Echo Gecko Trout Kit 5WT 7'9"

I bought four Echo Gecko kits to teach a fly fishing club to a handful of middle school students at a public school in CO. These rods are incredible for teaching 8-14 year old kids for a multitude of reasons. First, the rods really do look like they are made for kids and my students were immediately excited to see something made for their age bracket. Next, the price point is impossible to beat for a club sponsor, nevertheless a parent who knows their kid will grow out of the rod just like a pair of sneakers. So 5/5 stars for price and look.

These rods shine for teaching kids as well... In my fly fishing club I was also using some of my personal Orvis Clearwater kits and immediately could tell the difference when educating my students on casting. The shorter length makes the swing weight bearable for kids, the fighting butt keeps them interested without getting fatigued, and the durability of the whole kit keeps these rods from breaking under adolescent carelessness. On the other hand the students could barely flex and load up the Orvis rods which made the educational piece much more challenging. Students would also fatigue much quicker and lose interest. For a kid these rods are perfect... And to the moms and dads out there- don't be surprised if you catch yourself taking this rod out to the smaller creekside for your dry dropper set ups. I'm not embarrassed to say I tried it out on a brook trout stream and had a blast.