3wt VS 4wt ESN rod capability

[Tom Butler]

Got 2 fish this morning that really tested the Echo Carbon XL ESN 10' 3wt. Had the same experience with some of the fish last winter. Need more stick. Has anybody fished the 3 and 4 wt's of this rod, and is the 4wt noticeably more, especially down low, for larger fish. Since I figured I'd at least shop for a full frame ESN reel after this morning, I might as well look at a bit beefier rod to go with it.

 

[Brute]

I have the 10’ 3wt Echo Shadow X…it has become one of my favorite rods, and have caught trout to 20” with it without much problem. I like the fact that the base of the rod is like a 5wt, but the tip is soft and protects 5x-6x tippet fairly well…and throws a 4wt floating line with dry flies nicely too…

 

[Eastside]

I have the 10’ 3wt Echo Shadow X…it has become one of my favorite rods, and have caught trout to 20” with it without much problem. I like the fact that the base of the rod is like a 5wt, but the tip is soft and protects 5x-6x tippet fairly well…and throws a 4wt floating line with dry flies nicely too…

I have that rod as well and also have landed some large Deschutes Redsides with it. I have found the tip to be delicate, both to stupidity (truck canopy shutting on it) and general use. The replacement tips aren’t expensive and I keep an extra on hand.

 

[jaredoconnor]

I hooked what was probably a steelhead, on my 3wt. If it wasn’t for a dumb decision, on my behalf, I would have landed it fairly easily.

I think the problem with 4wt euro rods is that they’re no good for casting lighter flies. If you’re mostly fishing size 12 and above, I think a 4wt would probably work out OK.

If you do end up trying out a 4wt, I’ll be very interested in hearing about it.

 

[Tom Butler]

I hooked what was probably a steelhead, on my 3wt. If it wasn’t for a dumb decision, on my behalf, I would have landed it fairly easily.

I think the problem with 4wt euro rods is that they’re no good for casting lighter flies. If you’re mostly fishing size 12 and above, I think a 4wt would probably work out OK.

If you do end up trying out a 4wt, I’ll be very interested in hearing about it.

I got several steelhead this winter (and just went ahead and broke a few off), a few big whitefish, and two hot fish opening day I really didn't have enough rod for. I mostly fish sz. 8-14. Really need one with true 6wt type capability near the butt.

 

[jaredoconnor]

I forgot to mention that there’s some new budget reels going around that seem quite good. See below.

https://a.co/d/heHa76k

I’m not sure whether the 3/4/5 or 5/6/7 is best. IMO, you want the arbor of the spool to be about 8” in circumference. You could email the manufacturer and ask for that measurement.

The Danielsson DryFly and Vision Hero reels are still the only other good budget options that I know of. I’m not sure if I would recommend Vision anymore, though; I heard some folks had bad warranty experiences.