echo muskie rod

Echo Muskie Rod Review

New Echo Muskie Rod

This fall, during our annual Muskie adventure up North, we had the chance to put the new Echo Muskie Rod to the test. Echo Rods reached out to Ed McCoy and myself to see if we would be interested in testing out their new predator rod and then provide them with some feedback. Absolutely we were in, and to sum up our experience in just a few words, We liked it a lot!

Postive Feedback

The first thing that Ed and I both noticed right away is that this 11 weight rod doesn’t feel like an 11 weight at all! Ed and I have both had several of these bigger rods in our arsenal before and have either sold them or just quit using the bigger 11 weight rods with our clients. What I have found over the years is the bigger rods are just too much rod for my typical client. Honestly these bigger rods aren’t even for me, I just don’t enjoy throwing an 11 weight for that many casts. The new Echo Muskie Rod doesn’t feel that way at all. In fact if you were to blind fold me and ask me to guess what weight this rod feels like, I would probably guess it was an 8 weight.

The next great surprise is that this rod, even though it is very light in the hand, has tremendous hidden power! The 8’8″ 11 weight – 4pc we tested had no problem throwing the 450 grain lines we prefer. The rod handled both the Sonar Titan 3/5/7 and the Sonar Musky lines with no problem at all. This rod demonstrated the ability to deliver flies of all sizes and materials at distance. It even handled Ed’s super sized game-changers. The new Echo Muskie Rod had no problem delivering flies we commonly fish for Muskie. This rod received positive feedback from all who fished it. Watch the video below from our friends at the Northern Angler to see more of this rod in action.

Echo Muskie Rod
photo by Eric Rambo

Fighting Grip

The next piece of positive feed back we had for this rod regards the integrated fighting grip and extended butt handle. The fighting grip combination received a lot of positive complements from our clients. Throwing these silly sized flies all day is taxing on the body! Your arm fatigues, your grip gets a work out, but the size and feel of the new Echo Muskie Rod’s fighting grip is really well designed. The extended fighting grip butt section helps immensely when doing a proper figure 8. It can also be used as a two-hand overhead casting tool when your shoulder starts to feel it. It’s one of the only rods where Ed and I both agree on the fighting grip design. We both walked away from our experiences with a positive review.

Echo Rod Video Review

Shop Local

The new Echo Muskie Rod is truly a great rod for muskie fishing. I can also see this rod being used for Golden Dorado and various saltwater fishing applications. Plus this rod won’t break the bank at the price point of $299! This is truly a great rod for the value. If you are looking for a new predator rod, make sure to check out your local fly shop. If you need help finding this rod, please let Ed and I know and we are happy to put you in touch with a local shop carrying this rod.

Jon Ray

Top Water Muskie

Pic of the Day – Muskie Topwater

For those of you that know we have had an interesting learning curve when it comes to Muskie on Topwater. Have a future article in the bin that Ed and I are going to co-write going over some of the Do’s and Don’ts of Muskie on Topwater. With the help of some new foam products that we learned about on our Dorado trip, the flies (future YouTube video) we have found a fly that finally acts and hooks up the way we needed it too. Congrats to Ed McCoy for sticking with it and breaking our little curse.

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Chug….chug…. Topwater Muskie by Ed McCoy

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Muskie on the Fly

Muskie on the Fly

Starting my 7th year of guiding in the fall for Muskie and with the help of Ed McCoy we got a great image of an Muskie on the Fly. If you have an interest in booking a trip for Muskie on the Fly in Northern Michigan send me an email. Ed and I both have openings and I’m happy to get you in contact with Ed. We can handle single anglers or multiple boat trips.

Muskie on the Fly
Fly Fishing for Muskie in Northern Michigan
muskie picture of the day

Eli Berant PodCast

 

Good friend and fellow muskie chaser Eli Berant spent some time with SVS Fishing if your interested and learning more about Eli and why he started streamer fishing check out this podcast.  I personally buy a few dozen flies from Eli each year, make sure to check out Eli’s site as well if you want a few flies for predator fish.   Eli’s interview starts around the 7 min mark.

muskie picture of the day

The Grind

Really enjoyed this short video because of the honest truth of it all.  I get the opportunity to guide and fish for muskie a few weeks a year.  This video really does capture most of the days, it’s a Grind.  But the belief that you need to have as angler that the next cast could be the one, is what I really do enjoy.

muskie tee shirt

Thinking about Muskie – Pic of the Day

Investments to MI DNR fish rearing

MI DNR

A positive article about big changes to the MI DNR for the Little Manistee River Weir and Thompson State Fish Hatchery.  Read more about the $12 million, that will be helping Steelhead and Muskie populations in the future.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153–403360–,00.html

muskie tee shirt

Great Lakes Muskie Survey / Education

Jim Dexter from the DNR explains a little of the life cycle and the exciting new strain of GLM in thornapple lake in Midwest Michigan.