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.
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.
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