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View Full Version : Hardy Carbon, for People Who Love Boo Rods!



Mostyn
06-21-2010, 04:49 AM
Hi all,

As most of you know, ( or would do if you've read my previous posts) I have a Tim Harris 6ft.3in, #3,weight Cane Fly Rod! I love the Rod; named : The Little Vixen.

But recently I've acquired one of the Hardy Classic Range Fly Rods, it's the : Hardy Flyweight 6ft,#2,weight. I bought this rod as a backup for my Cane Rod! I have a couple of 7ft rods , but wanted another 6ft, for the small streams I fish regularly. Anyhow, was I surprised when I first got my grubby little mitts on it - it's one of the lightest rods around today; and the action is very similar to that of a cane rod! I have also acquired a : 2.5in, A J Forbes Magnesium fly reel, to compliment the Flyweight Rod, it's a very lightweight reel and well made! The only downside to the reel is it's finish; a very dark Matt grey, but, apart from the aesthetics - it is a very nice reel!

What line? Well I've acquired an SA, Mastery GPX #2, weight fly line, to compliment the rod and reel; and I must say they (all three) make a very nice outfit! What about fishing with this outfit? It is absolutely fantastic; and I'm so pleased that I've bought it.

Anyone who loves fishing with a Cane Rod - Will, I'm sure also love using a Hardy Flyweight Fly Rod.

Mostyn

kurt76
06-21-2010, 05:11 PM
Hey Mostyn! me to! :mrgreen:


Had mine a couple of weeks now with several outings and i agree they are a fantastic little rod . currently using mine with a rio wf3 lt which it handles admirably. the leader set up i use on my stream for this rod is a home made knotted 6ft mono one tapered down to a 5x/6x point. was going to try out a short furled leader but i see little point at the moment as this set-up is doing everything i ask of it.




http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz126/KurtFly/P1010172.jpg


Cheers

Kurt.

JB in SC
06-23-2010, 04:54 PM
Make that three of us. I've had mine since late last summer, a very nice tight cover rod.

compagnito
12-11-2010, 04:31 AM
Hi all,

As most of you know, ( or would do if you've read my previous posts) I have a Tim Harris 6ft.3in, #3,weight Cane Fly Rod! I love the Rod; named : The Little Vixen.

But recently I've acquired one of the Hardy Classic Range Fly Rods, it's the : Hardy Flyweight 6ft,#2,weight. I bought this rod as a backup for my Cane Rod! I have a couple of 7ft rods , but wanted another 6ft, for the small streams I fish regularly. Anyhow, was I surprised when I first got my grubby little mitts on it - it's one of the lightest rods around today; and the action is very similar to that of a cane rod! I have also acquired a : 2.5in, A J Forbes Magnesium fly reel, to compliment the Flyweight Rod, it's a very lightweight reel and well made! The only downside to the reel is it's finish; a very dark Matt grey, but, apart from the aesthetics - it is a very nice reel!

What line? Well I've acquired an SA, Mastery GPX #2, weight fly line, to compliment the rod and reel; and I must say they (all three) make a very nice outfit! What about fishing with this outfit? It is absolutely fantastic; and I'm so pleased that I've bought it.

Anyone who loves fishing with a Cane Rod - Will, I'm sure also love using a Hardy Flyweight Fly Rod.

Mostyn

Great. I had a quick look at the Harris Rods website. One thing that struck me was the absence of any workshop photos or work in progress photos of any type, other than one reference to fitting a bamboo ferrule, which was, to me at least, ambiguous.

Do you know for fact where the blanks for these rods originate?

JB in SC
01-12-2011, 01:01 PM
The current Classic graphite (and glass) Hardy rods are made in China...

Mostyn
05-20-2011, 11:42 AM
Great. I had a quick look at the Harris Rods website. One thing that struck me was the absence of any workshop photos or work in progress photos of any type, other than one reference to fitting a bamboo ferrule, which was, to me at least, ambiguous.

Do you know for fact where the blanks for these rods originate?

Hi There,

if your talking about the TIM HARRIS cane rod? Tim makes his own rods from a selection of Bamboo Culms! Tim makes a top class cane rod equal to any first class cane rod! I'll never part with mine!!

Mostyn
05-24-2011, 04:59 AM
The current Classic graphite (and glass) Hardy rods are made in China...

And a damn good job their making of them! I'm a big fan of the Hardy Classic Range Of Rod and Reels! I have the flyweight 6ft, rod, the flyweight reel to match and use a Hardy Marksman #2, weight DT line with it!! What a beautiful outfit; and such a pleasure to use!

I've also recently bought myself the Hardy Featherweight 7ft, #3, weight Rod, and to compliment it I bought a Featherweight Reel, I use a Mastery DT #3,weight line with this outfit! And yet another dream of an outfit to use!

I alternate the rods with my Little Vixen (Cane Rod) 6ft.3in, I use a DT #3, weight silk line on a Hardy LRH Reel; and all three stream rods are regularly used!

As far as I'm concerned; I have the perfect arsenal of tackle for fishing the UK small streams; and I normally fish them 3/4 times a week!

If you like cane rods? then your sure to like the Hardy Classic Range of Rods and Reels.

Honda450
05-24-2011, 08:50 AM
You Wrote, if you like cane rods, your sure to like hardy classic rods & reels. ((((( REALLY ))))

Most people like cane rods, for the feel, That it gives the caster through out his casting range. This is to do with the natural power fibers within the Culm of bamboo, & the taper.
The thought that some one skilled, in the making of bamboo rods, has spent 40 to 60 hours in making it, & poured a little of his SOUL into the finished article.
Also the sheer Pleasure, of using such a rod on stream, the feel of playing each fish & the enjoyment of looking at the finish & workmanship of what one man has made.
These are old skills, built with pride.

This is a long way off, from lifting a rod with made in a country in the far east,,that little sticker on the butt cap, says it all. Like the poor cork ect. Rods taken of the production line as fast as possible. (( TIME IS MONEY ))A good write up & marketing, will sell to the less experienced. This will last to the next newest ,Greatest rod will come out in a few years from now, then it will be the best.??

With the experience you have>?? If you like cane rods ect, you,ll like the hardy range, Well i like cane rods, & had a hardy for sale a short while back, as with thomas from germany, his was for sale to, most likely Ebay. I,ve had a few of each model in my casting hand,( GLASS & CARBON all with the same though, Cheap & Chearfull, A micky mouse rod, with a big price tag. These are made to a mass production, A plastic rod, will never come close to hand built natural material rod. Its the same as wearing a fine pair of LEATHER SHOES, to a PLASTIC PAIR of ill fitting junk, on you feet.
These are hard for some uk dealers to part with, hence some of the low prices being asked.
They are in my eyes, not very good rods, maybe in time, when you learn a little more & have more rods through your hands, you might understand.
If you where to put this idea of thought, onto ((((clarks cane forum ))), i do wonder at what thoughts, people would have of you. POST IT & SEE.??????????????.Any one with rods from MORAN, BARDER, MORGAN, SWEETGRESS, EDENCANE, WAGNER, ECT. The list goes on. Would there be many out there that wants to add this plasic range of rods, to their pride of ownership & selection of BAMBOO RODS. POST IT & SEE.??? How High on their list of rods, the Hardy Glass & Carbon are to these People.????
Are You being paid by Hardy or a Dealer, to HYPE these rods up, You seem to be pushing this subject a lot here & other forms within the UK. This has came to the notice of others also, with out saying anything.

I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOU, NOR WITH HARDY RODS, BUT TO SIT & READ THIS, DOES MAKE ME WONDER A LITTLE????. DO NOT TAKE THE ABOVE THE WRONG WAY, BUT WITH 30 YEARS OF FISHING SMALL STREAMS, I,VE SEEN & HEARD A LOT OVER THE YEARS..

========================= (((( BULL SHIT ))))) =============================

Why anyone would want to move over to these hardy rods, after fishing cane, i would love to hear their thoughts on the subject.
The photo below shows a EDWARD BARDER CANE ROD, nice to cast =fish & look at, i,ll be in no hurry to move to a rod made in a sweat shop, i meant rod shop, no sorry rod Factory.
http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab138/lightgrill/P4301336.jpg

Mostyn
05-24-2011, 04:40 PM
You Wrote, if you like cane rods, your sure to like hardy classic rods & reels. ((((( REALLY ))))

Most people like cane rods, for the feel, That it gives the caster through out his casting range. This is to do with the natural power fibers within the Culm of bamboo, & the taper.
The thought that some one skilled, in the making of bamboo rods, has spent 40 to 60 hours in making it, & poured a little of his SOUL into the finished article.
Also the sheer Pleasure, of using such a rod on stream, the feel of playing each fish & the enjoyment of looking at the finish & workmanship of what one man has made.
These are old skills, built with pride.

This is a long way off, from lifting a rod with made in a country in the far east,,that little sticker on the butt cap, says it all. Like the poor cork ect. Rods taken of the production line as fast as possible. (( TIME IS MONEY ))A good write up & marketing, will sell to the less experienced. This will last to the next newest ,Greatest rod will come out in a few years from now, then it will be the best.??

With the experience you have>?? If you like cane rods ect, you,ll like the hardy range, Well i like cane rods, & had a hardy for sale a short while back, as with thomas from germany, his was for sale to, most likely Ebay. I,ve had a few of each model in my casting hand,( GLASS & CARBON all with the same though, Cheap & Chearfull, A micky mouse rod, with a big price tag. These are made to a mass production, A plastic rod, will never come close to hand built natural material rod. Its the same as wearing a fine pair of LEATHER SHOES, to a PLASTIC PAIR of ill fitting junk, on you feet.
These are hard for some uk dealers to part with, hence some of the low prices being asked.
They are in my eyes, not very good rods, maybe in time, when you learn a little more & have more rods through your hands, you might understand.
If you where to put this idea of thought, onto ((((clarks cane forum ))), i do wonder at what thoughts, people would have of you. POST IT & SEE.??????????????.Any one with rods from MORAN, BARDER, MORGAN, SWEETGRESS, EDENCANE, WAGNER, ECT. The list goes on. Would there be many out there that wants to add this plasic range of rods, to their pride of ownership & selection of BAMBOO RODS. POST IT & SEE.??? How High on their list of rods, the Hardy Glass & Carbon are to these People.????
Are You being paid by Hardy or a Dealer, to HYPE these rods up, You seem to be pushing this subject a lot here & other forms within the UK. This has came to the notice of others also, with out saying anything.

I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOU, NOR WITH HARDY RODS, BUT TO SIT & READ THIS, DOES MAKE ME WONDER A LITTLE????. DO NOT TAKE THE ABOVE THE WRONG WAY, BUT WITH 30 YEARS OF FISHING SMALL STREAMS, I,VE SEEN & HEARD A LOT OVER THE YEARS..

========================= (((( BULL SHIT ))))) =============================

Why anyone would want to move over to these hardy rods, after fishing cane, i would love to hear their thoughts on the subject.
The photo below shows a EDWARD BARDER CANE ROD, nice to cast =fish & look at, i,ll be in no hurry to move to a rod made in a sweat shop, i meant rod shop, no sorry rod Factory.
http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab138/lightgrill/P4301336.jpg

OOP's

Hi Honda,

I've got a Honda Civic Executive " Made in Japan" nice car; and far superior to the old British made cars! But, I do miss some of the old cars, they seemed to have a good deal of character about them! Now I started fly fishing in 1957, I was given an old Green-Heart rod, then progressed to a nice cane rod, although a bit on the heavy side! Then there were the glass fibre rods, I loved them in the 60's and 70's, then progressed to a Carbon rod, wow! They were lightweight; and still are today! Now I love my cane rods; and I may even get another one? I had three until recently, but decided to sell a 7ft.3in, #3, that I liked, but had no use for. We all know that cane rods are not for everyone, although I love them! My comparison with the Hardy Classic Lightweight Fly Rod Range; was more to do with the feel! The action is very similar to a cane rod; and IMHO and it is just my opinion! They are very nice rods! But there ends the comparison! Because I agree with your analogy of cane rods and how they're made, there's something special about Bamboo; and something magical about using one!

Honda, Please accept my apologies if my post upset you! As I stated it was just an opinion! I have no connection with any tackle manufacturer or dealer! I'm just someone who loves fishing small streams! You also mentioned that others on the forum have spoken to you regarding my opinion on certain topics! I thought the forum was for like minded people who enjoy fly fishing; and especially on small streams with whatever equipment (tackle) they use! Shouldn't matter really, their opinions are also valid, even if they use a Woolworth's Plastic rod and reel!

Please accept my sincere regards

Mostyn

Honda450
05-25-2011, 04:14 AM
Mostyn you are kind enough to give you apologies, Thank You. Don,t let it cost you another thought.

Mostyn
05-25-2011, 05:08 AM
Mostyn you are kind enough to give you apologies, Thank You. Don,t let it cost you another thought.

Thank you; and I wont!!

Ernest
05-25-2011, 08:47 AM
I know nothing about Hardy Carbon rods, and if someone says they're great rods, then probably they are.

But if someone loves bamboo rods, why not just stick to the bamboo rods? They can be expensive, but they don't have to be, and my cane rods do whatever I want them to do in small streams, without the need for a alternative.

And if someone says they (unconditionally) love bamboo rods, I'm afraid they have not had the experience I have had with bamboo. Some of my cane rods are perfect for their purpose. Others have been absolutely terrible fishing tools. It's not the material; it's what the rod maker makes of it.

I currently have very good rods made of bamboo, glass, and graphite. I have had poor rods, for my uses, of each material, and have discarded these over the years.

Mostyn
05-25-2011, 11:01 AM
I know nothing about Hardy Carbon rods, and if someone says they're great rods, then probably they are.

But if someone loves bamboo rods, why not just stick to the bamboo rods? They can be expensive, but they don't have to be, and my cane rods do whatever I want them to do in small streams, without the need for a alternative.

And if someone says they (unconditionally) love bamboo rods, I'm afraid they have not had the experience I have had with bamboo. Some of my cane rods are perfect for their purpose. Others have been absolutely terrible fishing tools. It's not the material; it's what the rod maker makes of it.

I currently have very good rods made of bamboo, glass, and graphite. I have had poor rods, for my uses, of each material, and have discarded these over the years.

Must agree with you Ernest,

I've had a couple of cane rods that I didn't like using or they didn't perform as I expected!!! But that also applies to other rods in glass or carbon. I mix and match my rods! BUT; and here's the but : I've been refining my tackle over a few years, until I found something I really like using. I am now pretty much sorted in the stream fishing type of rod and reel I use; and also the fly lines I use! I really do like fishing with both types of rod. I absolutely love being out with my 6ft.3in, #3, Cane Rod, and an LRH Reel fitted with a silk line, It is a truly magical experience, the outfit suits me perfectly! Then one day a friend gave me his Hardy flyweight 6ft, #2, weight to try, now I've tried many 6ft fly rods in my time - but the flyweight Rod performed like my cane rod (a soft action) and so extremely lightweight! So I bought myself one! I also had a couple of 7ft, stream rods, I sold them to buy the hardy Featherweight 7ft, #3, weight. yet another extremely lightweight and soft actioned rod, similar to the action of a cane rod! And before anyone says "They're not like Bamboo" I'd agree! Although they do posses a good deal of the characteristic's of a boo rod. I love fishing lightweight tackle and find that the Classic Lightweight Range of rods and reel suit me fine! Took me quite awhile to discover a range of tackle that I'm really happy with! Including my lightweight Cane Rods!

Ernest
05-26-2011, 02:32 PM
Mostyn,

You wrote that your Hardy Featherweight is "another extremely lightweight and soft actioned rod, similar to the action of a cane rod!" But what is the action of a cane rod?

These are some of my cane rods between 6 and 7 feet in length:
1) L. Torkelson (a local maker) 1970's era rod. Very delicate and slow action rod made to protect the low breaking strength of the fine tippets we had 40 years ago. Best balanced with a 3wt line.
2) D. Hook (a local maker) 2006 era rod. Slow action. Bends into the handle. Good overall rod if you like them slow; I like it for small wet flies. 3 wt.
3) Homemade banty made of parts of 2 rods. Slow action, much like #2. 3/4 wt.
4) Homemade banty made of parts of 2 rods. Crisp "dry fly" action. 4 wt.
5) Paul Young Company 1960'e era "Midge." Crisp action. 4 wt.
6) J. Tschida (a local maker) 1970's era rod. Parabolic action workhorse that handles everything from small dries to heavy weighted streamers. 4/5 wt.
7) Shakespeare Company 1930's era "Diana." Stiff as a poker. Need some line out to be loaded at all. Good rod for throwing heavy or wind resistant flies into the wind. 5wt.

All of these will see small stream action in 2011. When I drive out to my favorite stream, I'll look at the water first, and then choose, usually between #2, #4, and #6, depending on the flies I'll be using and the stream and weather conditions.

I don't know what the action of a cane rod is. It's all over the place just within this subset of my short cane rods.

Ernest

Mostyn
05-26-2011, 05:33 PM
Hi Ernest,

I owned a Paul Young 7ft.3in, #4, weight. Too stiff for my liking! When I was speaking of actioned comparisons; I was taking in to account the accepted concept by most people that the action of a cane rod is somewhat slower than that of a Carbon rod equivalent! But as you say, that's not always the case! My heaviest line # weight for stream fishing is a #3, weight. I've even underlined some of my stream rods to see how they react; and found some positive results! In 55, years + of fly angling, I've probably heard every theory there is about cane rods! I now discount most of them; and formulated a love of cane rods that's based on the lightweight way I enjoy fishing! My Tim Harris - Little Vixen (Cane Rod) is 6ft.3in, #3, two piece with second tip; and is as lightweight as many comparable carbon rods, it has a soft through action; but not sloppy; and there is nothing that could tempt me to part with it! I find that true knowledge is gained from experience, but certainly not gained by listening to someone with a fixed opinion. I'm always open to the opinion of others; but not necessarily accepted, although very interested to hear what they have to say! A narrow mind will miss a great deal of information.

I chose what rod I'm going to use before I leave home! I'll fish that rod reel and line no matter what the conditions of the water when I arrive there! Adapting to any situation.

Mostyn

Ernest
05-27-2011, 10:40 AM
Mostyn,

You would like #2 from my list. It'a a 6'3" slow 3 wt. It works for a reasonable range of flies and conditions. The maker Denny Hook is a friend of mine, and he gave me the rod several years ago. It's a lightweight little rod, but I've caught browns to 20" on it and never felt undergunned.

You wrote " I chose what rod I'm going to use before I leave home! I'll fish that rod reel and line no matter what the conditions of the water when I arrive there! Adapting to any situation." If it works for you, then you'll get no argument from me. I don't know anything about your stream conditions. My reason for carrying several rods is this. When I leave the house I'm not even sure which stream I will be fishing. Within an hour of the house we have everything from small, low gradient meadow streams, to faster pool-and riffle streams running through the woods, to one big brawling river. Then there's water levels, wind and weather, and variable hatches. I can't very well adapt within that range with any one of my rods.

Ernest

Mostyn
05-27-2011, 05:49 PM
Hi Ernest,

I can see your point! A friend that I sometimes have the pleasure of fishing with; will take two rods with him while fishing a medium sized river! He uses one for dry fly fishing and the other for nymph fishing. I sometimes use a 6ft, or 7ft, #2/3 weight rod on medium sized rivers and taken fish up to almost 3LB in weight; and safely returned them to the water! That wee rod your friend made for you sounds wonderful; and I'm sure that I would truly love it! So if your finished with it? Just let me know! Although, I'm sure it's a special rod, just for you! There's something special and magical about a cane rod that's been made specifically for yourself!

Regards

Mostyn