My first fly caught trout occurred when I was perhaps nine years old. Oddly, no fly rod was involved, and my victim succumbed to a hideously bad self tied fly. But the hook was set far more firmly in me than in that little rainbow. I wanted to be a fly fisherman, and in the late 70's, I finally got serious about it.
I had seen a newstand publication by Scientific Anglers, and it led me down the briar path. Soon I was knee deep in fly fishing and tying books, and I enjoyed every moment of the learning process. In those days, the magazines I read often featured full page adverts for the Hardy Perfect fly reel. I thought that must certainly be THE reel, but it was right hand wind only, and my Sci-Anglers book informed me that RHW was the devil's work. I wasn't smart enough to question that idea, so I contented myself with the Sci-Anglers System reel (Hardy Marquis).
IMG_2085 by
Jim QRB, on Flickr
Forty some years later, I'm a heck of a lot older if no wiser, but I have finally scratched my Hardy Perfect itch. This one came from the big auction site. It looked pretty seedy in the photos, and was terrifically filthy inside. I paid sub-$200, and was pleased to find it pretty intact and fishable, however the foot was quite loose in its dovetail.
IMG_2088 by
Jim QRB, on Flickr
A close inspection showed one rivet was broken, and the other quite loose. I could have fabricated new rivets, but some measurements told me I could drill and tap for a couple of 6-48 screws. This pitch is fine enough to be pretty strong in aluminum, so I opened up the holes, tapped, drilled a slight counterbore and set the screws with blue Loctite. Not having any stainless screws on hand, I sealed these top and botom with varnish. I did not hesitate to make this mod, as this was no collector's gem, and I just wanted to fish and enjoy it.
IMG_2086 by
Jim QRB, on Flickr
I love the reel! It's a gem, it sings sweetly, and I think it is just a stellar design. I had hoped to use it with a tiny 2 wt rod I am building, but the little Perfect seemed less than perfect for that application. As it happened, a badly beat up Barclay No. 79 came my way, and as soon as I can complete repairs, I'll be using the old Hardy with that rod. I was interested to find that a Sylk DT5 would not fit on the 3 1/8" Perfect. I chose to trim 30 feet from the line and wind it up with a modest amount of backing.
I'd be grateful for any comments on the age of this well-used old timer. All of my reading says it may be from the '20s to the mid-40's, but that probably the foot is a replacement. Sadly, no interesting stamps are to be found inside.
IMG_2089 by
Jim QRB, on Flickr
So, nothing new to report here. Many of you were wiser than I and have been enjoying the delighful old Perfect for years. I'm glad to have finally joined the club.