Echo’s Bad Ass Glass Quickshot Rod Review
When casting the Bad Ass Glass Quickshot fly rod, all I could think about was butter. Casting one is like dipping a big chunk of king crab into rich, lemony butter and sucking that thing down. That whole process is awesome, but you really just want to stuff that crab in your mouth. With the Bad Ass Glass, that smooth, buttery feeling only lasts for a moment, because the 8-foot length develops plenty of line speed, too. You can lift, backcast and fire in quick succession, stuffing the fly right where you want to.
Good Looking
The Bad Ass Glass Quickshot series features the same design and cosmetics as its big brother, the 9-foot BAG rods, and comes in sizes from 6-10-weight. The translucent sky-blue color and matching fiberglass rod tube make a distinct package.
Efficient and Easy
I fished the 8-weight BAG from a driftboat on the Missouri River, as soon as I got my hands on one. I started out rigged with an Airflo Streamer Max Short 280-grain line and some large, articulated flies. I was impressed with how easy and comfortable this setup fished. A fast action 9-foot 8-weight graphite rod can sometimes work against you when fishing that setup. The ease of glass balanced with the shorter 8-foot length smooths out the process and still provides speed, power and accuracy. After feeling/casting the rod with a streamer line, I wanted fished it with a floater. I had a spool set up with an 8-weight Rio Grand line, so I swapped them out. With a smaller, dumbbell-eyed streamer, the floating setup was perfect and a true pleasure to throw.
Fish On
While the 8-weight Quickshot has plenty of strength and power, and I’m sure it will have no trouble when I’m playing “Walter,” it was still a pleasure with the standard 16-20-inch trout I found that day I fished it on the Missouri. So in essence, the rod is good looking, efficient, easy to cast, and enjoyable with a fish on.
What can this rod do for you?
Echo’s Bad Ass Glass rod is not going to replace my 9’ graphite rods. It’s not a rod I would choose for distance on a windy day, though it can throw plenty of line. It is definitely a rod I would choose for fishing streamers from a driftboat or making tight casting shots in the mangrooves. Tim Rajeff at Echo says it’s, “faster, lighter and more powerful than glass has ever been.” I believe it does what it was designed to do very nicely. It is accurate and really fun to cast.
Yes, Please
Now it’s the middle of winter and I’m looking at the 6, 7 and 8-weight Quickshot rods on my rack at North 40 Fly Shop in Great Falls, and I’m dreaming about fishing one again. I own quite a few fly rods and I have just about every possible niche covered, but I’ve never had an 8-foot glass rod. After fishing the Quickshot, I’m pretty sure I’ve found another rod or two that will comfortably fit my quiver. At $279.99 the BAG Quickshot is a reasonable addition. I'd like to give the 8-weight a go on some bass, along with more trout. I'm thinking the 7-weight would be a blast for river carp. And, I really want to try the 6-weight with a short Skagit head.