The BEST Euro Nymphing Rod?! Hardy Ultralite LL 10' 8" 0-2 Fly Rod Review

[@tikkin11]

Really enjoy seeing your genuine passion for this rod!

[@NickThomasFlyTying]

Nice review, good to see you keeping up the tradition of displaying the latest Fly Culture 🙂

[@gregorysmith2046]

Hi Andy Yes totally agree with you great rod I bought a 10'2" 2# added a Rio nymphing 2#-5# line with a Rio nymphing leader. enjoyed your video keep up the good work. I also bought the floating keep net great bit of kit.

[@georgiblagoev7379]

Hi Gregory. Did you try to throw some dry flies with 10'2'' #2 model? I usually like to switch from nymphs to dry and I' m curious if this model can do that. Thanks in advance!

[@petermcleod7322]

Brilliant review guys! Really drilled down into the detail and obviously well thought after some serious use…👏👏

[@DrewWithington]

I like the stuffed grayling on your sofa. Definite specimen!

[@garyadamson4844]

Having fished most of the high end rods I have been fishing the guideline lps 9.6ft 2# teamed up with the hardy ultraclick and it’s one of the lightest set up out there. The rod comes in at 71 grams and the reel is 60 grams and I have fished this set up for 2 years now and can’t look past it. The LL is a nice looking rod but I found it noticeably heavier in the hand than the equivalent guideline rod. Great review by the way.

[@stephenbuckham9964]

Great review and such a beautiful rod

[@malcolmfunnell4501]

I would buy one of those rods just to look at it , it’s gorgeous I would put it with the other 50 rods I don’t use

[@adrianmowat]

Hi Andy. So I bit the bullet and went for one of these. I had it out on the weekend but it was very windy so I couldn’t really get the best from it but it felt nice though. The only “problem” I’ve found is that the reel seat is really short so I could only just squeeze my vision xlv in. I guess that helps get the weight of the handle as close to the butt section as possible though so I can hardly complain. One thing that I’d love to see on the channel is a comparison between the French leader and Spanish leader setups - with any rod, not just this one. I know how each one is constructed but I can’t find anything online about the pros and cons of each approach and in what circumstances you might want to choose one over the other. Just a thought. Pretty sure noone has done this already but I may have searched for the wrong thing.

[@dalesheehan9404]

Great review covered all aspects of the rod. I recently purchased this rod and use it as well as the ESN and Contact 2 . All great rods,the one thing I did not consider was this rod and how it manages in the rain when the rod gets wet. This rod balances well with the Sage Trout 4/5/6.. It is a bit heavier than you would think for a 0/2 but at 10’8” it spreads that weight out nicely.

[@everythingflytv507]

If you were to rate this rod and the other 2 you mentioned which one would come in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and would it ultimately be really really close. I am planning on moving up from my shadow x and really want this rod, theres just not enough comparisons out there there to feel solid about making a choice.

[@mrchilds57]

Great review Andy

[@nfri5108]

great review. what weight reel balances the rod? have you weighed the rod? thanks

[@markusviol200]

I would like to know how it compares to the two vision rods (nymphmaniac, xo) even If the xo is a #3...

[@sopheven]

Same, the nymphmaniac is half the price and lighter 83g. Think their rods are korean too. Good review Andy 👍

[@mrchilds57]

It would be interesting to have a review of this rod compared to the Vision Graphene XO @ 11'

[@mrchilds57]

Those two must be of similar material

[@FlyfishingLwyd]

I have a nymphmaniac 10ft #3 and also the 10'8 #3 Hardy LL. The vision rod is lovely but lacks the ability to handle big fish in tight situations. It is also very light but fragile I have snapped mine three times now on three different sections. Twice through my own fault and once on a big 3lb brownie. The Hardy can handle any fish and gives you confidence but sometimes too much where you can pull out the hook. But all in all the Hardy is fantastic it is just a question of whether you can afford it but it is definitely a life time rod.

[@marcus.saunders.creative]

Hey Andy, Would you choose the 0/2WT 10’8″ over the 2WT 10’2″? I fish small rivers down here in Tasmania, Australia.

[@michaelshaw8370]

As a new subscriber I think this definitely a contender as the best in it’s class. I would disagree with the slight varnish on the front section of the keeper ring as a fault. If it was a error it works to protect both the rod and the fly. I have used the idea myself on several rods over the years.

[@adrianmowat]

Oh cool. I didn’t realise that was a feature. That said, Andy’s doe have a bit of a glob of varnish on the keeper ring but mine doesn’t.

[@kubaz8702]

I am super considering this rod over the Sage ESN and Thomas and Thomas Contact 2. Although one thing super confuses me. 0-2 is that lighter or heavier than the 2wt?

[@IBandAndyFishing]

It's lighter than the #2 bud

[@kubaz8702]

@@IBandAndyFishing I really appreciate the response thank you.

[@everythingflytv507]

@@IBandAndyFishing Hey if I'm on average fishing medium to medium small rivers catching 30-50cm trout. What weight would you recommend?

[@wvlongshooter3912]

Hello, great review!!!! How flexy is the tip section or how is the tip flex compared to other’s you’ve fished ? Any info will be much appreciated!!!! Thanks!!

[@1Troutguy]

Do you just have backing and leader on your reel?

[@scottfreeman2914]

Looks a great rod. Nice review too. Andy what is your Spanish leader formula? Cheers

[@karelnemec8231]

"Nice cork" and glued hook keeper ... 👍🙂

[@SJSFlytying79]

I’ve got this exact rod and the Sage ESN while the Sage is a lot lighter (but shorter) I would have to say the LL feels better made to me. It’s far better in the rain. And it hasn’t snapped like my Sage has. Also I don’t think the Sages are made in the USA now.

[@Chittling]

Great video, Andy. This looks a great rod, but is at the higher price end!

[@jackwrademaker7430]

Is it a good rod for fishing spiders and wetflys

[@olivertwist4407]

Dear Andy, thank you very much for this review! As far as I can see this is the first review of one of the three rod‘s the acting fly fishing world champion, Howard Croston, would not want to miss. Therefore, the rod is not getting the attention it deserves. Maybe this is because fly fishers do not attribute as much attention to the taper and characteristics of a contact Nymphing rod, than they do to a suspension Nymphing rod. I have one question for you. You describe the action of the rod as fast and in your video when playing fish, the rod does not bend much. The feature is strikingling different from the contact Nymphing rods I have been using this far ( Adams XTZ, Sage ESN). Do you have an explanation why the rod despite having a faster action and apparently not a soft tip is that sensitive and why it casts light nymphs well?

[@idky2685]

Could you try a cheap wish fly combo?

[@nathanielchoate69]

What reel do you have paired with this rod

[@mcraigb1]

LL #0-2 & SR #2 covers it for me ...

[@mcraigb1]

don't even use the name Sage in front of the 0-2 LL, this rod blows the Sage ESN out of the water, on the other hand the Adams XTZ is the closest to the LL, over looking the Adams handle.

[@tonyg3091]

The best euronymphing rod has a name. And that name is Sage ESN. Ah yes and there is only one brand that makes unsanded carbon look and work great and it is not Hardy.

[@aljosadjuricic5097]

The rod is great and all...but please do not call that "euro style" a flyfishing?? You look ridiculous with that hand sticking up,and its looks painfull too...

[@IBandAndyFishing]

Would you rather the hand was back? Maybe I should hold the rod in my teeth?

[@aljosadjuricic5097]

@@IBandAndyFishing Please don't be upset, its nothing personal. I think you do a great job with this fishing technique, I just think that this technique, no matter how effective, is anything but flyfishing. It reminds me more of float fishing with a stack rod. Feel free to erase my comment if you want..

[@IBandAndyFishing]

I use a squirmy too, sometimes double squirmy. I have no soul & should burn in hell. I.B.

[@paulboucher9663]

why not calling it fly fishing. Nymph vs Dries... both a fly, just at a different stage of their life. It is Aweaome, close quarter, tactical... I LIKE IT. Lots of people like it. Streamer is fly fishing, Dry Fly is fly fishing, swinging a tube is fly fishing... God damn Euro Nymphing IS fly fishing.

​@@aljosadjuricic5097 You just told someone he looks ridiculous, then proceed to says "nothing personal" ... I am sure you look really fancy on the river with your bamboo and natural line... I've fished dry CDC only and did it for 20 years, then picked the weighted nymphing and all of that "euro-nymphing" there's a lot more technique and an entire subsurface aspect that dry-fly guru are unaware of. Your comment says it all when you mention that it reminds you of float fishing, you really haven't looked at the actual technique have you? There is a LOT to learn and it's far more technical than dry-fly fishing. I can switch back and forth between dry, nymphs, streamers rather than absolutely wanting fish to take dry...