I don’t see a lot of anglers in the US fishing Hardy gear, and, the more of it I fish, the more I wonder why.

I recently got my hands on a Hardy Ultralite X in a 7wt and an Averon 7000 reel. Both are stellar and you will be seeing a review for the rod before long. In this review I’m going to talk about the reel. Just about everyone who fly fishes knows of Hardy reels but here in the states lots of anglers, including myself, have little experience with them. 

Hardy is an English company founded in 1874, which means they’ve been around about as long as fly fishing itself. My experience with Hardy reels has been with the beautiful vintage reels a couple of my steelhead buddies own. A classic Hardy, whether new or vintage, is considered a pretty classy choice among hard core steelhead addicts and I’ve landed a few hot steelhead on Hardy reels that are over a hundred years old.

I guess the first thing I have to say about Hardy reels is, I’ve never seen a hundred year old reel, still in service, made by anyone else.

Frankly, I don’t know how much more I need to say but there is plenty to talk about. The Averon bears little physical resemblance to those classic reels. It’s a modern, high performance, large arbor, disk drag reel that’s right at home with the most advanced models of this century but its DNA is all Hardy. 

The Averon is a fresh water reel that feels much like it belongs in saltwater. The drag is smooth and powerful, boasting a max setting of ten pounds in the larger models. The drag itself is easily converted from left to right hand retrieve and removing or swapping the spool is easy and efficient. Most of the Averon lineup is open frame with easy change spools but a couple of models offer closed frame design for the spey and euronymph anglers. The large diameter, narrow width spool takes up line quickly and stacks it cleanly with very little management required from the angler. The design is extremely efficient and thought through.

The first thing you notice about the Averon is its weight. It’s strikingly light, pairing beautifully with today’s super light weight fly rods. The smaller sizes come in under 4 ounces. In spite of its light weight, it feels very sturdy. I would not worry at all about the Averon’s durability, although I would take care if packing it in a soft bag to be checked with an airline, as I would with any reel. The light weight drag cluster is fairly small and will allow the shaft to bend if, let’s say, you sat on it. 

The fit and finish on the Averon really shines. It’s a beautiful reel in either titanium or black finish. It is very clean and nicely polished. Classy, not ostentatious. It definitely stands out next to anodized aluminum. Every moving part is silky smooth and the fit of the spool is exceptional. You can feel the pneumatic pressure of the fine tolerances with removing and replacing it. It feels like quality machining. 

The Averon is available in four sizes accommodating line weights from 2-10 with ample backing. The drag is adjustable from minimum to maximum in 2 1/2 turns, with most of the usable setting within a half turn, for quick and accurate adjustment. It comes with a nicely made neoprene case for $395-$475, depending on the model. That puts it right in the middle of the market by cost. A great value in my opinion. 

You can check out all the Averon specs and models and order direct, HERE.