[troutman]

Hello all! For my birthday I recieved a Hardy Brothers LRH Lightweight reel from the 1980s. Since I discovered how much these reels cost, I feel as though I need a new rod, since I do not want to put the LRH on a $30 5wt Walmart rod that I have, my first fly rod. So my question is this, would the TFO 5wt 9' Pro rod or the ECHO Classic 5wt 9' rod be a good rod to mate this reel with? These are the two rods that I have my eye on, but I am open to suggestions. Thanks for your replies.
Aaron

[ezamora]

LOL!!!! "classic" purchasing rationale!!!!! well, of COURSE you need a new rod. sheesh ;-) very nice reel by the way. the big thing is balancing the rod with the reel. take the reel with line installed, put it on both rods if you can and run the line out beyond the tip, see which feels best. hardy lightweight reels are... lightweight. i wish i could help more, hopefully someone else can.

eric
fresno, ca.

[OregonStreams]

Troutman.. Be aware that the reel seats are now standardized, but some older reels do not fit some of the newer rod seats, despite being the "right weight". So definitely test the reel on the new rod before you purchase. I bought a new rod for an old Lampson reel only to discover that it did not fit and so, of course, I HAD to buy a new reel to match my new rod

[ezamora]

reel seats and reel foots (feets?) are NOT standardized, even in this day and age. oh, the companies will TELL you they are... in my case, a newly purchased okuma integrity 5/6 (for a newly purchased 5wt TFO professional) did not work well. compared to other modern reels i could try, the integrity's foot was big. part of that problem i think is the okuma was not machined but rather stamped metal. so perhaps the construction needed to be beefed up a bit.

currently, i have an old orvis CFO III which barely fits in a newly made custom cap and ring reel seat for my bamboo blank and i have to figure out a solution. my newer but still old orvis battenkill 3/4 fits just fine. but that's an old/new example.

it's best to check the fit yourself or at least tell the dealer which reel you want to use and they can test it themselves if they have that model hardy around.

eric
fresno, ca.

[BigCliff]

I highly recommend the ECHO Classic 9' 5wt.

But maybe that'll be my last recommendation of it until they start sending me commission checks! Sheesh!

Seriously though, its a great rod that will work well from day one and continue to do so for years.

[troutman]

Hello everyone! Thanks for all the replies. I went with a TFO Pro 5wt. First time I think I've ever cast over 60' with a Fly rod! The reel fits the seat just fine and it handles like a dream. BigCliff, I wanted to try an ECHO, but could not get my hands on one so I went with the TFO. I really like it. Now if I could just make some time to fish it. Thanks again everyone.
Aaron