When I think of the Echo Shadow 2 I think of a work horse of a rod that won’t break the bank. This was my starter tightline nymphing rod that I used for years and loved it. It has precision accuracy and backbone with excellent feel and sensitivity.
Length: 10’6”
Weight: 4
Pieces: 4
Action: Fast
Use: Tightline Nymphing
Retail: $289
First, the 10’6” of rod allows us to get a little extra reach in a run. Every extra inch of rod gives us more water to effectively fish.
Another cool feature on this rod is that Echo added a competition kit for the Shadow 2 that allows you to put weight on the butt of the rod to balance it out and an extra 6” of rod to extend your reach even further.
This especially comes into play when fishing bigger rivers such as the Yakima River.
Right away I was super impressed by the accuracy of this rod. It has the ability to put the flies in an area the size of a dinner plate. If you have experience tightline nymphing you will know that casting one of these rods is a little different then casting a conventional fly rod.
I started out with a 4 weight as well because of our high Summer flows on the Yakima River as well as some of the bigger and feistier fish that we sometimes need to control and turn. This rod has some serious backbone and has no problem with turning bigger fish while still keeping its finesse and sensitivity.
Another great feature about this rod is that you can put a fly line on it and cast dries or use it with a mono rig and use it to cast an indicator. It does a great job mending line.
I would say if you are just starting out to get into tightline nymphing then this rod needs to be at the top of your watch list. The USA Fly Fishing team worked with Echo fly rods owner Tim Rajeff to develop this rod so you know you are getting quality. If you are looking for something a little more sensitive, lighter, and have a higher budget I would recommend looking at the Shadow X. It is practically the same rod with advancements and upgrades to the Shadow 2.
See our tightline nymphing page here.