Hardy Fortuna Regent Fly Reel Review by Nick Curcione
The Hardy Fortuna Regent Fly Reel
Since you are on this website and about to read this review, if you haven’t already, I recommend that you first read my article on the justifications for purchasing a high- end fly reel. Aside from the pure pleasure of acquiring another tackle item to add to your repertoire, I hope what I have to say there will at least provide you with a reasonable foundation for spending money on the pastime we love. In that article I set $500 as the baseline for defining the word expensive and with a starting price of roughly $ 695 for their smallest 6000 model designed primarily for 5 to 7-weight rods this Hardy series easily fits in that category. For the type of offshore fishing I’m mostly involved in these days where I target large makos and tuna (bluefin and yellowfin), it’s the 10000 (9-11- weight) and the 12000 (11-12-weight) models that I’m primarily interested in. The 10000 lists for $850, and the beast of the lot, the 12000 will set you back $950.
Nick Cucione Photo Andrew Dixon
Before we go any further, I want to assure you that I’m not in the business of selling tackle, the manufacturers I mention do not pay me and I buy my tackle. So, if there is no monetary incentive why write about it? Because I’ve logged over 50-years in this sport and I still enjoy writing about it and offering my unbiased two cents based on this experience.
The House of Hardy is one of the oldest and most respected brands in the industry. For many years the lion share of their products was directed primarily to the freshwater fly-fishing community. Even though I always loved the look and the feel of some of their now classic fly reels, as someone who fished almost exclusively in the salt, I didn’t gravitate to their product line to build my tackle inventory. That changed however in the early 70’s with the advent of Scientific Anglers innovative systems approach to fly fishing. For the first time someone new to the sport could equip themselves with a matching rod, reel, and fly line outfit designed specifically for a fishery they wanted to engage in. The reels, although marketed by Scientific Anglers were made by Hardy. Just like their classic freshwater models the reels were simple click and pawl affairs. The first outfit I bought was a 9-weight setup I used for bluefish and stripers in the northeast. It was also the outfit I brought along on my first trip to the Keys and the Marquesas back in ’71. I loved fishing that reel and eventually bought a 6,8, and 10-weight model to cover most of my saltwater needs. The design which dated back to the 19th century was simple. There wasn’t much to go wrong and after more than 30-years use in the salt the only problem I ever had was after I dropped the 10-weight on the garage floor. The spool and frame never aligned properly.
Andrew Dixon
When I first started fishing them aside from their simplicity the most endearing quality was the sound they made when line was ripped from the spool. My conventional and spinning reels were mute by comparison and the noise these reels made reminded me of childhood days where I clipped playing cards to the spokes of my bicycle for sound effects. It was pure delight. That began to change however when I started prowling for stripers at night along Long Island’s north shore. Privacy was the name of the game. Unless you were with close friends, if you were into fish and didn’t want company, you wanted to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. A singing fly reel was like an alarm, and you no longer had the spot to yourself.
To give you an idea of how long Hardy has been crafting fly fishing gear their Perfect model reel was first offered in 1891 and is still being manufactured. The Fortuna was in the lineup from 1921 to 1966. Apparently, the name was somewhat of an insider joke because the reel was literally intended for tuna and big game blue water anglers. It would be very interesting to know if indeed there were anglers back then targeting these species on fly gear. I’m sure it was a very select group.
The model was resurrected back in 2009-2010 when Hardy president, Jim Murphy contacted former Olympic downhill racer and five-time Gold Cup winner of the prestigious Tarpon tournament, Andy Mill to help the company produce a truly saltwater worthy rod and reel. For the latter, Andy concentrated his efforts on the Fortuna which now bears the designation, Hardy Fortuna Regent. To his credit, Jim certainly knew what he was doing when he enlisted Andy to share his expertise in the sport. Andy is the type of person who brings a great deal of natural talent coupled with boundless enthusiasm and dedication to whatever endeavor he sets his sights on. He became enamored with tarpon fishing in the Keys and had a wealth of firsthand experience about what it takes in terms of tackle and technique to successfully challenge tarpon on the fly. The current Fortuna is a fitting testimony to his efforts. I first saw the reel on my good friend, and renown mako guide, Conway Bowman’s boat. Almost always a key indicator of top-quality gear is what a guide fishes with. They want satisfied clients and that’s not going to happen if they’re provided with tackle that’s less than capable of getting the job done particularly with the demanding conditions you face on the offshore grounds. He’s has this reel about a year and it’s stood up to encounters with countless numbers of big, 100-pound plus makos.
Photo Al Q
Because there is such a wealth of readily available information on this reel’s specs, I’m not going to bother to repeat all that here. Instead, I think it’s much more informative to convey my hands on impression of how this reel performs on the offshore grounds. My target species is the apex predator of blue water, the mako shark. If you want to torture tackle, particularly fly tackle, take it mako fishing. Billfish and tuna are also worthy adversaries and if your tackle can withstand the contest with one of these gamefish superstars you can be assured it will also be up to the task with the others.
After fishing this reel on several trips and having battled several makos in the 200-pound plus class, I think it’s no exaggeration to claim that this is the finest saltwater fly reel Hardy has ever offered. Over the years I’ve fished just about every top saltwater fly reel on the market and would rate this among the best I’ve used. There are some subjective considerations, but for me it checks all the boxes. First and foremost, for a reel in this class the drag system is all important and thus far I’ve found this one to be absolutely flawless. I think the specs claim it can yield about 30-pounds of pressure, I never would set it anywhere close to that. As I’ve stated many times over the years, I still rely heavily on my hand to apply additional pressure by palming the spool. By doing so I can instantly increase or decrease pressure. The sole purpose of the reel’s drag mechanism is to provide controlled resistance and that’s exactly what the Fortuna delivers every time. If you prefer to forego the palming method, with this reel that’s ok, you can confidently rely solely on the reel’s drag system.
Aside from the outstanding drag system, the major selling point of the Fortuna for me was the speed with which you could retrieve line. The specs claim 16-inches per turn of the handle. I didn’t measure it, but I’ve never had a reel that cranks in line like this one and that’s a significant factor when you’re trying to keep tight on a fish that’s turned on you or you’re following a beast that seems like it’s heading for Hawaii and you need to recover line.
Mako Fly Conway Bowman
And then there’s the handle. Too many times when making a fly reel selection, too little attention is paid to handle design and size. This may not be a big deal for situations where the reel plays only a minor role in the fish fighting process, but it is absolutely critical anytime you have to crank in line as quickly and effortlessly as possible. When I first saw the Fortuna’s flat handle, I was skeptical but that changed as soon as I grabbed it with my fingers. For me it is very comfortable and unfortunately that’s not the case with a number of reels I fished over the years. Regardless of all its positive features, I won’t buy a reel that does not have a handle that feels good in my hand. Everyone that I’ve have had try it thus far likes it, but I strongly recommend cranking it yourself before you make any purchase.
Finally, there’s the issue of appearance. Where fly reels are concerned, I assign this only minor consideration. For many others I know it can be a big deal. As one of my friends says, “I don’t care how good it is, I’m not fishing an ugly reel.” Of course this is highly subjective, but for my tastes at least, I think the Fortuna has the appearance of understated elegance. I bought mine in silver but black will do nicely. No matter how you go I think this reel is an exquisite example of top-notch design and craftsmanship. I’m already considering the 8000 and 10,000 to round out my saltwater series.
