In its day, Great Britain's House of Hardy manufactured some of the finest fly reels available in the world, but, as Charlie Nardi of The Camp-Site Sport Shop recently said, "The days passed them by."

For more than 125 years, Hardy Reels were cherished by trout and salmon fly rodders. They were at the zenith of the reel makers' art.
Hardy Reels command high prices on the collector's market. A scarce Hardy St. George Spitfire Model would probably go for upwards of $600 these days, and some of those old Hardy originals are literally worth more than their weight in gold.
But the House of Hardy made fly reels the old fashioned way. Designers and machinists incorporated some modern notions, but the basic assembly of stamped parts held together with tiny screws remained the same for generation after generation of Hardy Reels.

Meanwhile, other manufacturers began machining fly reels out of solid aluminum blocks. Look at a modern Charlton fly reel, and you won't find any slot for a screwdriver or a hex for a wrench. Look at a Hardy Reel made only a few years ago, and you'd be reminded of the days when watchmakers were reel makers, too.
Though some aficionados of the world's classic trout and salmon waters wouldn't be caught dead fly fishing with anything but a Hardy, it was obvious to the House of Hardy that the vast American fly fishing market slipped from its grasp. When saltwater fly fishing began to take off, Hardy Reels were unable to compete.

Three years ago, Hardy began an intensive redevelopment and re-tooling program. Out were the precision screwdrivers and small metal bits. In was a CNC machine and a totally redesigned reel that looks like no other ever to come from the House of Hardy -- the Sovereign 2000.

The Camp-Site received the first of the new Sovereigns a couple of weeks ago, and I had the chance to take a closer look. It's a sturdy, black anodized reel, looking very much like other reels on today's market, except for some interesting touches.

Nice Touch #1: The counter-balance weight on the spool is recessed.

Nice Touch #2: It's easy to disengage the clicker with a button located on the back of the reel. For the life of me, I can't understand why some fly rodders like to hear a reel making all sorts of cacophonous noise when a gamefish takes off. That's the last thing I want on a quiet beach at night. Might as well send up a flare, and yell, "Hey, everybody! The fish are over here!"

Nice Touch #3: A carbon fiber disc drag. Hardy calls it an AVCARB drag pad. Aviation Carbon? Probably. It's similar to the braking materials used on jets.

Nice Touch #4: Stainless steel ball bearings. Hardy doesn't specify how many, but loosen the drag, give the spool a spin, and it seems as if it will turn forever.

Nice Touch #5: The left/right conversion is performed by the simple switch of a lever on the spool. No flipping gears, etc.

The real test will come when enough of the Sovereigns find their way to the Nor'east salt, but from a cursory look, I'd say the House of Hardy is back.

Sovereign 2000 fly reels are available in line weight models of 2/3/4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9/10/11. The 9/10/11 features a modified caged frame for durability, but retains adequate rim palming. It's recommended capacity is a WF10F with 250 yards of backing, but it looks as if it will take more. The drag knob is large and located on the back of the reel. It has a rubber outer ring that makes adjustments easy when your hands are wet.

You can see the new Hardy Sovereign at The Camp-Site Sport Shop in Huntington, NY, (516-271-4969) or contact Hardy (USA) Inc., P.O. Box 3987, Evergreen, CO 80437 (Telephone: 303-679-1010; Fax: 303-679-9090).