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The Shadow Click is Echo’s click-and-pawl fly reel featuring surprisingly solid performance specs and a unique lightweight frame design. For small stream enthusiasts to euro-nymph anglers, this small but mighty reel offers considerable value for a very attainable price. Check out our full review below, where we dive into the technical specifications of the Shadow Click including its very interesting frame design that we’ve never seen before in any other reel. If you're on the hunt for a reliable yet affordable fly reel, read on!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fantastic value! Priced at under $100, you’ll get great performance from this modern click-and-pawl reel.
• One of the lightest fly reels on the market. It surpasses competitors like the Sage Click and the Redington Zero in terms of weight.
• Solid performance and design for a value reel: quick line pickup, lightweight, and a unique adjustable frame.

Cons

• No drag pressure adjustment. This isn’t surprising with a click-and-pawl, but if you need to adjust your drag, look elsewhere.
• Limited aesthetic options. We’d love to see it offered in a few different colors.

Who It’s For

The Shadow Click is a supremely lightweight reel, making it an excellent choice for backcountry stream fishing or even multi-day backpacking trips. Additionally, its clever adjustable frame makes it suitable for euro nymphing with long, thin leaders without the worry of line-slip between the spool and frame. Freshwater anglers who like light reels, small water, and/or euro nymphing will likely find the Echo Shadow Click intriguing.

Weight

Weighing in at a mere 2.85 ounces in the 4/5wt size, the Shadow Click is one of the lightest fly reels on the market today, period. It’s even lighter than the Sage Click ($330), which weighs 2.95 ounces in the 4/5/6 size. Paired with a lightweight trout rod, the Shadow Click would make a fantastic small-water outfit.

Drag

The Shadow Click is - you guessed it - a click-and-pawl reel, so it doesn’t have an adjustable drag. Instead, you’ll get the factory-set click drag that provides enough pressure to avoid a bird's nest when peeling the line off the reel. Beyond that, you’ll rely on your palm to provide additional stopping power when you hook into larger fish.

Sound

The sound of the Echo Shadow Click is probably one of the most enjoyable clicks we’ve found in a value reel. It’s not quite as audible as, say, a Hardy, but it’s plenty loud and produces a very pleasing sound. The incoming and outgoing clicks are slightly differentiated, which is a nice-to-have feature that we always appreciate.

Spool & Cage Design

The Shadow’s spool design is one of its standout features. For being a relatively small reel, you’ll get fantastic performance from this true large arbor spool. In the 4/5wt size, we measured a maximum spool diameter of 3.1 inches, a width of 0.97 inches, and a 2.17 inch arbor diameter. These specs equate to roughly 7.5 inches of line pickup per revolution. You might be thinking this isn’t anything special, but for a dedicated small-water reel, it's more than adequate.

When we first removed the spool of the Shadow Click to examine the cage, two things stood out immediately. First, the frame looks very similar to that of the Nautilus X-Series, a very minimalist design that reduces overall weight. Secondly, the Shadow Click features an adjustable lower leg of the frame, which is something we’ve never seen before. The idea is fairly simple: by loosening the frame knob (what would normally be the drag knob), you can adjust the angle of the bottom frame leg. By adjusting it upward (toward the rod tip), you can thread your line through the rectangular line window before stringing your rod. This essentially “closes the cage” around your line, providing the same benefit as a full-cage reel, but much lighter. If you don’t want a closed cage, simply adjust the bottom frame leg more vertically, and bypass the line window when stringing your rod. It's a very clever design feature for anglers who want to go from euro nymphing to shorter leaders regularly without the need for two separate reels. 

Looks & Ergonomics

Aesthetically, the Echo Shadow Click looks fine, but it won’t be winning any beauty pageants. It’s a reel that focuses on functionality over style, only offered in one color - matte black. We’d love to see Echo release the Shadow Click (and all of their reels, for that matter) in a few more colors, but hey, that’s not their forte!

Ergonomically, the Shadow Click is pretty good, but not stellar. The handle is on the smaller side, but it’s shaped comfortably and makes sense for a compact small-stream clicker reel. Similarly, its frame knob (aka drag knob) is a bit compact, but this isn’t detrimental considering how infrequently you’ll need to adjust it. Overall, not the best ergonomics, but pretty darn good for a $100 fly reel.

Warranty

Echo Fly Reel Warranty

Value

Price: $99.99

The Echo Shadow Click is a value reel above all else. In years past, we’d expect the lower price point to consist of mid-arbors, plastic spools, and subpar performance. Thankfully, Echo is challenging what defines a value reel with products like the Shadow Click. We see lots of value in this small-water tool, from its solid line pickup and lightweight construction to its innovative adjustable frame design. For beginner anglers, small-water junkies, and euro-nymphing practitioners, the Echo Shadow Click is an affordable option that offers a lot of cool features in a small, simple package. 

Conclusion

Echo has certainly found a niche within the fly rod and reel market, producing dependable and functional tools at an affordable price. The Echo Shadow Click is no exception, but it takes this spirit a step further with its innovative adjustable frame. While prioritizing functionality over style, it does its job well, and we’d argue that's more important for a majority of anglers than a pretty reel with poor functionality. With its impressive array of features and exceptional value, the Echo Shadow Click is poised to be a favorite among budget-conscious anglers for years to come.

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