were pretty much the same. That yes this rod is indeed a true two weight.I already own two of the echo base rods. I have a four weight and a seven weight. I thought those rods were and still are awesome in their own right.However this little two weight in my opinion is just a wonderful rod to cast. You can feel the rod load on your backcast so well it's scary. I took the rod for a test drive over the weekend. I had a blast catching bluegills and crappie. I can't wait to take it to the driftless region and target brook trout with it.If your on the fence about purchasing this rod don't be. Just get it, I am glad I did. I am already eyeing the six weight version to add to my arsenal.My thanks to echo for making such wonderful rods that are very reasonably priced.

The Echo Carbon XL line of fly rods is a real game-changer. If you're fishing rivers/creeks/streams where roll casts are the norm, presentation is important, and dries/nymphs are on the smaller side (95% of trout fishing); the Carbon XL might be the only thing you need. The action is absolutely perfect if rolling and mending an indicator is where you spend most of your time; but when a hatch busts loose, you need to get a small fly into a tight window.I'm perplexed at how a rod this fantastic can be sold for so cheap. This is by far the best rod under $199 you are going to find, PERIOD. My wife prefers this over her Sage Pulse rod!

I've been fly fishing for over 30 years and have always bought and used "high end" gear. I decided to go ahead and buy a 3 weight Carbon XL just to see for myself what all of the buzz was about. It came in a nice rod tube along with a nice rod sock. The guides were well done and they all lined up perfectly. The cork is okay but does have quite a bit of filler. The handle is very lsmooth and very comfortable to hold. I put a Scientific Anglers Frequency DT fly line on my Orvis Battenkill 2 and headed for the river. I'm used to faster rods so it took me a few minutes to get the hang of slowing down my technique. Once I did I was rewarded with a buttery smooth casting experience that was simply a joy to cast. I caught a few small trout on a dry fly and went home extremely happy with my purchase. Yes, I definitely feel that I got more than my money's worth! I plan on buying another one just like it for my wife!

There were some excess epoxy inside the eye of 4 of the guides. 1 of the guides had light but sharp scratches on it. The scratches were sharp enough to cut 4x fluorocarbon (Rio Fluoroflex Plus) with a few passes. Simple fix for the epoxy. As for the scratches, I took a ceramic stone to smooth out the scratches to prevent line abrasion/cutting.

This is a great casting little rod. Fast action, nice and whippy. Well balanced, light, and tough. Perfect for chasing trout from the blue lines out to the big water, or battling monster bream in your favotie. The rod case and sock are quality, stitching looks good. My least favorite thing is the coffee colored blank, which is starting to grow on me. Tremendous quality.