Fly-Fishing Rods: Echo 7130 Swing Rod Review

By Dylan McGregor

I recently tested Echo’s new Swing spey rod on Washington’s Grande Ronde River and the results were exactly what I was hoping for—this rod flexes all the way to the butt, which allows for super controlled casting, and I got the stink off early by landing a beautifully colored steelhead on the first day of testing. Can’t beat that.

I would have fallen for this rod just on that history, but there are several other considerations that make me want to fish this rod again. First, this rod is made overseas, which allows Echo to do what it does best—build quality and affordable rods that come with one of the best industry warranties available. For $249.99 you can own the four-piece 7130 Swing (a 13-foot long 7-weight) and it comes with a lifetime warranty that promises to replace a damaged or defective rod for the original owner, for a simple $35 fee.

I’m no accomplished caster, but I know the standard spey-casting principles for several casts, including the snake roll and the single spey. Whenever I spey cast I have to remind myself to slow down and that’s what I did on the Ronde. In fact, I got into a robotic mode where I was pausing slightly between each movement of the casts, meaning the lift, sweep and forward stroke. Doing so with the 7130 Swing allowed me to feel the flex of the rod all the way to the butt, and that helped improve my casting.

Echo Swing Fly Rod: Action & Power

Echo touts the Swing rod series as having “crisp actions and perfect power” and I agree with that description. But, this is not a rocket launcher like the Sage Method or the cult-classic Sage Deathstar, nor is it the Loop Opti 9132 giant huckster, for instance. It’s closer to the Redington Dually, which offers a moderate action, or the Redington Chromer, which offers a moderate/fast action. This rod isn’t a noodle, but it isn’t a cannon and, to me at least, it feels a little slower than some of the rods I’ve cast. With the Swing you get a nice action to perform a variety of casts with various lines.

Another thing I noticed is that the cork handle feels very large in my hands. Realize, I don’t have big hands so I immediately thought of “death grip” when I picked up the rod. But after a while I was able to loosen my grip. Doing so gave me a more graceful cast. The butt section has a pretty large knob on the end of it and I liked this for gripping and levering.

The Fight and The Fly Rod: Echo's New Swing Rod

As mentioned, I did tie into a steelhead on the Ronde and even though that fish pulled hard, this rod had no trouble taming it. I thought it was fun to feel the flex of the rod and every head-shake from the fish, all the way to the cork. Still, this rod allowed me to land that fish in no time and send it on its way still strong and healthy.

All in all, in Echo’s new Swing rod series Tim Rajeff created yet another awesome performing rod that won’t make you feel like you need a second mortgage to buy the thing. For $249.99, you can own a rod that performs as well as your abilities allow it to, a rod that lets you feel the cast while helping you progress in the spey-casting game.

Where Can You Buy the Echo Swing Fly Rod?

You can get the new Echo Swing at North 40 Fly Shop and we currently have the six and seven-weight models in-house, as well as six and seven-weight switch models. We can also order an eight-weight Echo Swing rod to our Lewiston store, if that’s the tool you prefer.

This rod makes a great gift for anyone who likes steelhead fishing in the Pacific Northwest, whether that’s on the inland waters, such as the Clearwater, Snake, Grande Ronde, Deschutes, and Salmon rivers, or the coastal streams, such as the Sauk, Sol Duc, Hoh, Trask and others. Like steelhead? This affordable Echo Swing rod gets you in the game.