Hardy Announces Zenith and ProAxis SINTRIX Fly Rods

October 12, 2010 By: Alex Cerveniak

SINTRIX Rod Series: Proaxis (saltwater) and Zenith (freshwater)

On day one of the International Fly Tackle Dealer show Andy Mill, who coordinated the field testing and analysis for the SINTRIX fly rods,  joined MidCurrent staff at the casting pond to talk about Hardy North America‘s new SINTRIX rod series.

The SINTRIX fly rods are now Hardy’s preeminent rod series.  The saltwater Sintrix models are being called the Proaxis series and will be released in March 2011, while the freshwater models will fall into the Zenith series and will become available in January 2011.

Each is built with Hardy’s new proprietary SINTRIX material.  SINTRIX uses 3M’s Silica Matrix Resin technology in combination with Hardy’s own unique formulation, and the results have been extensively field tested over the past 18 months.  Hardy said that their, “team of fishing pros from the Florida Keys to Montana has hailed the rods as truly innovative and exceptional fishing and casting tools.”  The SINTRIX material allowed the design team to build a series of rods that combines the best attributes of the modern reserve-power, fast-action fly rods with the more technical requirements of tracking and tippet protection — and a taper that shifts the load to the butt when you need to lay into a fish.

Zenith Reel Seat

Mill stated that the  9-weight Sintrix was ideal for bonefish and permit, while the 11-weight was the way to go for tarpon.  “This is a completely new saltwater rod design, with a soft tip. But it loads easily with minimal line out,” Mill told us. “It’s responsive within two false-casts and powerful enough to fight really big fish. To me the 11-weight is mind-boggling.”

The saltwater Proaxis series will be available in both 1- and 4-piece models. The 1-piece models are 8’10” long and range from 8- thru 12-weight ($655 to $695). The 4-piece Proaxis rods are all 9-feet long and range from 6- through 12-weight. They will retail for $685 to $745.  Both the 1-piece and 4-piece Proaxis Series rods will be available in March 2011.

The Zenith series will retail for $595 to $745 depending on rod model.

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