Echo rods have been created with the needs of fisherman of all skill levels in mind. Each rod delivers a crisp and powerful feel, like that found in higher priced rods. Designed by master caster and rod designer, Tim Rajeff, each rod's specifications are matched for its intended purpose, in order to maximize casting effectiveness and performance

The rod is finished with an attractive dark emerald green surface, anodized aluminum reel seat with double up-locking rings, anodized hardware for durability, two extra large ceramic stripping guides, and single foot snake guides. I found the rod to be well balanced with a large arbor reel (9-10 wt). Dave and I particularly like the rod section alignment dots. The full wells grip cork grip is of premium quality and fit well in our hands.

Dave and I both field tested the Echo 9 wt. I set up the rod with spools of Airflo 400 grain and the Airflo 40 Plus Saltwater Distance WF9I and set out to cast and fish the rod for stripers. I began casting the rod with the 40 Plus line and I was immediately impressed with the crisp action and fast loading characteristics, given the light in hand feel of the rod. And as luck would have it, a good sized striper came up and ate the fly. The Echo handled the 10 lb striper with dispatch. The rod displayed very good lifting capability for a 9 wt. I made about 30 more casts with the 40 Plus, varying my orientation to the 15 mph wind. Next, I changed out the reel spool for the Airflo 400 grain and made an additional 50 or so casts. Again I was impressed with the Echo’s performance and balance. Given the significant difference in the fly lines I used, the medium (+) fast action taper design allowed for rapid casting stroke adjustments. I continued fishing the rod for an additional hour or so, landed a few more good sized stripers, and completed my portion of the field test.

Captain Dave Beshara was next up to test cast the Echo 9wt. Dave set up several different lines; WF 9 F, WF 8 F, WF 10 F and a WF 10 I. Dave spent several hours casting the rod and came away impressed with the wide range in casting performance achieved with the taper design and the advanced graphite fiber materials. All lines cast well, the best was the WF 9 F.The WF 8 F required more effort than the others, but was acceptable.

All in all, both of us were impressed with the Echo. The rod delivered performance similar to rods costing much more.

Echo 990-4X 9wt.4pc.
Construction-Quality	Advanced graphite fiber material with an attractive emerald green finish.	4.7
Performance	A med(+) fast action rod, very good casting range with a variety of fly lines.	4.5
Functional Design	Premium quality cork handle with uplocking reel seat, alignment dots and oversized guides.	4.5
Price	A mid price range fly rod with quality workmanship and with a 1 year full warranty for defects and workmanship, and 25 year repair/replace for damage.	4.5
Application	Good all around fly rod, specifications are matched for its intended purpose, to maximize casting effectiveness and performance.	4.5
Score:1-5(5=highest)	Total Score	4.54

Plus	Minus
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Conclusion: The Echo 990-4X fly rod is a quality product that performed very well. The low price tag provides an appealing purchasing incentive.