Saltwater rods can tend towards the ‘lifeless stick’ end of the rod spectrum. Given the jobs they’re expected to do, bias away from the ‘soggy noodle’ end of the range is understandable.
To my mind this is a flats rod; I’m thinking bonefish and a few other flats-feeding fish. On a recent, sadly brief, visit to a bonefish flat I was reminded how windy they can be, that bonefish are always ‘upwind’ (even when they’re not!) and you’re lucky to get two attempts at a fish.
So, like any of us I can cast just about any rod into the wind, but on the flats it’s urgent. I don’t want to faff about false casting I want the fly in the water, fishing, with one false cast, maybe two. I want to punch the fly line into the wind. Tight, fast loops are the order of the day, so a powerful rod with a fast action is a good idea.
The Proaxis series (I had the chance to cast three weights and fish with the 8-weight whilst in the Seychelles in the summer of 2012) bend slightly more at the tip than some saltwater rods I’ve handled. The action is fast – the numbers say exceptionally fast – recovery is fast, tons of fish-stopping power in the butt. That is all comparative of course, as a flats rod this loads easily and lets me make accurate medium and short distance casts directly into a decent wind, as a trout rod this is a stiff beast and would not be my choice for dry-fly fishing. I am not claiming I made long casts into the wind, I did place my fly where the guide wanted it and the fish took the fly.
I began to think we were fishing into the wind because it amused the guide to challenge my casting. Actually, the reasons we were facing and fishing into the wind was about having the sun in the right position so that we could see the fish well.
The bones were a good average weight, say 4-5lb, and fought well in thigh-deep water. The Proaxis was not challenged by the strength and speed of those fish, not even warmed up! We had a couple of realistic shots at permit, which would have tested the strength of the rod a little more, but as usual my shots at permit failed dismally!
Build is excellent. Titanium alloy Recoil rings are light and saltwater-proof. Good size and shape to the grip, very good cork. The reel seat is secure, the second ring locks well and I did need that. The seat takes Hardy reels snugly. I will admit I also used a Shilton reel, which fitted but for whatever reason wanted to come loose during casting so the locker ring was handy. Hardy has used its advanced Sintrix composite to build these blanks, so they are unusually light and should be exceptionally robust. (I’ve yet to break one but I still brought a spare rod on that trip.)
Hardy at the top of its game.