Hardy Glass Fly Rods

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Hardy Glass Fly Rods

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This description was taken from the 2009 Hardy catalog (a preview of the catalog was provided courtesy of Joel Hitsman of Old Time Angler).

"Glass fibre has been largely ignored over the last twenty years in favour of lighter and faster carbon fibres. It's true that carbon is a superior material for lots of rod construction purposes, but not all. Adding glass to the mix gives the rod incredible durability and resistance to impact - making it ideal for the toughest fishing on back-country rivers and streams. By mixing glass to carbon we have achieved an easy loading, smooth action, with controlled, well damped recovery. The easy loading nature of these rods makes them sensational. They allow short range, controlled presentation with the absolute minimum of fly line beyond the tip ring. For the light, stream angler working in the tightest situations, Hardy Glass is the perfect choice."

  • Rods are made from 10% carbon and 90% glass fibre
  • All rods are made on two piece rod blanks
  • Easy loading, durable blank for toughness
  • Ligthweight blanks and sliding reel fitting
  • Tapered cork handle with classic styling
  • Alloy tube with canvas cover and a cork cap
2009 Hardy Glass Fly Rods
Model NameLengthLine WeightPrice
Aln5'2$299
Brooke6'3$325
Stream7'3$349
Test7'6"4$375
Trout Fisher8'5$399


Photo courtesy of the Hardy 2009 Catalog

For over a century the House of Hardy has been known for classy fishing tackle. In the 1960s, Hardy began to work with the J. Kennedy Fisher company and Jon Taratino. This relationaship led to the development of the Hardy Glaskona and JET rods and a Fisher designed rod production facility in Alnwick, England. The Alnwick factory produced all of Hardy's fiberglass and graphite rods into the new millenium. The last fiberglass rods made at the Alnwick factory were the Perfection and the little known Zephyrus. The Zephyrus was a rather pricey glass rod designed for the Japanese market with a small percentage of graphite used to provide hoop strength. Very few were imported into the US.

Over the last few years, Hardy has made major changes in their operation. The company merged with Greys and reorganized. They have shifted much of their production to overseas facilities. In the US, they concluded their long standing business relationship with Cortland and created their own Hardy North America marketing subsidiary.

More to the point, for 2009, Hardy designed a new line of five fiberglass/graphite rods which are built in China. These new Hardy Glass rods are much like the earlier Zephyrus rods in that they contain 10% carbon fiber, again to provide hoop strength. The rods are faster than the recent Hardy Perfection fly rods, but the family resemblance is apparent. Unlike the Perfection or the Zephyrus, the new Hardy Glass is a series of two piece rods. The 5 and 6 foot rods have the pictured cap and ring reelseat with a cork spacer. The remaining rods have the classic Hardy reelseat with a tapered sliding ring that was seen on the Perfection. The rod grips are a long tapered cigar shape. The rod blank is a dark, glossy green with a translucent white spigot ferrule. The wraps are also dark green with silver trim threads at the signature wraps. The fit and finish are superb. These rods are just now arriving at Hardy dealers.

References

  1. A preview of the 2009 Hardy catalog was provided courtesy of Joel Hitsman of Old Time Angler.