Hardy Deluxe 15' #10

[al44]

Surely there must have been some Hexagraphs that were ok?

I have a 12'4" Falkus Grilse which is fine for small rivers albeit a little slow in action, and I believe the 10'6" Falkus Seatrout Special is ok as well.

Getting over the weight issue I hear they were always regarded as good for playing fish which surely is as important as casting out to them in the first place.

Any positive comments on Hexagraphs, identified isolated gems, or should we all be growing peas up them?

[castlikeaghille]

zephead said:

Sloggi this is a top thread-lets get back to Hardy's though as I've had another random thought..............

And whereabouts in the harlin' boat that at midnight silently and spectrally sweeps the glassy currents of salmon rod Valhalla on the Lower Tay would you be placing a glass bottomed Hardy Fibalite 15 footer in its regal shitty brown livery in comparison to the Macallangorm?

A design combo to resemble a chocolate lime boiled sweet.

Oh please ClaG,do share quickly with us your wizardly wisdom before we move onto the murkier waters of Milbro,Abu,Normark,Clan,Shakespeare Carbo (mine is still in its velour bag resplendent in bottle green formica livery) and last but not least,the Sue Burgess Diamondback.................................?

Possibly the recomended tobacco that goes with my new Bob Marley album has taken too much of a hallucogenic hold in this late hour given mentioning these old tools.

Gib' us ebry one 'a ja views maaan.

ZH

Zep

Before we leave B&W Frankenstein central special mention needs to be made of the biggest monster of all, no it's not the Macallangorm.....IMO it has to be the 17' Expert # 11 - 12 Heavy Duty. I remember the first time the Moanmeister gave me his and I nearly fell forward into the river such was was the even weight distribution (20 oz pop pickers) across the rod. Jeez the leverage casting that thing - yowzer. Still you know what they say, that thing killed fish stone dead and as a result many Border based owners of this rod would step in where other Walkerburn Angels feared to tread

Moving on, for sheer joy so much so that it brings to my eyes my first D/H rod was a 13' #9 3 pc Milboro Verre. It was the final one designed in the late 70's at a time when all rods, like bathroom suites and tiles, were based on a colour combo of chocolate brown and orange. Fuji reel seat and luminous yellow lined Fuji striping rings and an RRP of £60....sorted.

Now that thing overhead cast anything in a way a modern 13' carbon wand would implode on cast two. 27 m (in the days when that was quite a long way) of sunk line (Hardy Wet III sinker), 2 1/2" copper tube no roll cast required strip, strip lift and fire...simple pleasures. Killed Tweed Salmon upto 17lbs on it nae problem. Kept it as a summer rod for years and even had it out on the Rappach as late as 1993

Right that's it, it's definitely coming to the MWC in July.......all I need to do is find The Super Condex to go with it

Regardeth

CLaG

[altmor]

zephead said:

I like them very much and last time it flexed in anger it nailed a lurrrvly 17lber from the Ewe in the tail of McCordie's in double-quick time which met its end in the days before Raymondo.


ZH

Zep you've got ma fiushie canals pumpin'. I suggest a dawn raid for B&W weilders only - in full camo gear on the Ewe - to extract fiushies from Mcordies, a la water from the Garry style, with the stealth of an overplump heron to keep below Raymondo's radar line.

....... as to date .... every time I hook one, the intrepid duo, Raymondo et dug, appear with the "release net", this in complete contrast to the other rods who proclaim not having seen batman and robin all day from the sea pool up to the mouth of Maree !!

We may need to take a meercat - just to keep an eye out for the underghillie, who I'm told has taken up his summer pastures in the low valley and unlikley to migrate south till the cold winds and frosts arrive in the fall.

Catch up soon,

Altmor

[zephead]

Al,

There were some Hexagraphs that were good and some plain ok-and they were raved about upon theri launch as being a great next big thing-but once the furore had died down and arthrititis set in they just didn't seem to be as good as everyone first thought,despite Crawford Little,Sgt Major Brylcreem Seafield Lodge and HF et al raving over them in books never mind T&S.

In fairness,they were probably launched just as modern spey rod development by the overseas manufacturers was just starting to get a grip in the mid-upper end of the UK market and as it takes 2-3 seasons for a product to get bedded in their were some cool looking alternatives at comparatively competitive prices apearring from the likes of Daiwa etc

The "return to the cane feel",and bear in mind they were making their de luxe models in cane coloured carbon for fecks sake,just kinda set B&W back a few years and gave the Brothers Grim an inflated opinion of the tosh they were producing on the salmon rod front on Percyside albeit a 16' Favourite was in the armoury at Zephead Towers for season.

As B&W point out to this day-balance is more important than net weight,viz shotgun production where a heavier gun can be made pleasant to have in the hand all day without being tiring-but not everyone wants to have a Cascapedia so a rod balances just above the cork gip!

I have a (much battered by its previous owner)HF Sunk Line Special AFTM 12 that was a serious part of my spring and back-end armoury for a while but when the guy sold it me as an emergency purchase for a weekend on the Tyne(river dead right on a Friday at 5pm-all gear in car except rods as had been out all day on the road on business) he said it would suit me being 6'3" and 18 stone and it would be a good investment for a £100 quid.

And it did exactly what it was supposed to and as a fish killin tool was great-almost too good on the case of an unfortunate 16lb coloured hen fish that met her end one day on Tweed -its just that a downstream breeze feels like a howling gale with most of the hexagraphs I have used bending as soon as you begin the the lift as the pofile is so thick and then being apt to turn in the hand.Some models are also poorly damped-but then a cane style action would be-which makes quick shot-line mending a bit of an acquired skill.

They were also likely to come away a bit at the joints as well which apparently accounted for the extra whippings but never saw this first hand so possibly only conjecture m'lud.

My Sea-trout Special 10'6" has the same problem but is a great night fshing rod as it has more feel in the back cast than a modern cabon poker and is supple enough to Spey cast with.Also good with heavier lines for the second half but it is much slower than an old Mchardy's Fibatube carbon trout rod that is ten years its junior.

Did B&W do a Hexagraph over 16 ft-can't remember one as a production model.

Going back to Sagecasters point,the old Hardy DL is a great fish playing tool and I do wish that modern rods had that power and flex into the butt-there is nowt worse than losing an unexpected 4lber,say,when expecting bigger stuff,because it swam in like a wet sack and got off under your feet because the rod would'nt bend when it went on a short run or did ne of those grlise dervish wallows where the flee pings back at you.

An as for growing peas up them-get these old rods out and play with them especially with modern spey lines.I had great couple of hours after dinner at Sluie with my DL a month ago and whilst I wouldn't want to fish with it all day now as I love my Powerlites it made me think about my timing and within minutes I was having a ball,standing on the shingle in my wellies with an anti-midge Gitanes with a whole Lee Wulff out the rod top once I was at the tail of the Hut Pool.Sheer blissss!

As for Milbro.My first ever trout rod the man in Robertsons in the Haymarket,not Lord McReadie of the Tyne I hasten to add,sold me was a Milbro.It was just the brown sinking Masterline that he said would go well with it for fishing the Wear that was the problem-and my DSS Phsyciatric Home Visitor wonders why I don't trust tackle shops..............

ZH

[zephead]

Altmor,a tippety top idea-your on.

Plan is.......................................

A yomp in from the Inverain side,down past the Turk's Lodge,and with a wee flick of a trusty old Expert by the big stane,as Factor Heaps would call it,I am sure we would have a tide licer fresh from the salt with the taste of Greenland still on his salmony lips.

I couldthen land it before Raymondo has time to get round from his cottage,even if using the in the prorietors Porsche,and kelick it with the only real fist class piece of Percyside fishing kit I don't use any more.................................................................my Hardy Retratable Telescopic gaff.

Raymondo could then try to resucitate it after it has met that contraption.

DTYS!

ZH

[acw]

My Sea-trout Special 10'6" has the same problem but is a great night fshing rod as it has more feel in the back cast than a modern cabon poker and is supple enough to Spey cast with.Also good with heavier lines for the second half but it is much slower than an old Mchardy's Fibatube carbon trout rod that is ten years its junior.

Have to go with the HF 10.6 I would not part with mine ,the longer ones are definitely an aquired taste ,Lord Geoff collects them (poor deluded soul) and berates me for sending my HF 15' tubular 11 rated rod to the states as a swap for a 13' St Croix,which is now my go too summer rod ,boy was fishing Grafham with it last weekend
That Tubular HF was a mean rod ,nearly dragged me over into the Carron at Gledfeild a few times ,and would handle 10 lbers like a #8rod for wee brownies !
Also posted in a totally different thread,senile dementia I think

[billytheghillie]

if any of you boys are thinking of getting rid of your b&w rods give me a shout as i will soon be planting my beans and will need some beanpoles.

[zephead]

If I had clear out here you'd have to buy a market garden...............

ZH

[charlieh]

zephead said:

Did B&W do a Hexagraph over 16 ft-can't remember one as a production model.

Wasn't there a 16'6" 'Bruce', or was that tubular? Whichever, it was a horrid rod - I think about the worst I ever had a cast with, in the days when I used to get a chance to try lots of different kit.

On the subject of old, slow and heavy rods, does anyone remember the old Orvis 15'? My dad still fishes with one, and won't be separated from it - I remember thinking in the mid 80's that it had the most similar action to cane of any carbon rod, which is probably why he likes it. I've given him various modern rods to try, and while he admits that they throw a good line, and are a good deal lighter, he says they have no soul.

[zephead]

I think its the only the Orvis Lifetime Guarantee that provides the soul..........................?!

ZH

[rennie]

Oh yes indeedy there was/is a damn good Hexo. in the shape of the Falkus 15ft Light Line 7#,a pleasure to fish with and does what it says on the tin(used to be the owner of a Falkus Sunk Line Special 15ft 4ins sadly least said soonest mended there,needed arms like rugby players legs to work/hold it) light to hold,plays fish well,casts well within its limitations and more to the point feels like a real fishing rod.One of my wouldn't swap for owt rods this one! Pedro.

[al44]

So we're now up to two good Hexagraphs, keep em coming, surely there must be one or two more.............?