Leland on Hardy Gladstone Bamboo 366-2 Fly Rod:
Eastern streams are much like the tight brushed lined streams of the "old" country. You need a short and delicate touch to keep from spooking the monsters lurking in the depths. The Hardy Gladstone 6'6" 3 weight fly rod is everything you will need to deliver dries with pinpoint accuracy.
Gladstone and bespoke Palakona rods are created in
Alnwick by Callum Gladstone, a master rod builder with over two decades
of experience. Experience. Expertise. Passion. Sublime rods for a
sublime angling experience. It was nearly a century ago that Hardys
invented a planing machine that revolutionised the construction of
split-bamboo rods. The straight, delicate, yet immensely strong bamboo
that was created, was called Palakona and has been the blank material
used in the rods ever since. The Gladstone perfectly expresses the
heritage concept here at Hardy. Our long history of rod making. Our
continuing line of great craftsmen. Our heroic designs and peerless
materials. Rods that are built from start to finish here in Alnwick. Rod
making as it used to be, perfected for today.
Specifications:
- Line Size: 3
- Rod Length: 6'6"
- Weight: 3 oz
- Sections: 2
- Handle: Cigar
- Reel Seat: Down-lock Polished Aluminum Sliding Ring
Leland on Hardy Bamboo Rods:
There are no bamboo rod manufactures that can lay claim to over 120 years of rod making tradition, like the folks at Hardy. There are no other bamboo rod manufactures that have been as innovative in designing, patenting and employing machines for the precise cutting of bamboo. After winning the Gold Medal in excellence for their first bamboo rod, the Hardy Brothers promptly upped that rod by designing the first hexagonal rod.
When you first cast a Hardy bamboo you will feel the difference, a smooth transfer of energy down the rod, a quick response to recovery, and control over your line like no other bamboo. So when you first thread that double taper line through your Hardy, know that history is on your side and the fish have met their match.
Leland on Hardy Fly Fishing Products
The history of Hardy is long and stoic:
the House of Hardy was dry fly fishing in the late 1800's and early
1900's. One simply did not fish dry flies without a Hardy bamboo rod.
Today it is no different! Hardy Fly Fishing continues to excel in the
manufacture of not only bamboo, but also fly rods and fly fishing
reels made with modern materials.
The first Hardy Fly Rod was designed
and built out of necessity when brothers William and John Hardy
simply could not find a fly rod worthy of their high standards. They
contracted a local cabinet builder to put together their first split
bamboo rod. The fly rod was the first of its kind to give an angler
the ability to false cast to a rising fish.
Throughout the 20th century Hardy
continued the development of fly rod and fly fishing reel. The
manufacturing list from Hardy Fly Fishing Products reads like a Hall
of Fame list including the Palakona Cane, the Perfect, the Smuggler,
the JLH Ultralite and the Bougle. From their design of the Cascapedia
Salmon reel, to the first use of carbon fiber for fly rod
manufacturing, Hardy Fly Fishing Products has and will continue to be
a leader in the fly fishing arena.
Hardy on Hardy Bamboo Fly Rods:
Sumptuous flamed bamboo, Agate butt, chrome snake rings, chestnut tyings - passionate attention to detail
A classic through action with swelled butt for both power and dampening abilities
Gladstones are desirable but never forget they're efficient and tough. Get fishing.
"We're not going to tell you the clock stopped in 1905 and that cane is the only rod material in the world. But we all agree that no material since has come close to replicating cane's unique qualities.
Gladstones are gorgeous and in the right environment they fish every bit as well as they look. A confident, relaxed action. An ability to drop a line like thistle down. A unique feel - it's as though you sense the hands that crafted them. A capability to punch above their weight when both casting or playing good fish.
Callum Gladstone, our master cane builder who has been creating fine cane rods for more than 20 years, comments, "Experience has taught me how to select the very best Tonkin bamboo. I then carefully hand-flame it to achieve a beautiful rich honey colour. The actions are based on the greatest American rod designs by Leonard, Garrison and Payne, so you get great individuality with each single rod."
Testimonials
"I never question the
use of a bamboo rod on the smaller chalkstreams, especially if they're
of Hardy quality. At their best, bamboo rods have a beautiful, rhythmic
casting action that can drop a fly down with great smoothness. All the
rods in the Hardy range that I have seen and used have been exquisitely
light and very precise in the accuracy of their casting."
Simon
Cooper - founder of Fishing Breaks
Hardy on Hardy Fly Fishing Products
Hardy dates back to 1872, when William
Hardy established himself as a gunsmith in his hometown of Alnwick,
Northumberland. A year later he was joined by his brother John James
and the Hardy Brothers Partnership came into being. For a few years,
the brothers only made and sold quality guns, from shotguns to
pistols, but their passion for fly fishing soon dictated a change in
direction.
A fly fishing hobby became their
profession and the reputation of Hardy fly rods and fly fishing reels
was born. Over the years, Hardy Fly Fishing Products has received
orders from anglers the world over, as well as the patronage of the
crowned heads of Europe. Hardy Fly Fishing Products has been honored
with no less than ten Royal Warrants of Appointment during its 127
years of existence. Throughout its history Hardy Fly Fishing Products
has been responsible for some of the most radical advances in fly
fishing tackle design.
