Hardy Angel Fly Reel

[say]

Hi,

I was thinking about treating myself to a Hardy Angel 9/10 or 11/12 fly reel.

Do any forum members own this reel, if so, can you give me some feedback on these reels or even a better alternative

[acw]

say said:

Hi,

I was thinking about treating myself to a Hardy Angel 9/10 or 11/12 fly reel.

Do any forum members own this reel, if so, can you give me some feedback on these reels or even a better alternative

Personally I would not own one ,would search for a second hand Marquis /bougle/Perfect ,all of these work .
The Angles look like tarts knickers ( wont last long ) !the recomended will do the job and sell on at a later date !

[wilbert]

If you are thinking of spending that much money buy a Danielsson, they are well engineered and well made and will last forever. Ok they don't have the classic look or sound but they are the dogs boll*cks. I have use a trout sized Angel and have looked at the Salmon sized ones too and was disappointed with both and the price is way over the odds. There are too many places on the Angel where dirt can get between the spool and the frame and into the mechanism. to sum it up the Angel has the looks of a supermodel and the practicality of one too.

[hadrian]

i know of one or two local fishermen who use the angel and as far as I'm aware have had no trouble whatsoever with them,having looked for one on the cheap myself Ive noticed they hold they're price well and don't become available v.often that to me says it all,one thing i did notice was the reel foot was quite wide/deep which may make getting on and off difficult.

just like ladies knickers.

[williegunn]

I understand that the reel foot can easily become detached.

Just like a womens knickers when they meet a man in plus 4s

[jan]

williegunn said:

Just like a womens knickers when they meet a man in plus 4s

delusional after a long night? ;D

[tynetraveller]

I own the Angel 11/12 and it is a pretty reel with a good sounding, smooth drag- When it comes out of the box. The reel seats on all Angels of a certian age work loose, but this is a minor issue as it is just a case of tightening/ loctiting two screws. It is however currently in a box waiting to go back to Hardy fro the second time this year as the drag has gone again.

I also own a daniellson HD11-14 which is an amazing piece of engineering. I personally find the spool change difficult as I have chubby fingers, but when you have a big fish on, it is the best possible piece of kit and feels bulletproof.

[glisters1]

What goes wrong with the drag?My Angel performs fine but I havn't dropped it yet or had a fish big enough or strong enough rip 100 yds of line off but I do live in hope.

[say]

Looks like it will be plus 4's and a daniellson HD11-14 then.

Willie, any particular tweed I should ask for...lol

[hf]

No problems with hardy angels at all. Have used a 7/8 model in British Columbia and had kings up to 38 pounds on the reel and plenty of smaller pinks and cohos.

Also have a daniellson bit dont rate it. If you've a bit of cash the mk 11 cascapedia is superb

[hadrian]

hi hf guest,good to hear of all those fantastic specimens played out on your angel 7/8,i agree with you,the angel does a great job,what about the long term life and performance/reliability etc.most reels when working as they should, do the job but surely a reel should be judged on its longevity and reliability most of all.

how long have you used the angel?

[SCOTTY1234567]

hi, i own a galvan torque and it is by far the best reel i have, im pretty sure you will get for in a 10/11 weight, i paid $450 for the reel and a spool thinks its about £260 for reel and spool
cheers.

[hf]

Have had the angel 7/8 since they came out - use it over here on the tyne, coquet, teviot and til for all may salmon and ctrouting and also a spot of bassing on the coast. I've no problems/doubts about robustness etc.

I wish Hardy's would do a 7/8 Cascapedia mk2 with a drag no a click check.

I'm so disollusioned woth the daniellson it's been in a cupboard with spare spool for 3 seasons and that's where its staying or maybe I'll e bay it.

Took it to Canda in 2002 and the drag was next to useless - had to resort to an old system 2 to stop fish.

[wilbert]

hf did you adjust the pre set on the Danielsson drag? I have had a set of scales pulling against the drag on full and it took 8kg of pressure before the spool started to rotate so the drag is more than upto the job. If you are selling your reel don't forget to advertise it here first, I would gladly take it off your hands for the right price.

[hadrian]

hi hf,it seems like your angel has an easy life,the odd week in canada,one month here c trouting and salmon fishing in may,is it really getting pushed enough to be able to give it the thumbs up in terms of reliability?

hadrian.

[easky]

I have a Lamson Velocity, which I have found great - you could go for the V4 which should do the business. There is also the Litespeed which is a bit more pricey. Very easy change of spool as well, you just pull it apart with not fiddly buttons or releases.

E

[rennie]

The Hardy Angel is the dogs dooh daahs,own the 11/12 model paid £254 for it from Fawcetts would love another one the line capacity,retrieve rate and especially the drag cant be faulted.I own many disc drag reels and most go from a nice setting to locked up or almost immovable in a couple of clicks,the Angel however has a broad range of drag settings before its rod dragged out of hand time and then its not locked up solid.In many years of Salmon fishing never had to stop a Salmon dead in its tracks yet (Sea Trout yes ) just slow its run,cant see why we should pay for a drag designed for salthingyer species (it is handy though) to stop a train .In my opinion the looks are drop dead gorgeous too.If money is an object try the Hardy Ultralight Disc Large Arbor (about £180 at Fawcetts) another fine reel (got two of these) never had a single problem with either reel,totally trustworthy and reliable .Both reels have 40yd+ of 10/11 spey lines and 200yds of 30lb Dacron backing on them,plenty for anything. Pedro.

[rennie]

Mean saltwater species and not salthinger species as stated above,spell check alters it but it returns to double dutch when posted, computer needs a small adjustment wheres me hammer and welding torch. Pedro.

[rennie]

Its done it again innit,mean salt water species

[salar76]

Danielsson's are the best and most reliable high tech reels on the market.

Modern Hardy's are overpriced and naff. confirmed when a salesman at farlows advised that the angel was for people who like to be seen; just like a ferrari owner. hmm.

Wouldn't touch a lamson with a bargepole after watching a fish of a lifetime ping 25lbs seaguar like cotton when the drag seized.

Personally sold all my reels (apart from a perfect and a marquis) and replaced them with danielssons