03 July 2013

Hyper Spec

HCE Hyper Spec – dual weight fast action all water fly rods.  A new proprietary blank design from  HCE.

The Hyper Spec blanks have been developed & tested by the HCE design team based on the knowledge and experience we gained from designing the Native Spec and new Stream Spec.
We combined this knowledge with our distance competition rod building and design to create a unique blank that we see as the ultimate in versatile fly rods.

When we set out to design our dual weight fly rod, foremost in our minds was the challenge to get these rods to cast as equally well in both their designated line classes i.e.: a 5/6 rod had to cast 5 like a 5 and a 6 like a 6. Not an easy task.

However, that is what we have achieved! Through the careful use of different modulus top quality graphite in a high tech blending process we have a fast blank that loads progressively according to grain weight through the tip.

We had many good local fly fishers cast our prototype and a few have already bought rods & blanks.
 All had good things to say about it.



So what will it be used for? Image bombing the Tongariro today, then slamming Bones tomorrow... Or flicking nymphs down and across in a tail water today then muscling bream from under pier pylons tomorrow… Or standing on a windward Tassie lakes shore, hunting cruisers in the waves… Or throwing long lines to reach distant risers… When you need a rod to battle hard core elements and stay on the water, this is the one.  It will give you punch, it will give you reach - it will give you versatility on the water.

Our Hyper Spec builds use H & H O/S tips, REC snakes and Fuji Ti K-Frame SiC strippers. The hand glued and turned flor grade cork grips and accented by a dimpled winding check, pewter all water reel seat from either Struble of REC and a REC butt cap to suit.  
The blank is made in New Zealand and our builds are in a beautiful jett black gloss blank with silver and gunsmoke trims and black binds. Blank buyers and home fly rod builders can order whatever color they like.

hy·per  - /ˈhīpər/ - Over and above.  From 7’ to 9’ in 2/3wt to 11/12wt - we have your next hard core fly fishing tool covered. Just quietly, we've changed dual line weight rods forever.  






09 November 2012

HCE NOW A SAGE CUSTOM ROD BUILDING PARTNER


HCE met in Melbourne today with Mr. Marc Bale, Sage Director of International Sales.
In what was an informative and interesting meeting, we are pleased and  proud to announce we will be a Sage custom rod building partner for Australia.
Marc has given us the opportunity to access Sage resources and support only available to select custom rod builders around the world.
This partnership will be formalised in the coming weeks, and we look forward to building more great Sage fly rods for our customers.

07 September 2012

HCE - One Year On...


HCE - One year on...

It's hard to believe it has been a year since Tony & I officially launched HCE - HardCoreElement - HCE Tuned Fly Rods. It has flown!

First up, a huge sincere thanks for all the support that has been given us by you guys out there - those who have bought our SPEC fly rods, have commissioned custom fly rods & those fly rod crafters who have purchased components & blanks from us.

Thank you!

It's been a great journey of learning, discovery, surprises and intense satisfaction. HCE was born years ago on a chilly evening at Bullen Merri, with a glass of red in hand. We decided to to have a go at doing something different with custom fly rods. From there we developed our SPEC range: fly rod builds using set ups for specific purposes. Some evolved into our own specially designed proprietary blanks, for example, our Native Spec - our top seller. And then all those fishing sessions trying out blanks, testing components, trying out & finding what was good and what wasn't, what worked, what didn't... We took our gear to New Zealand and Europe. All to make sure that ours were the best out there. We developed our tuning system to ensure each fly rod cast as well as it possibly could.

Whilst our base range will always be there, our custom designs continue to evolve with customers needs & wants. We have forged a great working relationship with CTS in New Zealand - a highlight of the year was becoming their local agent. We have become authorised dealers of REC components & Snake Brand components. This means through our independent buying power we can offer a discount structure on components, freight free within Australia. We are also able to source blanks from all the top brands... Sage, Winston, Thomas & Thomas... A great deal for local fly rod crafters.

Our business plan has also evolved. Our focus will be solely on custom fly rods and fly rods only as it has - making HCE a specialised fly rod builder and we will continue to grow the fly rod component supply side of the business. We already have countless guides, tips, grips, reel seats, hook keepers, winding checks and butts in stock. Whether it is only a single tip in a hurry or several sets of components for those special projects - we will do our best to get them to you in a timely way & at a price that will make it worth your while to chat to us.
That is the other thing... you can actually talk to us! A couple of guys have even designed their own blanks - action, taper - and they have become reality!

So, from watching our 5wt Comp Spec rod cast over 135', to seeing 83cm cod being caught on our Native Spec, to 10wt Ones catching Stripers in America, to customers being wowed by our build quality, to fantastic feedback, to suggestions for changes, to us listening when people had some constructive criticism and using that to better our product: it has been a tremendous year!

What is to come? Stream Spec - our own designed blank that will be great for well, streams! Euro Spec - a specialised Czech Nymphing rod and a glass spec. More learning, more exploring, looking to new ideas and developing concepts into realities. Our #2 workshop will be operational by the New Year. We intend to work with more local guys to create things like our own 6061 CNC'd all water reel seats, local timber seat inserts & rod building tools.

To support our focus, we have even developed our own mission statement...

The HCE Mission

• To build the best custom fly rods that enhance our customer’s experience & enjoyment of fly fishing and that exceed expectations
• To listen to our customers so that we can fully understand and fulfil their needs, wants and expectations and innovate accordingly
• To be the preferred supplier of fly rod blanks and components by Australian fly rod building enthusiasts
• To be regarded by all of our customers as providers of exceptional quality products and outstanding service

Thank you. And here is to the next year!

TJ & Tony

31 August 2012

CTS Tech Talk


Hi guys.
We were chatting to Stephen Pratt of CTS in New Zealand the other day about some technical aspects of a new blank concept we had for something in the future when our chat began to focus on the construction aspects of the Affinity series. It dawned on us that CTS have already been doing for many years what some of the bigger guys OS have only recently started to promote.

As we came to realise, being a blank manufacturer, marketing is not as fervent as it is with finished rods - so effectively, many of the good things about a great product never come to light.
We asked Stephen to pen a few words about the Affinity series of blanks for us to include here. We've also taken a few snap shots off the CTS website to save you nicking off to a new browser page.

Any other info, just drop us a line. Both Tony & myself are only to happy to chat... We love talking rod building!

The Affinity Series blanks represent the forefront of blank design - utilizing all the features of the CTS blank technology program. 
  
 The Affinity Series boasts CTS's 'Vero Core', variable weight helical core. Born from the desire to create lighter more efficiently engineered blanks, this new helical technology starts with a super light weight helical reinforcement at the tip and progresses to a more powerful helical that delivers the cross sectional stiffness renowned in the Affinity heritage. 
  
 All CTS blanks use our bespoke super low resin systems. Utilising materials with resin contents up to 30% less than standard materials, CTS's latest blank line ups are lighter, stronger and narrower. Increasing bending limits, response and improved casting. 
  
 Multi Modulus Construction is standard in all Affinity Series Blanks. Every blank starts with our high strength carbon tip area. Through the middle part of the blank we introduce a carbon type with a slightly stiffer, more responsive specification, yet still retaining good durability. Finally through the butt area we use our super high stiffness carbon to give maximum power. 
  
 Thanks to our constant taper system, the Affinity Series load beautifully to deliver the punch needed for distance and accuracy






HYPER SPEC 3/4 9FT 4PC

HYPER SPEC 3/4 9FT 4PC

A groovy little powerhouse of an all water fly rod for the light stuff!
The Hyper Spec blanks are made for us specially by CTS of New Zealand and as stated in a previous post, are sensational performers. We firmly believe these are the best dual weight fly rods in the world today. And we do not say things like that lightly. Enjoy!






13 August 2012

special client custom: 6 piece 6wt 9' NZ back country

This is a specially commissioned 6pc that will see it travel back to New Zealand to be used on seriously big back country trout.
It is based on a 9' CTS Affinity X 6wt blank in the bare graphite finish.
The client brief was to keep it light and  crisp so we opted for titanium guides and a nice light Struble seat.
He also wanted the look to be stealthy and low key... A beaut 6pc thet feels and behaves like a 4pc. Works great close and if you find yourself on a lake, throwing a full line would not be  an issue. Amazing blanks.

This image is special... See the white dots? See how they get closer to the tip as the section diameters get smaller? 

That is because CTS engineer the blank so that ferrule sections gradually decrease in size to keep the action as true & natural to the blank action/taper as possible. And it works! This 6pc casts just like a 4pc.





24 July 2012

Hyper Spec feedback

We've been working on our new Hyper Specs (Designed & developed by us here at HCE & the blanks are made for us by CTS in New Zealand) and are looking to officially launch them soon - but sometimes, customers want something special so we invariably let the cat out of the bag early. Not always a bad thing...



And this from Phil, for whom we customised this first off the bench Hyper...


How good are these HCE rods?

I first cast one of Tony and TJ's Comp Spec 5 weight rods last year. On the same day I watched as multiple Aussie Casting Champ, John Waters, picked up the 5 weight and threw close to 140 feet.

This rod had a real presence about it. I don't do distance competition casting like the Southern Cross Challenge events - frankly I'm in not that class.

But the 5wt Comp Spec felt very good in the hand. It seemed to have more power than the 5wt TCR I once owned, plus it had better manners. In fact, despite its obvious power, it felt more fishable than the 5wt TCX I had.

I could see real possibilities for polaroiding finicky Tasmanian trout from either the boat or shore and had to have one. I know from past experience that the cruising trout in Arthurs and the Western Lakes are easily spooked by fly line flash, and additionally, often there isn't time to change flies. I've got to have a fast action rod ready to go when fish are spotted from the casting deck of my tinnie. Just imagine picking up 50 plus feet of line, one back cast, and............. (maybe) a take.

The success of this beautiful 5wt made me think, how good would a 10 feet 6 weight be for casting big wets into the breeze, or maybe casting at the 'sharks' on the Great Lake, or even some light salt water fishing. I like 6 weight ten footers for lake fishing.

A chat with TJ and Tony over a coffee, some pooling of ideas, and finally last weekend the Hyper Spec was hand delivered. It felt like my birthday. But in fact it was TJ's, rather than mine. He'd happily driven to Milbrook so that I could blood the rod over the weekends fishing.

That's the thing with HCE - nothing is ever a trouble.

I'm really fussy with my gear and it's often the little things that really make a rod. I love the flexibility you just can't get from a factory rod. 'Guys, can I have markers so the ferules match perfectly; guys, I do a bit of competition fishing - it would be handy to some fish measures on the rod, and that extra guide on the Comp Spec 5 makes the line feel soooo smooth.' Of course the answer was a 'not a problem Phil.'

As this was a special build I knew it would take some time for the blank to be built to our agreed specs, and then tested. But like every other fly fishing junkie, I could hardly wait to get my hands on it. I tried gently to prod the guys into rushing it, but they quite rightly insisted on taking time to get it perfect, including being individually tuned.

And it was worth the wait!!! The finish and components on the Hyper Spec are the best I've seen. But it's the rods performance that amazes me. This is the best fly rod I've owned - and I've owned a few.

It's smoother and better finished than my Hardy Zenith, it's more powerful than any other 6wt I've cast, much more than my old TCR 6wt - in fact it blows my old Sage SP+ and XP 7 weights to the wind - but it's not a broom stick. It's sensitive in the tip, like a Greys XF2 - perfect for loch style, wonderful for throwing big wets into the wind or that long cast to a 'shark' cruising in the waves on the Great Lake.

Over the weekend at Milbrook I caught fish big and small, close in and at long distance - the Hyper Spec handled it all with ease.

As TJ said, you have to slow your cast down to load this road, but once you do - WOW!!!!

It's light in the hand but is capable of throwing 100 feet all day. Personally, I find I'm casting 70 - 80 feet with the sort of ease I'd previously used with 50 - 60 feet casts.

I'm still matching lines for the Hyper Spec but my feeling is that that the HCE Hyper Spec may well be the best fly rod I'll ever own.

Thanks guys.

No. It is us who thank you Phillip – Tony & TJ.