The longer I fly fish, the more I tailor my efforts in very specific ways. I’ll put a couple nymphs under an indicator if that’s what it takes to catch a fish. That said, I prefer to actively pursue carnivorous trout by tossing a streamer on a sinking line. Above all, I love fishing a single point dry fly to rising fish. I’ve learned that using particular tools designed for this pursuit will make my favorite experience in fly fishing even more enjoyable.
Enter the Hardy Aydon. I recently had the opportunity to sample this rod in the 9-foot 5-weight variety. Although billed as an all-around fly rod, the Aydon really shone when the fish were feeding on top. When faced with large, picky brown trout, the Aydon did a remarkable job of presenting my PMD imitation. It excelled in medium-distance casting situations. Even with an 18-foot leader and 5x tippet, I was able to knife through gusty winds to present my fly with accuracy and delicacy. I was impressed at the rod’s ability to place the fly on a tricky slick with hardly a disturbance on the water, when a clumsy landing would certainly spook the trout.
Its medium-flex character meant that I needed to slow my casting stroke a bit, but doing so led to many perfect presentations with my small mayfly pattern. With the fast and superfast action rods that dominate the industry, I find that it’s easy to snap off a fish on the hookset, especially when using light tippet. This was not an issue with the Aydon. Even with fat browns pushing the two-foot mark, I cannot recall breaking off a single fish, with dozens landed. It was an absolute joy to cast a small dry fly on this rod. I felt its performance was comparable to my dry fly specific high-end rod, which costs double the price tag of the mid-priced Aydon.
The Aydon might not be my first choice for an all-around 5-weight, however. It can certainly cast a double nymph rig or a streamer if called upon. But there are better options if the buyer is searching for a one-rod quiver. Additionally, the rod lacks the backbone to blast casts to extreme distances, at least for an average caster like me. But anyone who claims they are regularly hooking trout on a small dry at 80 feet is lying. Given my perceived application of this rod, distance casting is not important.
The rod exhibits a beautiful olive finish with high end components. It would look good next to any rod on the rack at Fishwest. I appreciated the unusual perpendicular fly holder near the cork handle, as it almost never snagged my fly line. The Aydon is backed up by Hardy’s lifetime warranty. Although not quite as convenient as some other brands’ protection plans, the rod will be repaired for $75 if registered and sent to the manufacturer.
With most dry fly-specific trout rods pushing and exceeding $1000 these days, the Aydon fills an important niche as a mid-priced rod with high-end attributes, especially when used with a small dry fly.
