Hardy Marksman Z Review - New Saltwater Fly Rods
Hardy recently released the new Marksman Z saltwater fly rods which we thought looked pretty interesting so we tested them out. It's already getting a little crowded in the saltwater fly rod arena, with the new Orvis Helios D, the Thomas & Thomas Sextant and other saltwater rods being so good. Particularly the extremely popular Orvis Helios D is phenomenally good. We are looking at how these new Hardy rods compare to the top saltwater fly rods we have tested extensively for years.
So how about these rods, let's start with the 8wt: Yes, for Bonefish. Everything else, not so much. Maybe light redfish setups. *Keep in mind, other reviewers like Trident have noticed similar things about the 9wt Z as well, that it's too soft for most typical Permit lines. Cast it in wind or with heavier lines to see for yourself. Remember "Reading Rainbow" guys? - Well, you don't have to take our word for it! You can simply cast these with various lines against the other rods out there and see for yourself. I also own a few cool ones like the Hardy Ultralite SR as well as this new one I bought. I like Hardy, it's a neat brand. I'm not hating on anything at all, and I urge you to try them with the right fly lines because they do perform well. The new Marksman Z is a good rod, it just isn't "the best" in terms of versatility and I don't see the point of using a fourth or fifth place rod (in challenging tropical conditions and wind), especially at the same price point. The Marksman 8wt, for example, hits the mark with Bonefish lines, but for some reason it just isn't great with everything else I tested. It's genuinely excellent with SA Bonefish (true-to-weight line) but started to get bogged down with heavier lines typical of general flats fishing instead of purely Bonefish. The other models vary but I encourage readers to check out other reviews in addition to mine. Trident for example states in their review that the 9wt was "too soft" for most Permit lines. Again, that's what I was feeling with the 8wt also, but for some reason they had different results on their 8wt test. The consensus seems to be around the 10wt and 11wt being maybe overly stiff but definitely powerful, and the 12wt being a cannon. Again, you don't really "need" that with a typical Tarpon fly line. They said that even Grand Slam barely bent the 12wt, which is crazy. That's too stiff for anything but Giant Trevally and Sailfish/Mahi setups, in my humble opinion. Could be nice for those species though. Again, there are more balanced fly rods out there that can deliver a wider range of performance across different fly lines and more versatility for the price point. But these do look cool for sure.
This Marksman definitely hits the mark for Bonefish, but misses everything else.
Keep in mind that nobody sponsors us or pays us to review anything one way or another, and we pay for everything we review ourselves. We only carry the best gear here at Salt Fly Pro and to back that up, we test everything else too. We own samples of every saltwater fly rod worth having (and some that probably aren't), just for review purposes. We have nothing at all against Hardy, and we don't care who wins best fly rod. If we sound a little harsh, it's because it's just the reality nobody else wants to tell you. Cast the rods with the lines we suggest! Try them! This rod in 8wt is very nice for lighter Bonefish lines but honestly struggles with more general-purpose flats lines. Try it! Cast it yourself with Flats Pro for example, it just can't do it, it feels bogged down. The 8wt is very good with SA Bonefish line. If you mainly fish for Bonefish, this rod works great with that specific line. But it's not an "all-purpose" 8wt the way some of the others in this price range are.
This rod is nice for Bonefish lines but honestly struggles with more general-purpose flats lines.
Another major fly shop did a review recently and rated this new rod a little below the Scott Sector. We think that's maybe a bit generous relative to our assessment overall. So this is a pretty rod but it's just not as versatile throughout the lineup, with the 8wt and 9wt lacking and the 10-12wt being overkill it seems. The new Orvis Helios D and Winston Air 2 Max both surpass it overall and have more finesse as well.
Considering that beginners usually seem to opt for heavier lines, and beginners are also more likely to be sold on the marketing from big companies like Hardy and Orvis, I'm not sure they are being set up for success with a rod like this that will struggle in wind and under heavier lines than those used for Bonefish.
We will continue testing until we have enough different lines evaluated with these rods to get a more complete sense of what they can do but having tried this rod with the most popular fly lines, we would suggest there are better options for a similar price. Feel free to go cast it against other rods like we have mentioned and make your own decisions. We are here to help customers understand all these different rods and guide, not push you, to the right gear.
Here's more from Hardy about their new rods:
"There are few environments that can offer the challenge of the salt. Smooth early morning runs through thick air across nervous liquid silver flats can quickly yield to cast killing winds and seemingly impossible shots from an unstable casting platform. However when the wind drops, the stars align and you slide that fly into the bulls eye there is no match for the feeling of expectation turning instantly into adrenaline as a hundred pounds of chrome goes airborne or six pounds of silver leaves the flat like its been fired from a gun.
The Hardy Marksman Z with its unrivalled blend of feel, power, recovery and down right durability has been designed in conjunction with some of the finest guides, anglers and legends in the saltwater world. From Gold Cups to grand slams and a thousand different challenges in between, the Hardy Marksman Z is the right rod for that right moment in the Salt."
