The Yellowstone Angler 'shoot outs' are probably the most detailed and in depth rod reviews and head to head comparisons done anywhere in the world. Rods are marked in various categories including swing weight, performance at 25, 45 and 70 feet and also warranties.

Yellowstone's George Anderson had these comments on the first-placed Zenith:

"The Hardy Zenith 9 foot #5 steamrollered the competition once again. You would think that after we declared them the winner back in our last 5-weight shootout that was two year ago, other manufacturers would take a closer look at these Hardy rods and tell their R&D guys to come up with a rod that is at least as good as the Hardy or better. Well, they didn't get the job done. The Zenith is just a killer tool in the hands of a good angler. A fly rod on steroids, but one that is also capable of delicate presentations. We haven't had a single customer that wasn't delighted with this Rod".

In close second place was the Hardy Artisan

"Hardy's new Artisan was impressive! [...] The Artisan is built in England, and this is one impressive rod. It was designed to be better at short range than the Zenith, and it is. It is delightfully light and has a nice soft tip that enables delicate but extremely accurate presentations at 20-35 feet. It's definitely a more forgiving rod than the Zenith at close range The big surprise for us though, was how well this Artisan performed at mid to long range. At 45 feet it was almost as good as the Zenith, and at 70 feet it was extremely good too. This is a beautiful looking rod, with a golden color, and superb craftsmanship. This Hardy has a nice amboyna wood burl seat too, that locks up with ease and precision".

To read the full review, visit YellowstoneAngler.com - they also have a redesigned website making their great content even easier to navigate.

For many collectors, the most sought-after brand name is Hardy. Established in 1872 in Alnwick, Northumberland, in the north of England, the company has been at the forefront of design and innovation since its inception and is referred to as the Rolls-Royce of fishing tackle. The Hardy Perfect reel was introduced in 1891, and with some minor alterations the same model is in production today. Notable and historic examples of Hardy rods and reels areextremely collectible, fetching stratospheric prices at auctions and estate sales (a reel from the early 20th century recently saw bids of more than $19,000 on eBay but failed to reach reserve). Less notable vintage reels commonly change hands for $1,000 to $3,000. But a collector can start out smaller, if he or she chooses, and for a few hundred dollars can begin to amass a fine trove of vintage fly-fishing treasure.

You can read the full article by Eddie Brannan at this link:

http://global.ralphlauren.com/en-us/rlmagazine/editorial/hol12/Pages/FlyFishing.aspx

The fun casting competition gave all the industry "big guns" at the show the opportunity to see who can cast a 5-weight fly rod the furthest. The best caster is awarded the bragging rights for the 2012 Pond Hog Hero Caster!

Congratulations Howard!

More on the show here: http://www.theflyfishingexpo.com/show-features/pond-hog-hero

Each year the contest is held at the Castskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum on the first weekend of August. The event includes workshops, instruction and a marketplace for traditional equipment enthusiasts. On the Saturday night there is a traditional pig roast and buffet that passes well into the night with lively discussions of all aspects of cane rod casting and fishing with cane.

The winner this year is Mike McFarland from Tyrone, PA. Mike is a master rod maker and worked with Chris Bogart to design a cane rod specific for the Hardy Cup. With two casts of 104' 4" and 106' 2" Mike bested the result of last year's competition and all comers this year.

Here is a list of the top three finishers and their prizes:

First place: Mike McFarland. Tyrone, PA. Total score 210' 6". Winner of a Hardy Cane rod of his choice.
Second place: Rick Miller. Roscoe, NY. Total score 199' 4". Winner of a Hardy Perfect reel of his choice.
Third place: Takatoshi Kumakiri. Kent, OH. Total score 193' 8". Winner of a Hardy St. George Reel of his choice.

In the Picture we have:

Mike McFarland (left) receiving the Hardy Cup from last year's winner, Masaki Takemoto of Niigata, Japan.

Randolph continues with the history of American Fly Fishing, commenting on the lack of competitive fishing which ultimately lead to no nymph fishing tuition existing before the 80s. Through changing times the birth of Jackson’s annual ‘One Fly’ competition in 1980 brought to life the Americans competitive spirit in the sport and suddenly they started competing all around the world, including in our own European competitions.

Randolph explains how the ‘Euro Nymphing’ technique is "now the standard of nymphing in the world of fly fishing" thanks to the instruction of Howard Croston.  

Here are some other snippets from the article: “His rods and rigs are the ticket to his success. The consist of the right Czech- (10 foot, 4-wgt.) and French-style (11-foot, 3-wgt.) nymphing rods (Hardy, of course), armed with speciality 12- to 16-foot custom-tapered leaders, with tippets to 6X...with a two-colored ‘striker’ built into the leader below the line/leader connection and with two droppers (where legal) off the leader.”

“Croston always wears soccer shank-length knee pads so he can kneel in approaching trout in shallow water and for deeper-water Czech or combined Czech/French, ‘Euro nymphing.’”

“His casts are upstream or across and slightly upstream and all his drifts are followed at the bottom of the swing with a slight hook-set, since many of his strikes occur there.”

“Getting the nymphs to drift without drag is the key to this fly presentation. Greasing the leader and curlicue to make both float properly is also a key to this presentation.”

To read the full article download the PDF

This month Andrew Herd talks about the history of the Hardy Perfect, Chris Ogborne offers a preview of the CLA Game Fair, Stuart Minnikin on Marble Trout and Howard Croston reports on the recent World Championships - all this and much more.

"My first cast with my 9.6ft #8 Hardy Zenith and di5 40 plus with a dark olive damsel pattern tied by my good friend and former England team gold medal winner, Davy Parker was met with an instant take which I missed! When I started the retrieve on my second cast I was still cursing my mistake but that changed pretty quickly as half way back to the boat the line locked solid and a chunky Marble Trout went airborne trying to throw the barbless hook. Typically when you desperately want to land a fish it does everything it can to escape and the fight was overly long thanks to the nerves and apprehension of trying to get the all important blank avoiding first fish in the net - thankfully it stayed hooked and the blank was avoided 6 minutes into the session."

Subscribe to Fin & Fly email updates to never miss an issue (out on the 15th of every month) or read it online at Hardyfishing.com.

Exclusive fishing, art and tackle is available in the UK WILD TROUT TRUST CHARITY eBay AUCTION 2012, including a limited edition Jubilee reel.

The Wild Trout Trust's annual eBay and postal auction will take place between March 5th and March 15th 2012.

The money raised in the auction supports the Wild Trout Trust‘s excellent work in delivering practical advice and habitat improvement projects throughout the UK with clubs and owners, as well as programmes such as Trout in the Town and sea trout projects in East Anglia and on the South Coast.

The auction is packed with around 200 exciting lots to suit all pockets and interests, including shooting, artworks, books and tackle as well as fishing. Guide prices start from £15.

The star lot is a Hardy Jubilee reel. One of a Limited Edition of 250 reels commemorating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the 140th anniversary of Hardy Bros., and marking 100 years since the introduction of the ‘1912 pattern check'. The funds raised from the sale of this reel will be used to support the restoration of the River Dibney in Northern Ireland via the River Dibney Conservation Trust, a community-led group committed to involving young people in caring for and restoring their local river.

Fishing lots range from the very best of the Wessex chalk streams to wonderful wild trout fishing in rivers and lakes throughout the UK. Much of the fishing is exclusive and donated by private clubs and syndicates and amny lots include guiding by professional guides, river keepers and fishing writers or by enthusiastic and knowledgeable club members.

Lots donated by Hardy & Greys Academy members include:
Jeremy Lucas, River Eden
Howard Taylor, Hampshire chalk streams
Ian Hockley, casting lesson and fishing at private lakes in Oxfordshire
Stevie Kennedy, fishing on Strangford Lough.

The fishing extends beyond the UK to sea trout fishing in Patagonia and bone fishing in the Caribbean.This is a superb way of booking your perfect fishing break and donating to an excellent cause.

Unique collectable lots include a prototype hexagraph salmon rod, developed and owned by Hugh Falkus, an an exquisite image of trout head in pewter, gold leaf and brass by artist Sam McDonald and flies tied by Oliver Edwards and John Goddar.

For the auction catalogue, postal bid form and link to the eBay auction, visit www.wildtrout.org
For a paper catalogue call 023 9257 0985 or email the Wild Trout Trust office

PICTURED:

Hardy Limited Edition Jubilee Perfect (Face)

Secret Stream: John Pearson

Trout head in pewter, gold leaf and brass by artist Sam McDonald

Upper Itchen in May

Hardy Limited Edition Jubilee Perfect (back)

Wild Trout Trust Logo

http://www.henrysforklodge.com/2011/12/latest-greatest-fly-rods/

Final Results

This contest was created by Hardy USA and CFFCM to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the introduction of the. Hardy C.C. de France Fly Rod by Hardy Bros. Ltd.

Click here to watch a video introduction from Hardy North America's Jim Murphy.

The over all point champion will receive a Commemorative 100th anniversary C.C. de France hand crafted by Hardy master rod makers, Tom Moran and Callum Gladstone. Second and third place finishers will receive a Hardy classic fly reel. The winning caster's name will be engraved on the Tiffany designed "Hardy Bros. Cup" that will remain on display in the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum. An award ceremony will take place at 6:30PM on Saturday, August 6, at a complimentary barbeque hosted by Hardy at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum.

This annual event has been designed to share in the pleasures of casting bamboo fly rods. No fee or advanced registration required.

For complete details on scoring and handicaps, please visit www.cffcm.net

On August 6, 2011 Hardy USA and The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum (CFFCM) will hold the first annual Hardy Bros. Cup casting competition, at the 29th Summerfest and Anglers Market at the CFFCM. This annual casting event will be open to all individuals and the only requirement is to use a bamboo fly rod 9' in length or smaller. This casting contest will be based on two distance casts and one accuracy cast. Handicaps will be applicable to rods under 8' in length and a tie breaker will be determined by the age of the rod. Casters should be able to cast a sight fly 50 feet with a 7.5' leader. Leaders and sight flies will be provided.

This contest was created by Hardy USA and CFFCM to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the introduction of the Hardy C.C. de France Fly Rod by Hardy Bros. Ltd. The over all point champion will receive a Commemorative 100th anniversary C.C. de France hand crafted by Hardy master rod makers, Tom Moran and Callum Gladstone. Second and third place finishers will receive a Hardy classic fly reel. The winning caster's name will be engraved on the Tiffany designed "Hardy Bros. Cup" that will remain on display in the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum. An award ceremony will take place at 6:30PM on Saturday, August 6, at a complimentary barbeque hosted by Hardy at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum.

This annual event has been designed to share in the pleasures of casting bamboo fly rods.

No fee or advanced registration required.

A casting field will be laid out at upcoming CFFCM events:

May 21 & 22, Woodstick- a field show devoted to the classic fly fishing
tackle and accessories by today's traditional craftsmen.

May 28 & 29 for the CFFCM Annual Dinner Weekend.

The Proaxis was reviewed for Adventure Fishing magazine by fly fishing guide Nick Hart, who commented that the rod was "a thing of beauty - the craftsmanship is obvious" before analysing the rod in use:

"There are so many superlatives that i could use to describe the Proaxis performance that it seems wise to stick with the simple but very effective 'awesome'. It is not often during a lifetime that it falls upon one's shoulders to review such a ground-breaking product and so I would like to add ‘breathtaking', ‘remarkable' and to a degree ‘overwhelming'! A wide grin is fitted as standard with this rod.

If my review sounds biased so far, I make no apology. I put that poor 9ft 0in #8 through hell during my most recent saltwater fly fishing trip to Ireland, over-lining the blank with ridiculously heavy heads, high-sticking pollack and even connecting with a sizeable wrasse. Anybody who has ever hooked this latter species will know that they have the ability to punish hardcore sea-fi shing tackle let alone mere ounces of fly rod. The Proaxis came through the ordeal without a hiccup.

Casting is dreamy. These rods are fast, have an ability to achieve high line speeds and the accuracy is sublime. Granted, good technique will be required, but this is the case for all high-performance fly rods. The Proaxis won't miraculously achieve extra distance or enable you to deal with windy conditions, but with a little practice it will certainly help."

The full review appears in the March/April 2011 edition of Adventure Fishing. 

Yellowstone's George Anderson commented "In our last 5-weight shoot, it was just by a nose. This time it wasn't even close! The Zenith surprised us all when it swept every single performance category, blowing everyone else away!" Click on the image to see the final results table.

18 rods selected for the test were analysed under 11 categories, both subjective and objective, and points awarded for each. Great attention was paid to making the testing as unbiased as possible, for example the same reels and lines were used on each rod and all 18 rods were tested at the same time meaning the reviewers could compare them directly.

Anderson explains: "What we were looking for were the best all around 5-weight rods - rods that could perform well in close at 25 feet but also have the power to do well at 70 feet and beyond, with the capability to throw 100 feet in the hands of an expert caster."

George Anderson has a great reputation as a caster and angler in both fresh and saltwater, and has assisted in rod design for Sage, G. Loomis, and Tom Morgan Rodsmiths. He was joined in the testing by experienced anglers James Anderson Robert Kovich, and Justin Bolduc.

Comments about the Zenith included:

"What the design team has done with [SINTRIX resin] has given us one of the finest all around #5 line fly rods we've ever cast!"

"This Zenith looks to me to be an outstanding nymph fishing rod and perhaps the best we've ever tested"

"A real pleasure to cast at [45 feet] and deadly accurate - 20/20"

Read the full Reviews of the Zenith from each tester by downloading the document opposite.

Or read the full 2011 5-Weight Shoot Out with contributions from George Anderson, James Anderson, Robert Kovich, and Justin Bolduc and including details of the history of the shoot out and the methodology for each of the categories used at the link below:

Hardy Zenith Wins Head to Head Shoot Out - Yellowstone Angler 

Chub has also been voted the best brand for Carp rods below 100 Euro and in the best luggage category for the 2010 tackle awards.

These awards are presented to some of the best fishing tackle manufacturers in the world and we are pleased to have been successful.

The Yellowstone Angler team pitched the Hardy Zenith against the Sage One in a new head to head test. Bottom Line: The Hardy Zenith, 2011 5-weight shootout winner, is still the champ! 

Here's what Yellowstone's George Anderson had to say:

"In our latest 5-weight shootout for 9 foot 4-pc. Rods, the Hardy Zenith walked away with top honors in every single performance category and won handily over the second place Sage Z-Axis.  

At the time we were doing our 5-weight shootout, we had heard about the new Sage One, and we desperately wanted to get it into our shootout, but it was just impossible to get a production sample at that time.   We knew that any rod that was going to replace the terrific Z-Axis line must be good, but how good?  About two weeks ago we got our hands on a new Sage One in the 9 foot #5 model, that was headed to Labrador and big brook trout, but we were able to keep it for a couple of days.  

We were anxious to cast the rod, but more importantly to be able to have enough time to do a little mini-shootout and make a direct comparison with both the Hardy Zenith and the older Sage Z-Axis the One will replace.  After an hour of casting all three rods head to head out on the lawn, we had some answers..."

To read the full story, and find out the results, head to http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/SageOnevsHardyZenithandSageZ-axis5weightminishootout.asp

During the team practice held in June in State College PA, Hardy North America presented each of the members of the US Youth World Fly Fishing Team with a Greys rod and reel outfit of their choice. The team is preparing to represent the US and the 9th Youth World Fly Fishing Championship August 3 through August 10 in Slovakia.

Jim Murphy, President of Hardy North America said, " Each of these anglers has achieved significant success to qualify for the US Youth Team. We are proud to present each of them with the Greys tackle that has been developed and designed for the competition environment in Europe. Howard Croston, our lead designer, has designed this tackle for the conditions these anglers will meet in Slovakia. The Greys brand is the lead performance fly fishing name in Europe. These anglers will feel right at home with their new tackle."

The Greys brand is owned by Hardy-Greys on Alnwick, England and is exclusively distributed by Hardy North America in Lancaster, PA

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new interactive website which we will be updating daily.

Featuring on the site are all of the new products for 2009 including the G-Tec and X-Flite range of rods and reels and Platinum Luggage.

Pease check back for further news and product updates coming soon.