A Full House Of New Rods From Hardy And Greys!

Introduction: In the fly fishing world, few names are as big as Hardy. Makers of some of the finest products around, their reputation is legendary. Recently, they continue to make quite a splash with their Zenith and Proaxis lines of fly rods. Utilizing their SINTRIX silica nano-matrix composite material, these rods have been earning rave reviews from fresh and saltwater anglers alike. At ICAST this year, Hardy looks to continue their hot streak with the release of several new rods, including something special for conventional anglers!

Hardy may be best known for their fly offerings but the company also offers traditional gear

SILEX SINTRIX Spinning and Casting rods: Bass, inshore, and steelhead anglers take note, SINTRIX technology is now available to conventional anglers! These 13 spinning and 14 casting rods are available in varying powers and lengths from 5'9” up to 9'0” with one, two, and three piece construction. The use of SINTRIX resins and high modulus graphite is said to make these rods perform unlike any others on the market, with precise actions, light weight, and extreme durability. Kigan titanium guides are utilized, and two of the spinning models even feature the new Microwave guides from American Tackle. Rounding out these sticks are high density EVA grips, Fuji skeletal reel seats on lighter models, and DPS seats on inshore and swimbait rods. Deeper technical specs are still being kept mum for now, but watch for these in January 2014 with an MSRP of $350-$495.

A look at the Silex baitcasting rod with a reel mounted

Lots of little details in design here

A split grip design is found on these high end rods

GR50 Fly Rods: The new GR50 fly rods from Greys are manufactured from high grade carbon fiber, making them both fast and lightweight. Rods 6 weight and smaller feature burl hardwood spacers with aluminum hardware, while 7 weight and up rods come with full anodized aluminum reel seats. Each GR50 rod sports a hybrid cork/rubber handle design, section ID with ferrule lineup marks, and black nickel single-foot snake guides. The ice-grey 4 piece blanks won't spook fish, and slip easily into the included hard tube. There will be 20 rods available in lengths from 6'0” to 15'0”. Look for these in October at a value-driven MSRP of $169.99 - $299.99.

Looking for a fast rod, the GR50 is exactly that

GR30 Fly Rods: GR30 rods offer a slightly softer medium-fast action compared to the GR50 series, but still offer up a healthy dose of performance. Touting metallic-olive blanks, each rod comes with a titanium finished reel seat, section lineup marks, high quality chrome snake guides, and a cloth covered tube. With 11 rods in the series, they all boast 4 piece construction and range from a 7'6” three weight to a 10'0” eight weight. Be on the lookout for these in October at an MSRP of $119.99 - $149.99.

The GR30 rods have softer medium fast actions

GR10 Fly Rods: As an entry-level series, the Greys GR10 fly rods offer anglers a great value. These rods feature forgiving moderate actions while retaining enough power to get the job done. The gloss black blanks match up to black aluminum hardware for a clean, attractive look. Grips are comprised fully of composite cork for longevity. Six rods are in the GR10 series ranging from a 4 weight to a 7 weight. Expect the GR10 series in October coming in with an MSRP from $89.99 - $99.99.

At less than 130 dollars the Greys GR10 rods are within reach of anglers just getting their waders wet in the sport

Jet Fly Rods: The Jet series of fly rods from Hardy boasts SINTRIX material at a price that puts many of them in reach of more anglers. Thanks to these SINTRIX resins, the series is said to have very refined mid and tip sections, resulting in a lightweight, high performance rod. Fuji stripping guides and hard chrome snake guides, as well as “AAAA” cork grips are used. With 20 rods on the way, there are models for single and double hand casting, as well as for Euro and Czech nymphing. Jet fly rods will be released in October at an MSRP of $449.00 to $825.00 for the longest two-hander.

The Jet fly rods also make use of SINTREX material for a lightweight high performance blank

Zenith and Proaxis-X: Hardy has tweaked the designs of the Zenith and Proaxis rods. Now, Zenith rods up to the 5 weight size sport a burled maple reel seat, and new Proaxis-X rods now carry machined bar stock reel seats. These rods are all available right now in single and double-handed models at an overall MSRP ranging from $599-$1,099.

Garry shows us the new fly and conventional offerings from Hardy

Conclusion: With one of the larger fly fishing product reveals at ICAST this year, Hardy certainly has piqued our interest. Their name has been legendary in the fly fishing industry for a very long time, and we are very interested to see how their latest foray into the conventional rod market works out. We hope to hit the water soon and try out some of their latest offerings to see if they earn the TackleTour seal of approval!