Skip to main content

Product Review: Echo's Dec Hogan 13' 7wt

Shopping for your first two-handed rod? Or are you tired of struggling with the spey rod you own and want to cast a rod that actually works with you rather than against you? Look no farther than Echo's Dec Hogan line-up, which I now believe are the best two handed fly rods under $350.

Echo's Dec Hogan two-hander, lovingly known as the "Decho"

The "Decho" (Deck-o) line of fly rods is, hands down, the best performing rod per dollar that I've encountered. I was fortunate enough to spend this fall with the 13' 7 wt, a perfect do-everything rod for medium-sized rivers. Want to throw a Skagit head and an Intruder? Loop in a 540 compact. Looking to send a floating line and small wet fly to the far bank? Loop in a 510 compact Scandi. Or are you looking to cover a wide riffle as efficiently as possible? Try a 7/8 short-belly. The 13' 7wt performs well with each of these lines--and moreover, this rod actually helps you cast better.

The taper of the Decho line was designed by Dec Hogan himself exclusively for Echo. These rods feature a forgiving middle and soft butt section, making the cast exceptionally easy to time and lending the rod a soulful feeling during the cast. Yet these rods aren't noodles. The stiff tip ensures the rod's load won't be lost during the forward stroke, as the line and fly are lifted from the surface (in a Skagit cast) or steered through the D-loop (as with a Scandi or short-belly).

The rod's weakness is its price. At $349 bucks, Echo can't afford to endow these rods with high modulus graphite. The result is a slower recovery time than most high end rods, which limits the effective range of the rod. (Slow recovery wobbles out energy from the line). However, I've yet to find a rod that helps beginning casters throw fishable loops as far as quickly. Similarly, for those more experienced casters who struggle with timing or have a hitch in their cast, the Decho is the first rod I recommend. It really does work with the caster, helping any angler place a fishable cast, every cast.

The Decho series includes 9 rods, ranging from a 4 wt 11'9" to a 9 wt 13'6". The series also includes two long rods for big summer water, a 14'6" 7wt and a 15' 8wt.

High recommendations. 




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Lefty: The Greatest of All Time

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Gear

DIY Airbrushing on Popper Heads

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Gear

Trailer: The Kids Are Alright

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Gear

Fly Tier's Bench: How to Tie Craven's Lil Bit Nymph

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
How-To/Techniques

Ed Jaworowski's Functional Fly Casting Part 1: Acceleration

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Jimmy Carter Was One of Us

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

The Genesis of a Film: Legacy

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Salmon Return to the Klamath River

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
Destinations/Species

Simms Presents - Destination: Skeena

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Just Do It: Nike and Drake Plunge into Fly Fishing

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
News

Abel x Nocta Fly Reel

Creating blanks with dialed technique-specific actions that perform under extreme load without failure doesn't just “hap...
How-To/Techniques

G. Loomis's “Feel Connected” Episode 2: "Rolled Up"

Fly Fisherman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Fly Fisherman App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Fly Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Fly Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Fly Fisherman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use