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/

The new Hardy Ultralite reels recently picked up the 'Best in Show' accolade in the Freshwater Reels category at the International Fly Tackle Dealers exhibition in New Orleans.

The judges chose the reel because it offers both classic looks and performance at a good price.

According to Midcurrent "when fish tested, the reels responded smoothly (with fiber composite drag systems) during line pull, and were equally impressive on the uptake. They are sturdy in hand, but by no means bulky, and an all-around solid option for someone looking for polish and performance, without emptying the checking account"

The Ultralite Disc Drag and Ultralite Click Check reels are available now.

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 

Fly fishing is an old and classic pastime, but in many ways no different from other industries. Sporting goods companies continually innovate and release new gear, driving consumers to buy the latest rods and reels. There is plenty of good - even great - fly-fishing gear introduced every year.

But fly fishing is not like, say, the computer industry. You can still catch many fish and enjoy yourself on the water with a rod that is 10 years old, or a fly box made in 1860 (just imagine using today a Mac computer from 1992). The true angler carries a mixture of the best of the old and new.

[...]

The Hardy Perfect reel is the quintessence of what a great trout reel should be. The first Hardy Perfect was made in 1891. Very little has changed. The Perfect still lives up to its name--a handsome gunmetal gray, a delicate, tippet-friendly drag system. No new innovation in reels has improved much on this design.

Read the full article at Forbes online.

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.

Choose your own Greys outfit. 

Chris and Paul are the top ranked professional US Carp anglers with many first place finishes, including the International Carp Challenge on the St. Lawrence river and the Connecticut Tournament of Champions.

Jim Murphy, President of Hardy North America said;

"Chris and Paul are the most accomplished professional Carp anglers in the US. As lead members of the Greys-Chub Pro Staff, they will help the team develop what might be the fastest growing tackle market in the US.

"We welcome the expertise and the proven record of success that both Chris and Paul bring to our efforts to be the market leaders in US Carp market."

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

Watch the new Hardy rods and reels being put to the test

Zach said;

"Truth be told, I am a huge classic Hardy fan. You wave a pre-war lead-finished Perfect with a well-loved patina in front of my face, and I'll start drooling like it was a rack of steaming rib... In recent years Hardy has had a bit of a Janus-like personality; on the one hand, they have returned many of their classic models to production, while on the other they have struck out with some truly unusual modernistic designs. Both lines are excellent, but to me the classic reels are truly exceptional."

Read the Midcurrent review

Available in three styles of breathable waders; Hardy EWS MK2, Marksman and Flyweight

waders all come in sizes XS to size XLS.

Hardy & Greys Ltd PR Coordinator and keen angler, Lucy Bowden said;

"At last a pair of waders that fit!

The availability of waders to fit ladies is very small

and, although the new waders from Hardy are not made specifically for us girls, they fit fantastically and, what's more they look good too!

I think female anglers will be very impressed with these."

Hardy & Greys Ltd Clothing Designer, Pam Sandford said;

"The waders are not made for ladies; therefore, they are not tailored to fit the female form. However, we have taken into consideration a smaller frame when designing these waders and have produced a wide range of varied sizes."

Hardy EWS Mk2 Felt and Rubber Wading Boots are also available in sizes UK 6 to 13.

Ian said:

"These new Mach lines from Hardy are a must have for the serious Salmon, Sea Trout or Steelhead Angler.

"Technological advances in both coating and physical taper give the Mach ll the edge - These new lines feel both slick and easy to cast, the taper on both the 55 and 65 foot heads, importantly, make them suitable for both short as well as longer casts, turning over heavy as well as lighter flies.

"The welded loop makes it convenient to add polytips or replace nylon and what I loved most about these is how the line shoots - whether your style be underhand or more traditional, this low friction technology is truly amazing."

Ian Gordon will be attending The Jimmy Green International SPEY-O-RAMA and Fly Casting Festival, California on April 17-19 (info@spey-o-Rama.com) and Sandy River Spey Clave at Oregon (www.flyfishusa.com/spey-clave.htm) on May 16-17.

Featuring on the site are all of the new products for 2009 including the Angel 2 fly rod and Angel 2 reel, Perfect reel and Classic range of rods.

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

Hardy Greys North America Ltd President, Jim Murphy said:

"Hardy Greys North America is proud and thankful for this award. We are thrilled to be able to offer, once again, Hardy's hallmark UK engineering excellence back into the fly fishing market place.

"This marvellous award is the first formal recognition of our efforts to bring the ingenuity and heritage of Hardy products to the US market with our new organisation. We recognise MidCurrent as a strong voice for the US fly fisher and appreciate the award as a first step to becoming a full member of the American fly fishing community."

Renowned fly-fisher and Hardy & Greys Consultant, Charles Jardine said:

"Having grown up with the Hardy Perfect all my fly fishing life, I am thrilled that other generations of fly fishers - as well as those of my vintage will, once again thrill to the reels unique song when playing fish and its classic feel and look. I am so glad that Hardy has reintroduced this truly bespoke fly reel - a reel to be proud of."

Products selected as winners in the awards were selected for both innovative design and utility to fly fishers.

The best new fly fishing rods, fly reels, fly lines, waders, luggage, fly boxes, tools and accessories were all highlighted in MidCurrent's annual review of new designs, updates, and prices released by fly fishing manufacturers.

MidCurrent Editor and Publisher, Marshall Cutchin said:

"We would like to congratulate Hardy & Greys for displaying a high level of innovation and utility for fly fishers in the re-introduction of the Hardy Perfect Fly Reel for 2009."