Hardy Shadow Fly Rods

  Hardy Shadow fly rods have finally landed here at Big Y Fly Co.  We have been itching to get our hands on these for a few months now. ...

 

Hardy Shadow fly rods have finally landed here at Big Y Fly Co.  We have been itching to get our hands on these for a few months now.  These rods have been in high demand since their release, and we are just as pleased with the finished product as we thought we would be.  Hardy's reputation for quality fly fishing gear is renowned, and this rod does not disappoint. 

Sintrix Technology

The Hardy Shadow features "Sintirx" technology.  Every rod company has a catchy name for their newest technology.  Hardy is using nano-silica resins to help reduce the weight of the rod while increasing the strength.  These new nano-silica resins do what they claim, and rod companies are having a new awakening in rod design.  This particular technology claims to increase strength by 60% by reducing weight by 30% without losing any feel.

Here is a nice little article on Sintrix from Hardy

I have cast just about every rod on the market today.  The new resins are really great.  They do increase strength while decreasing the overall weight.  The problem with a lot of these rods is that they have had the feeling completely engineered out of them.  They are just too light for their own good. 

A nice, simple reel seat

Hardy doesn't seem to have that problem with their new rods.  Whether it is the designers, the materials or both, the rods that we have seen from them over the past coupe of years have been spot-on.  You can feel the rod load and unload.  You can feel the little details within the cast that lets you respond in real-time to make adjustments.  That is quite nice to be able to feel it all when you cast.  All of that with a noticeable weight reduction.

The Shadow is no exception to the excellent rods that Hardy has released in the past few years.  While this is their most affordable rod, there is no lack of quality here.  It looks good and it casts really well.  The rod is snappy, responsive and light weight; it is everything you could want out of a fly rod.

Compared to their top end Zephrus (and we love the Zephrus), the Shadow does hold up quite well.  The Zephrus is built with a lighter, but faster Sintrix 440 blank, but the slightly slower Sintrix 220 blank has deadly accuracy and very little side-to-side wobble.  The big differences beyond that are components.  The Zephrus has high-end reel seats and Fuji titanium stripping guides, while the Shadow has a quality, but far less expensive aluminum reel seat and standard stripping guides.  The Zephrus has a very nice aluminum rod tube, while the Shadow features a PVD/cordura tube that is more than adequate. 

Casting the two rods next to each other, an angler will find that the Shadow does have a slower action, but is still solidly in the Medium/Fast category that has that "mama bear" feel to it; albeit on the slower side of Med/Fast.  It has great recovery; not quite as good as the Zephrus, but plenty more than most rods. 

Hardy Shadow

Recovery is when the rod does not lose it's load when the angler introduces slack into the cast.  Like if you start your forward cast too fast and then have to slow it down for a split second, some rods will lose the load and your cast will fall apart.  Same with dropping the rod tip on the forward stroke.  Some rods can provide recovery from small mistakes, some can't.  The Hardy Shadow does a good job at staying loaded, allowing you to catch back up with the line and allow your rod to unload at the end of the casting stroke instead of mid-cast.

We cast the 9' 5wt for the first time in the middle of a snow storm, with temps well under 20 degrees F.  Not exactly the most ideal conditions for casting trout rods, but it was quite fun nonetheless.  The 9' 5wt. did really well with an Scientific Anglers Trout Taper, but I think it was a little easier to cast with a slightly heavier Rio Gold on it.  An even heavier line like a Rio Grand or S/A MPX made the rod a little slower.  Not quite sluggish, but a little less reactive than I personally like.  I think a "bump" line like a Grand or MPX would be good for anglers that have some improvements to do with their cast. Here are my line recommendations for the Shadow:

Rio Gold was the right line for us

Advance Casters or Dry Fly Exclusive
S/A Trout Taper
Cortland 444 Sylk WF
Rio Technical Trout

All-Around
Rio Gold
S/A Infinity Taper
Cortland 444 Peach

Intermediate Casters or "Still Learning"
Rio Grand
S/A MPX
Cortland Trout Boss

The Hardy Shadow is a great rod.  Not just "for the money" or that is a great "value" rod.  This is a great stick and I would be more than happy to fish with this rod for a day, a season or more.