Echo Fiberglass Spey

[Scslat]

I made it an artificial long weekend this week. Spent all day on the Sauk yesterday looking for chrome with @the_chemist and a great guide. Fun day and we fished some outstanding looking water, but not a tug for either of us. We saw one fish caught and conversations at the ramp suggest that perhaps one more fish was caught, by a couple of gear guys. I know that it's beating a dead horse, but it's really disappointing to see the terrible condition of the run. The projected return for the whole Skagit system is a bit over 5,000 fish this year.

On the bright side, I spent the whole day fishing with a 6 wt Echo fiberglass Spey rod that I acquired used (they are no longer made), which was a massive departure from my usual fast graphite. Set up with a 390 gr Rage Compact (bottom of the recommended grain window) and ten feet of T8. I knew that I'd be under-gunned if I hooked a serious fish, but I figured the chance was low, and I was unfortunately proven right. My casting was extremely ugly at first, but I mostly figured it out. Leaving my other rods at home forced me to stick with it. It's a fun rod if you focus on making everything go reaaaallllly slooooowwww. It forced thoughtfulness on every cast, especially for someone like me who doesn't fish Spey much, and I hope that improvement extends to my other rods. It will be great on a bull trout trip that I'm taking in July to the upper Pitt River in BC. I need to find more reasons to fish a Spey rod this year.

 

[_WW_]

I made it an artificial long weekend this week. Spent all day on the Sauk yesterday looking for chrome with @the_chemist and a great guide. Fun day and we fished some outstanding looking water, but not a tug for either of us. We saw one fish caught and conversations at the ramp suggest that perhaps one more fish was caught, by a couple of gear guys. I know that it's beating a dead horse, but it's really disappointing to see the terrible condition of the run. The projected return for the whole Skagit system is a bit over 5,000 fish this year.

On the bright side, I spent the whole day fishing with a 6 wt Echo fiberglass Spey rod that I acquired used (they are no longer made), which was a massive departure from my usual fast graphite. Set up with a 390 gr Rage Compact (bottom of the recommended grain window) and ten feet of T8. I knew that I'd be under-gunned if I hooked a serious fish, but I figured the chance was low, and I was unfortunately proven right. My casting was extremely ugly at first, but I mostly figured it out. Leaving my other rods at home forced me to stick with it. It's a fun rod if you focus on making everything go reaaaallllly slooooowwww. It forced thoughtfulness on every cast, especially for someone like me who doesn't fish Spey much, and I hope that improvement extends to my other rods. It will be great on a bull trout trip that I'm taking in July to the upper Pitt River in BC. I need to find more reasons to fish a Spey rod this year.

I was the yellow pontoon boat guy.

 

[Scslat]

I was the yellow pontoon boat guy.

It was fun leap-frogging all day. One thing about yesterday was that the river wasn't crowded, with people or (unfortunately) fish.

 

[DerekWhipple]

What cast are you using for t8 and a rage of that weight? Single? Snake roll?

 

[Scslat]

Single and snap-T. I might take the grain size up a bit, but the original line that I was given with the rod felt too heavy (I think 480 gr standard Skagit style) and the rod felt too floppy to me. The 390 gr is on the light side, which was intended to make the rod a bit faster. I might step up to a 425 or so, especially if I want to throw larger streamers.

 

[Lake flyer]

I use a 420 Skagit on mine with up to 10’ of T-11. The rod sure likes a nice smooth even tempo throughout the cast and letting the bottom hand do the work. I like fishing it a lot.

 

[Scslat]

I use a 420 Skagit on mine with up to 10’ of T-11. The rod sure likes a nice smooth even tempo throughout the cast and letting the bottom hand do the work. I like fishing it a lot.

Wish I'd talked to you before I took it out. That's a perfect description. Just took me a day to make it work consistently.

 

[Lake flyer]

If I don’t fish it regularly it takes me a while to get the right pace. It has made me a better caster by being more conscious of lower hand and tip path.

 

[Lake flyer]

Wish I'd talked to you before I took it out. That's a perfect description. Just took me a day to make it work consistently.

What reel do you use? I think I need to add a little weight to mine because the rod balance seems tip heavy. Maybe it shouldn’t bother me but my graphite rods balance nicely with relatively light reels.

 

[Scslat]

What reel do you use? I think I need to add a little weight to mine because the rod balance seems tip heavy. Maybe it shouldn’t bother me but my graphite rods balance nicely with relatively light reels.

I've been using my old Orvis DXR 9/10. The rod does require a heavier reel to balance it, and this does a good job. It's hard to believe that I once fished the DXR on my single-hand 9 weight. Everything is so much lighter now. But it's a great reel with a strong drag that never failed me on stripers or false albacore.

Anyway, the drawback of the DXR is that it doesn't have a full cage. But it balances the rod well and, so far, no issues with my running line getting into the slot between the spool and frame. Of course, I know that it will happen at the worst possible time, so I may shift over to a coated running line, which should minimize issues.

I think another good choice would be an older Teton 10, which has a full cage. These reels have great drags but they are relatively heavy which is, I believe, why they went out of favor. You can find them online sometimes for a reasonable price. I have a Teton 7 that I use on my 4 wt spey, and it's been great.

 

[Scslat]

I've been using my old Orvis DXR 9/10. The rod does require a heavier reel to balance it, and this does a good job. It's hard to believe that I once fished the DXR on my single-hand 9 weight. Everything is so much lighter now. But it's a great reel with a strong drag that never failed me on stripers or false albacore.

Anyway, the drawback of the DXR is that it doesn't have a full cage. But it balances the rod well and, so far, no issues with my running line getting into the slot between the spool and frame. Of course, I know that it will happen at the worst possible time, so I may shift over to a coated running line, which should minimize issues.

I think another good choice would be an older Teton 10, which has a full cage. These reels have great drags but they are relatively heavy which is, I believe, why they went out of favor. You can find them online sometimes for a reasonable price. I have a Teton 7 that I us on my 4 wt spey, and it's been great.

One comment on the Teton reels. Look for the standard arbor, which has more backing capacity than the "large arbor". The large arbor is the same diameter as the standard arbor, so it's not really a large arbor. Compare the two arbors and the issue will be clear.

 

[Lake flyer]

One comment on the Teton reels. Look for the standard arbor, which has more backing capacity than the "large arbor". The large arbor is the same diameter as the standard arbor, so it's not really a large arbor. Compare the two arbors and the issue will be clear.

Thanks
I will have to look at those. My Pfluegers are full cage and I do own a smaller Teton that I really like.