Hardy Fin & Fly | Hardy®

April 2016

  • Selecting a River Rod We are often asked the question "What is the perfect rod and line size for river fly fishing?" If the truth be told, there is no one perfect rod model ideal for all river fishing scenarios. Each rod model and line size has its own specific uses and advantages. Read More
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March 2016

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January 2016

  • Hardy Jet Switch Rods Hardy Brand Manager, Howard Croston introduces the Jet Switch range. Read More
  • The Way Of The Dragon The Chinese Dragon is a very special fly and one that has caught me many fish. When fishing the Chinese Dragon, I always try to make the fly drift freely towards the fish before lifting it and making it swim away- just like you would with a nymph or using the induced take technique. Read More
  • Two Minute Masterclass: Dry Fly Fishing Dry fly fishing is one of the purest and most visual forms of fly fishing. It is actually relatively simple to master and with a few top tips and tricks, it can be incredibly effective. One of the keys of dry fly fishing is to get the fly to dead drift perfectly over the site in target. Read More
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November 2015

  • European Championships The 2015 FIPS Mouche European Fly Fishing Championships were held a few short weeks ago in the Trentino region of Italy and centred around the town of Ponte Arche. Read More
  • The Chalkstream The Test, Itchen and Hampshire Avon are the world's most famous fly fishing rivers. Their crystal clear waters flow through the bands of subsurface chalk that run across southern England producing the internationally rare and unique phenomena – the chalkstream. Read More
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September 2015

  • The Grayling Season by Stuart Minnikin With just a couple of weeks remaining of the Trout season thoughts are now turning to Grayling and extending my fly fishing into the winter months, possibly, given decent conditions, right through to next year's Trout season. Read More
  • Autumn Fishing by Ian Gordon Autumn is a time where here in Scotland we can experience every season in one day. Prolonged rain and high water can leave riverbanks unstable and in some cases undermined. Take care whilst walking in the river's edge, particularly near deep, fast flowing pools. Read More
  • Fly of the Month Top of the list at this time on the rainfed rivers is the Pale Watery Dun, a diminutive upwing that usually gets the trout and grayling rising confidently. Read More
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July 2015

  • Small Stillwater Tactics It's the peak of the season on small stillwater fisheries with clouds of damsel flies, great buzzer hatches and stacks of pin fry. I love it now as the water is invariably dead clear and not yet too warm so the long daylight hours are perfect to find feeding fish. Read More
  • Stevie Munn's Top Tips for Night Fishing Night fishing will often yield some wonderful sport for the game angler. Trout often feed well at night and Sea Trout and the magnificent Dollaghan Trout from Northern Ireland are normally best fished for in the evening and into darkness in their migratory home rivers as they return to spawn. Read More
  • Blue Flash Damsel by Peter Cockwill The Blue Flash Damsel seems to be the most commonly used fly nowadays and is a great choice. Read More
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June 2015

  • Food For Thought by April Vokey Ask the average angler today who Richard Waddington was and you will likely get a vague shrug and mumble about overpriced hook shanks that have recently been replaced by cheaper more accessible alternatives. Read More
  • The Evolution of Flies by Stevie Munn As I constantly research the history of old fly patterns that my late father George Munn and I used when fishing our local rivers and loughs I am often uncovering links between the flies and the great names of angling past and present. Read More
  • Nubian Flats by Peter McLeod Any angler drawing up a bucket list of worldwide fishing destinations would surely include New Zealand in that list and in doing so it would occupy a lofty position. Read More
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Spring 2015

  • Farquhar Atoll by Peter Mcleod The isolated atoll of Farquhar in the Indian Ocean has been a favourite spot of mine for several years now. It still offers wild fishing experiences but from a land based operation. Farquhar will challenge you as a fisherman teach you a huge amount about Giant Trevally behaviour and offer you some unique experiences not to be found anywhere else. Read More
  • Preparing For A New Trout Season by Stuart Minnikin So many people ask me about Salmon fishing in Scotland. When is the best time? The answer to often the proverbial how long is a piece of string? Read More
  • Stevie Munn's Fly of the Issue At last my fishing season has begun! I have endured the long cold winter whose monotony has only been broken by a few angling shows I have worked at. Now once again I am out fishing for wild Brown Trout in my local streams and rivers and the world is good again. Read More
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May 2015

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April May 2015

  • Early Season Dry Fly by Howard Croston The start of the new Trout season on our Northern rivers brings a welcome change from the heavy nymph fishing styles used to pursue Grayling in the frigid waters of deep winter and as the focus switches to targeting wild Brown Trout on the surface it's time to break the dry fly gear out once again. Read More
  • Fly Of The Issue Is a pattern I've used in the spring (Feb - May) in the UK as well as June and early July in Norway when the water is cold and may also have a little colour (peaty). I first tied this pattern in the mid 1980's since which time it has accounted for a great many fish for both myself and my rods. Read More
  • Spring Salmon Fishing by Ian Gordon I'm regularly asked when the best time for Salmon fishing in Scotland is. The answer being all too often the proverbial how long is a piece of string? Read More
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January February 2015

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Autumn 2014

  • Fly Fishing Small Rivers and Streams With Duo by Lisa Isles Every single river in the world is different in its own right whether it's the size depth speed of flow features such as boulders or overgrown trees - finding fish can be challenging. Read More
  • Meet The Greys Brand Manager Altogether I have been fishing 25 years. I first started fly fishing with my dad on the River Aln in Northumberland when I was nine years old. I loved spending time with my dad be it on the river or outside in the general outdoors. Read More
  • Fly Of The Issue Sometimes in life things just don't run smoothly - we all suffer ups and downs of fortune both good and bad in our day-to-day lives. Read More
  • Oh Daddy Boy by Tom Sullivan September time on the Irish loughs brings with it a sense of urgency. Why? Because around the corner comes the month end then that will be it for the year. With only a couple of exceptions most of our wild Brown Trout loughs close on the 30th of the month. Read More
  • Autumn Tactics on a Medium Salmon River by Ian Gordon As the heady days of summer draw to a close and the first air frosts descend on the water of the river so the behaviour of Salmon in those beautiful pools begin to change. Read More
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June 2014

  • Wild And Free by Stuart Minnikin Imagine a stillwater full of wild Trout. Add to that image stunning surroundings good transport links easy access and a tourist honeypot and you might expect to have to jostle for position pay an arm and a leg for a day's fishing or join a long waiting list before getting chance to fish there. Read More
  • Old Classic Streamers by Stevie Munn This month I thought I would give you three old streamer / bucktail style fly patterns that have worked for me on many occasions. Read More
  • Meet The Hardy Brand Manager Have you ever wondered what it's like working for one of the fishing industry's most successful brands? Meet Howard Croston - Hardy Brand Manager. Read More
  • Dates For Your Diary 2014 by Chris Ogborne Many years ago when I was just a lad there were a few milestone dates in the diary each season. They were days when my Father used to take me somewhere really special - to one of the big shows where all manner of fishing shooting and country sports were on display. Read More
  • The Genius Behind SINTRIX by Andrew Herd Many years ago when I was just a lad there were a few milestone dates in the diary each season. They were days when my Father used to take me somewhere really special - to one of the big shows where all manner of fishing shooting and country sports were on display. Read More
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February 2014

  • How Bad Can This Weather Get by Chris Ogborne OK so the weather has always been a national preoccupation in Britain. Our island status coupled with our proximity to the Gulf Stream means that we get more variety in our weather patterns than any other European country. Beyond that it seems this winter is likely to re-write some of the record books with phenomenal rainfall and wind speeds. Read More
  • Some Big Boots To Fill by Howard Taylor We consider ourselves very lucky to be the stewards of one of England's most historic Salmon Trout and Sea Trout fisheries situated on the lower reaches of the famous river Test in Hampshire. The fly fishing history at Testwood and Nursling runs as deep as the chalk bedrock from which the river springs. Read More
  • Fly Fishing In Slovenia by Stuart Minnikin We discussed our plans for the next day's fishing over dinner at Tilnik Farm. A few ideas were thrown about but the clincher was when Brett told us that Gregor (his friend and local guide) was free and willing to spend another day with us. We were all so impressed with his professionalism and knowledge on our first day that we voted unanimously in favour of spending another day with him. Read More
  • Wild Trout Trust Auction 2014 by Denise Ashton We discussed our plans for the next day's fishing over dinner at Tilnik Farm. A few ideas were thrown about but the clincher was when Brett told us that Gregor (his friend and local guide) was free and willing to spend another day with us. We were all so impressed with his professionalism and knowledge on our first day that we voted unanimously in favour of spending another day with him. Read More
  • The Grayling Mega Weeks Are Here by John Bailey If we look at a big majority of record lists that concern themselves with very large Grayling then we wi

January 2014

  • Fishing With A Legend by Andrew Herd I was in the Hardy & Greys Compleat Angler at Alnwick the other day sizing up one of the new Ultralites when one of the salesmen picked up a big Perfect held it over the counter spun the handle against the drag and told me "You ought to get one of these - the moment you have a fish on everyone will know what reel you're using." Read More
  • Got To Get Out More by John Bailey I guess the signs that I'm not quite as young as I used to be have long been evident. You've only got to look at my passport Read More
  • 2013 Highlights by Stuart Minnikin I had packed my Greys XF2 Competitor Special* and a few black woolly buggers just in case we got rain and a high river during our trip. Read More
  • The Joys Of Fly Tying by Chris Ogborne Whilst fly tying has always been in my life I have to confess that I did let things lapse a few years ago. With all the pressures of running a business I felt that it was just a bit too much to waste over ten minutes of my life tying a fly that could end up in the branches of a tree or a frond of kelp on the first cast and be lost forever. Read More

Winter 2014