Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect
The Best Fly Reel Money Can Buy!
The Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect is my favorite reel that I’ve ever fished with. It’s not even close.
About 7 years ago I was hiking off-trail to a secret lake in Colorado where my friends and I fish together. Somewhere along the way I lost the tip to my Sage rod. I tried retracing my steps, but there was no chance of finding it in all that forest. Simply no chance at all. Oh well, time to buy a new fly rod! After a lot of research, I settled on a Hardy Zephrus. That’s when I discovered Hardy products for myself and dove headfirst into the Hardy “rabbit hole”. Now, many Hardy rods and reels later, I wouldn’t fish with anything else.
Of course I’d heard of Hardy reels growing up. They were always known as the best when it came to upper-end reels, along with Abel reels. For quite some time now there have been many manufacturers that make wonderful, beautiful, and high quality reels. In many ways it’s hard to make a bad choice when buying a reel today. Most are made with such fine precision and functionality.
This article is about the Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect reel. The Narrow Spool Perfect was not the first Hardy reel I’ve owned, but it is now definitely my favorite. I own most of their classic throwback reels like most anglers do who go down this path. Hardy reels are somehow different in this way. You won’t find people collecting all the offerings of other brands. With Hardy reels people do. There’s just something about them. Though I collect them, let’s make something clear. I don’t buy them to put them into a case or display on a wall, even though they’re beautiful enough to do so. They fish!
Fishing a Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect is like driving a classic Ferrari. It’s vintage and it’s luxury. Sure you can find quality reels for $100 that function well enough to catch fish. So also will a Kia get you from point A to point B. The question is what would you rather drive? What would you enjoy more? Which one gives you a thrill every time you get behind the wheel. I’ve never actually driven a Ferrari, but I have fished a Narrow Spool Perfect!
Positives
To this day, every time I put on my Narrow Spool Perfect I get excited. The longer I fish, and I’ve fished a long time, the more I realize it’s not about a fish count. It’s about the people & places. I also realize that fly fishing is an art. It’s classic. It’s beautiful. This reel fits that picture. It has a classic, vintage, and nostalgic look. It is the perfect reel that completes the picture when fishing a place like Yellowstone’s Slough Creek for cutthroat trout with a close friend.
The Narrow Spool Perfect is a beautiful and traditional reel, but also has been crafted for modern day high performance. It is manufactured in Alnwick England with titanium materials and stainless steel ball bearings. The result is an incredibly smooth reel. As a friend of mine likes to say, “smooth like butter.” It is precision forged from bar stock aluminum and has a hand polished, deep anodized finish. This makes it lightweight and durable. In summary, it’s a beautiful, high performing, smooth reel that’s lightweight and durable.
The Narrow Spool Perfect has, as the name implies, a narrow spool. This is as compared to the Hardy Perfect reel. For trout fishing, and specifically dry fly fishing, this has advantages. The narrow spool means that although it’s not a large arbor reel it still picks up line quickly.
Lastly, I’m thrilled by the sound the reel makes every time a fish makes a run and the line zings out. One of the great thrills of fly fishing is the sound of a reel when a fish makes a run. This reel accentuates that. The sound of the reel is due to it’s “Click & Pawl” design, which brings me to my next section…
Click and Pawl Reel
The Hardy Narrow Spool reel is a click and pawl reel. That’s important to know! Technically it does have a drag system, but one only strong enough to keep the reel from “back-spooling”. From a practical standpoint it functions as if there isn’t one. A fly fisher wanting to slow down the run of a trout will need to use his or her hand and “palm” the reel.
I like this. In fact, I’d argue that for trout fishing you don’t really need a drag. I’ve lost fish in the past using reels with drags that were either too strong or weren’t smooth. In all my years fishing click pawl reels I’ve never lost a fish because it didn’t have a drag. If anything, it means the fish will run a little longer and a little more often. I like that! A fish pulling out line is one of the most exciting sounds in fly fishing. The largest fish I’ve ever caught was a 27” rainbow caught on a Hardy Perfect reel, without a strong drag.
Back to the car analogy. Fishing a click and pawl reel is like driving a manual instead of an automatic. At first it takes a little more thought. It’s a little more to “manage” when beginning. Once used to it, it’s not any more difficult and the driver/fisherman actually feels more engaged in the process.
I read a comment while doing some research for this article that I agree with. A guide out of Montana made it very clear he wouldn’t suggest a click pawl reel for someone who’s learning how to fly fish. His reasoning was that beginners do not know how much pressure to put on the line. They either tighten up and break the fish off, or they go too light and they play the fish too long. I agree, and especially if they’re on big water with big fish.
The Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect isn’t a reel for a first-time fly fisherman anyway. For the reasons just mentioned above, but also simply because of the price point. These are expensive reels. No, this reel is for a more experienced angler who knows how to play a fish and is more interested in the craft and the art of fly fishing. For someone who’s never fly fished I’d recommend a reel more like a Lamson Liquid S. I would recommend a Hardy Marquis, Ross Colorado, Abel TR, Orvis C.F.O, or Orvis Battenkill to someone wanting a click and pawl who’s never fished one before just because of the price point.
Negatives
The Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect is an expensive reel. You certainly don’t need to spend this much money on a reel to get the job done. My counterpoint to this is that it will last a long, long time because it’s so well made. At least that’s the best rationale I could come up with when explaining to my wife I had just bought another reel. But seriously, ten years after purchasing it you’re not going to even think about what the reel cost but you’ll still love using it.
It’s a click and pawl reel. For some, that’s a positive. For others, it’s a negative. A click and pawl reel is not for you if you like a silent reel. These make some noise. Personally, I think it’s a beautiful sound, but it’s certainly not silent. Click and pawl also means there is very little drag as discussed previously. Don’t buy this reel if you want a disc drag system that can crank down on the fish. Consider the Hardy Sovereign if you’d like a vintage style Hardy reel that incorporates a disc drag. Hardy has just reintroduced them, though I haven’t used one yet.
You can find lighter reels than the Narrow Spool perfect. In fact, Hardy offers some that feel almost weightless. I enjoy ultralight backpacking, but I laugh at the push for ultralight gear in fly fishing. Personally, I think it’s a gimmick by manufacturers to justify their newest rods and reels. Some of you may recall the old, yellow, Eagle Claw rods that could be either a spinning rod or fly rod depending on how you attached the butt section. As a kid my arm was exhausted at the end of the day when I used that rod fly fishing. That’s not the case with recent fly rods and reels. How often have you finished the day on a river and said to your fishing partner, “Wow-my arm is tired! I sure with I had a rod that was 1 ounce lighter!” There are lighter reels available than the Narrow Spool Perfect, but this reel is certainly not too heavy.
Lastly, the Narrow Spool Perfect is a traditional arbor reel. It’s not a large arbor reel. That means it will not pick up line as quickly, though its narrow spool design helps with this. Also, its retrieve is not interchangeable between right and left hand. Fly fishers who are right-handed (meaning they cast with their right and reel with their left) need to order a left-hand retrieve.
Conclusion
I’m not picking a reel just to get compliments from other fly fisherman, though people do notice this one. What matters to me is what I feel when I rig up and fish it. How does it function and do I enjoy using it. The Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect is the smoothest reel I’ve ever owned. The craftmanship is exceptional. The click and pawl design has me thoroughly engaged with each fish I hook into, especially the big ones. The sound it makes when a fish makes a run is music to my ears, something I think about during those cold winter months. In summary, the Hardy Narrow Spool Perfect reel is a thrill to fish – like driving a Ferrari.
Author’s Note: Hardy has discontinued offering this specific Narrow Spool Perfect Reel. In its place, they are offering the Hardy 1912 Perfect Fly Reel. It has the same narrow spool design but also incorporates a red agate color line guard. Hardy’s throwback reels are offered for a limited time so this is not uncommon. It also means you should buy one of these while it’s still availabe!
To find out pricing and to order a Hardy 1912 Perfect Fly Reel, or any of the other reels mentioned in this article (Hardy Marquis, Hardy Sovereign, Ross Colorado, Abel TR, Orvis C.F.O. III, Orvis Battenkill, Lamson Liquid S), click the Trident Fly Fishing link below.