Hardy rods have taken the top two spots in the eagerly awaited Yellowstone angler 5 weight shoot out. For a third year running The Hardy Zenith came first with the Hardy Artisan coming a close second.
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.
Once again the Hardy Zenith came out on top!
“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! Hardy has a new rod called the Artisan that 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”.
For more details go to Yellowstoneangler.com or hardyfishing.com
