Echo Carbon XL 5WT 9'

From the manufacturer: What specific fishing scenarios did you design this rod for, and where do you feel it truly excels in performance?
A medium-fast action rod that is more user friendly. Punch above its weight class for a trout rod. A true all-purpose fly rod geared toward anglers of all experience levels

From the manufacturer: What fly line would you recommend pairing with this rod?

• SA MPX

Caster Scores:

STREAMER COURSE - TOTAL SCORE 96/150

DRY FLY COURSE - TOTAL SCORE 111.5/195

NYMPH COURSE - TOTAL SCORE 68.5/105

Caster Notes:

Streamer Course | 7.5’ 3x leader with size 4 Zonker 

• Difficult to cast from 40’-50’, but excelled at 30’-40’ distance. 

• Rod loaded well at 30-40’ Did fine at 50’ with weight. Had enough bend to feel the rod, although it could be smoother. There’s lots of vibration, but the more I used the rod the better it performed.

• Met the design parameters. Pretty smooth, even bend. Quite pleasant to cast considering it was a streamer. Has a nice grip, taper, and diameter.

Dry Fly Course | 10’ 5x leader with Yard Indicator

• Need to add more ‘umph’ at 50’. Feels heavy and grip is big, but overall a good medium/fast rod.

• Heavy in hand. Overall, the rod is fine. But does not excel using long leaders at any distance. Lots of work to load and no help from the rod.

• Clubby in close. Bend is not smooth at 30’-50’. Tip heavy feeling, med/fast - not really, more fast. Action not unified. Hard to control at distance. 

Nymph Course | 9’ leader with size 8 Girdle Bug and size 16 BH Pheasant Tail

• Water load helped the rod. Great for big sloppy casts. Pick up slow getting weight going. 

• Great casting overhead at 30’. Can’t find any flaws, surprisingly easy to cast. Does dink on hinge. Roll casts at all distances was good. Working a little hard on 40’ roll, but still did the job.

Yellow Dog Final Takeaway
For anglers seeking a dependable, reasonably priced setup for streamer and nymph fishing in the 20’–40’ range, this rod is a solid choice. It ranked 8th in the streamer course and 7th in the nymph course, though it did not crack the top 10 in the dry fly category. If your focus is on lakes or larger rivers where casts of 50’ or more are common, there are stronger performers to consider. 

ECHO Fly Rod Lifetime Warranty and Repair Our Warranty Policy is subject to change at any time. Rajeff Sports will repair or replace damaged and defective rods for the lifetime of the original owner. WE REQUIRE ALL RODS TO BE SENT BACK FOR WARRANTY/REPAIR SERVICE. We will not send out parts or replacements as there is a chance they will not fit properly on your rod (if they are not listed on the spare tips page). The rod must be sent back so it can be properly fitted and flex tested with the new sections.

All repairs/replacements require a $35* repair fee. This fee is only waived in specific circumstances to be determined by our warranty staff. Include a $35 check made out to Rajeff Sports. If you wish to pay with card, do not include a check in the shipment and we will contact you for credit card info. If it is determined your repair fee should be waived, we will not collect payment. We will contact you only if we need to collect payment, or there are questions we have about your particular rod.

Warranties/repairs are typically processed within just a few business days and shipped back to you. This can vary depending on a number of factors, and some claims may take longer. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will not exchange your rod for a different model. You will receive back the same model you sent in. For discontinued rod models – if we no longer have parts to fix your rod, we will replace the rod with its equivalent new model

https://echoflyfishing.com/warranty/