Gem Smuggler

Working on the idea that the convenience of a multi-section rod is an attractive selling point, three and four section rods are increasingly the norm rather than the exception. Five-section rods are still unusual, but the advantages are obvious. This rod packs into a tube a touch over two feet long, an ideal size for stowing out of sight in the boot of a smaller modern car and equally at home as hand luggage on a modern passenger plane. Possible disadvantages are equally obvious, lots of joints means extra weight, more places where the rod can come loose, rings must be fitted around the joints, and so on.

The five sections of the Gem Smuggler link by spigot joints, the blank is slim, finished in a very dark green with matching green tyings. The functional bits are outstanding, the full wells handle is top grade, no surface filling whatsoever - best quality cork I’ve seen on a review rod. The short fighting butt is stylish and functional. The ring set is designed for distance casting, all large, the two lined stripping rings are very large and with oversized quality snakes on the rest of the sections, line flows very freely indeed. The reel seat is Hardy made, black alloy, quality machining. One point to note - the Hardy Ultralite fitted snugly into the seat but reels with less subtle feet simply did not fit at all.

Casting - by cutting edge standards this is not an exceptionally light rod, four and a bit ounces, and given that this is a five-piece, I had assumed it would be a little tip heavy. Not a bit of it, very well balanced or ‘light in the hand’, as they say. In fact I’ve cast lighter rods which feel heavier. The action is punchy, inclined towards the tip, and powerful - felt as though I needed to be reasonably forceful to get the Gem working.

Rated for an #8 line I’d be inclined to fit a #9 for anglers who need to feel the rod load or when I was expecting to cast short. That said, when the full head of the #8 weight line was in the air with a bit of a haul it seemed very easy indeed to shoot the whole line. Not a rod which naturally produces the very tightest loops, but plenty of power and authority. Accuracy was fairly good; the more force one puts into casting the less accurate it gets. Delivering a fly to targets in the medium to long range was quick and easy - at short range the powerful tip made things a little less certain. My only real criticism of the Gem’s performance would be that the space between the first ring and the handle seemed a little short when hauling.

Not surprisingly with its Hardy pedigree the Gem Smuggler is a class act. Looks good, feels good, casts well and it packs down neatly and compactly. A powerful rod, right action for bonefish and the fittings are all suitably corrosion-resistant, perhaps for heavy weight trouting or salmon fishing (Americans might say steelhead.) The feel and look of a top quality, craftsman built rod. At £415 with the Hardy guarantee and excellent after-sales service, the Gem Smuggler compares well against premium imported brands.

Ultralite Disc LA
Handsome, light, surprisingly conventional size and looks for a large arbor reel. Unusually for an LA reel, this has a full cage body, which makes a very rigid structure, but which also allows Hardy to cut and drill away until they have a very finely machined reel indeed. Just as much attention has been paid to the design and manufacture of the spool. For instance despite the full cage body this reel has an exposed rim achieved by overlapping the edge of the spool - again a sign of very fine machining - and which also makes for a more rigid structure - useful for anglers who like to use palm pressure rather than the disc drag. In general I’d have to say the alloy bits of the Ultralite makes reels from other quality reel manufacturers look rather less than refined - positively agricultural in some cases. That said, one or two plastic components in this reel seem to rather let down what is otherwise a very high quality item.

In use, the rulon drag is smooth and easily adjusted. The purring clicker is, as with most disc reels, cosmetic rather than functional and the reel can be switched to silent running. Full details on how to silence the reel and to switch from left to right wind are supplied. I would specify that this as a freshwater reel simply because of the backing capacity; 55 yards with an #8 line is plenty for most river of stillwater situations but about 150 yards too little to keep me confident playing a decent bonefish.

For a reel of this quality, and with the Hardy guarantee, reputation and customer support, at £175 the Ultralite LA is priced keenly.

Distance Trout Line
I liked this line a lot. The profile described on the blurb is a long belly weight forward with a short rear taper. In common with several contemporary fly lines there is a colour change to indicate the end of the head - the head is pale green, changing to a pale blue running line.
In use, any line memory soon disappeared as the line was pulled off the reel. New, the Distance Trout is slick but not too slippery. Bearing in mind this was being tested during some pretty cold weather, the coating feels firm, not as limp as some lines, an ideal characteristic in a distance casting line and would make me fairly confident that this would last well.

I’d guess the head is a yard or so longer than my usual lines and the extra length and weight seemed to load the Gem rod very well, and I quickly came to rely on the visual cue for ‘time to let go’. Very long shoot and good clean turnover, it seemed to turn over a heavy leader and very heavy fly with ease.

At £49.95 it maybe a little expensive compared to lines of equivalent quality from other manufacturers.

All Hardy Rods and Reels come with an original user lifetime guarantee. The Gem Smuggler is supplied in handsome cordura covered tube. The Ultralite reel comes in a practical neoprene pouch.