Echo Fly Rods and Airflo Line

[burls]

I fished with a guide this summer who talked highly about echo rods and airflo line. I know very little about either...has anyone used these? I looking for some feedback.

Thanks
[bobwhistle]
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[DrewT]

I've fished their Carbon rods and found them to be on the heavy (swing weight) side. They are quite powerful though. I've also thrown airflo lines in the salt and the only bad thing I can say about them is that the saltwater bleached them out a bit.
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[flygoddess]

I know Utah Fly Drifters likes the Airflo and Echo rods. I think Airflo is a very underestimated line. They have a lot of great features need in a fly line. As for rods, Different people have different preference. I personally would take an Echo any day over a Redington or equal value St. Croix.
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[Lech456]

I can't speak to the Airflo line but I did fish my Dad's Echo Fc (5wt) when we were out on the Weeb last year. I really liked it for an all around rod. I didn't think that it was earth shattering by any means but it performed well. I don't recall how much he paid for it but I do remember thinking that it was WELL worth it in my opinion. I think that he picked it up on a clearance sale for like $75 to $85?


Lech
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[DrewT]

One thing to ALWAYS keep in mind is that guides are often rep'ing manufacturers. This can definitely impact what the guides are telling you. Always throw the rods you are interested in while trying to simulate the most common fishing situations you would face. For example, you may find a rod that you lawn cast that blasts line out to 80 feet just to find out that on the water, you're only casting 25 feet and the rod won't load off the tip or it won't lay a small dry down softly. Additionally, a 5 wt that is just fine for nymphing in Utah may just not have enough backbone for the nymph or dry dropper rigs used on the big rivers in SE Idaho.

Another variable is your casting stroke. I've got a good friend who has a TMF. These rods are very slow compared to modern rods. Every time I fish that, I spend the first 15 minutes fighting that thing and overpowering every cast. My friend can make that thing sing.

tl;dr: throw before you buy. Test in real life situations if you can. Buy rods that fit your style - not just what is currently hot.
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[UsualSuspect]

I use Airflo's sinking lines and love them. No stretch and great line sense.
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[up2nogood]

I have bought three of the Airflo's in the past couple months . one floater, and two full sink . Looking forward to trying them
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[BigCountryUT]

I have an echo 3 in a 5 wt and it is a really nice all purpose rod with a fast action. I do not really have any complaints about it, it's a really nice rod. I did have to use the lifetime warranty once on it because I fell on it while hiking and broke it in half. The customer service was great, they replaced the entire rod with a completely new set up and they sent it really quickly.

I also do fish an Airflo floating line on this rod. It casts very well. It does not seem to float as quite as high as some other lines but it has not been a problem. I think it is a great line and I would buy it again.

Hope that helps.
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[sinergy]

Ive never fished with a Airflo line so I cant say much I do like Rio Gold due to it be heavily front weighted

I fished a Echo Carbon for a few years its a great rod but it seemed a bit stiff and a bit lackluster I want to say it took more work to present dries. If remember correctly my arm was fire at the end of the day, but I will say I do cast fast and well as DrewT mentioned regardless of the brand you probably want to cast a few rods to match your casting style. Id highly recommend it if your big on nymphing \ bottom bouncing. But in that price point 150 to 200 there better options.

I would suggest testing out a Redington Voyant,or even the older Redington CPX,both around 150 Id like also mention TFO pro or even a older Ticr but they dont give you a rod tube anymore ...
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[gofish435]

I don't know anything about the Echo rods but the Airflo line has been great. I only have experience with the full sinking #7 Sixth Sense line. It sinks much faster than the Rio #7 and the coating is much smoother. I've purchased my last Rio sinking line. The sink-tips and floaters are Okay though.
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