Hardy 1 Piece Fly Rods

  A great opportunity was presented and I jumped on it.  After reading and hearing that the Hardy Zenith rods were the cream of the fly rod crop, I knew I had to give one a wiggle.  I did and I ended up with a 9' 5wt.  It has been my go to 5wt. for the last 6 months.  I have thrown nymphs and dries with the thing and haven't been disappointed in any way.   Back in December at the Fly Fishing show, Hardy was there and had some new models of the Zenith rods on hand.  They had the new 1 piece rods there.  I figured what the heck and gave them a shot.  HOLY CRAP!  The 8' 10" 4 wt. rod was a dream.  I am not the world's best caster but certainly thought I was for the few minutes I had that thing in my hand.  Fast forward several months.  The super long package shows up at my office and I proceed to take the 1 piece rods out of the cases.  Seriously, how do I get these darn things out without breaking them?  Maybe I was a bit off in my thinking that 1 piece rods wouldn't be much of a hassle.  When I got them out on the lawn, I immediately remembered why I wanted to have a 1 piece rod.  They are super light, smooth and responsive.  They feel like no other rod I have ever cast.  The 6wt rod feels like a 4wt.  The 4 feels like a 3wt.  That is until you lay the gas on to them.  That is when you can feel the power you have in them.  I took them out to a local pond and cast them around.  There was a good head wind and the 4wt. did fine casting into the wind.  The 6 wt. was just spectacular.  I wasn't really fishing, I was just casting a hookless fly.  It was fun and I can't wait to get these rods out on the water soon.  I'll have more for you later on these fine rods.  Gosh, I can't wait to cast these on the water and really give them a workout.
George Anderson's Yellowstone Angler recently did their 4 wt. shoot out and the 8'6" 4wt. Hardy Zenith came out with top honors.  The one thing I came away with from that shoot out was the Hardy is good and I couldn't get this comment out of my head..... "The only other 4-weight rod in the world that might do everything better?  Hardy's 1 pc version"..... James Anderson

**These rods were obtained knowing that I would not be able to take them along every time I go somewhere.  I can safely carry these in my car rigged up and store them rigged up, ready to go.  I cannot take these on any family trips or when there is no room for a full 9' rod case.  That is where the 4 piece rods come in.  I guess you could say these are "specialized" rods.  For me, the advantages were clear.  **