Hardy Zephrus FWS Fly Rod Review: Zephrus vs Zenith

We loved the Zenith. We were sad to see it go. They replaced it for 2016 with a new rod – the Hardy Zephrus FWS (yes, the initials are important). It’s the first new rod since Pure Fishing took over the Hardy brand a few years ago. Needless to say, I was skeptical, despite the fact that the old Hardy team is largely still there. But, I shouldn’t have been. After all, Howard Croston is still designing their rods. Here’s how the new Zephrus stacks up. Enjoy this review? Support us by buying your next fly rod here. Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this rod, I wanted to take a second to talk about the name(s) for the new Zephrus, which is probably the worst I’ve seen yet in terms of confusing people (myself included). It comes in 3 distinct models: FWS (FreshWater Series), AWS (All Water Series), SWS (SaltWater Series). It’s important to note that these models (or at least the FWS and SWS) are distinctly different rods (think Zenith and Proaxis). The name Zephrus really only implies that the rod is made from Sintrix 440.

Outfit

• Hardy Zephrus FWS 9' 5-weight
• Lamson Litespeed IV #2 - winner of 5-weight reel shootout!
• SA GPX

Fit and Finish

Fit and finish on the Zephrus is almost identical to the old Zenith (with the wooden reel seat). It’s a well-built rod in virtually every way. The same great single foot recoil guides, a nice wooden reel seat insert, and all of the top-notch features you expect from Hardy. There are two minor changes on the new rod from a cosmetic perspective – the label now is “skeletonized” and has a clear coat so you can see the rod’s internal construction. I thought this was neat. They also changed the rod tube and basically made it look a little nicer.

Weight

The new Zephrus weighs in at just a hair under 3 oz. It feel nice and light in hand, and maybe a tad lighter than the Zenith.

Distance

Like the Zenith, the Zephrus can get a lot of line out there. It’s a fairly fast rod,

Accuracy

Like its predecessor, the Hardy Zephrus shines in the accuracy department. It’s fantastic at 40’ and 60’. Maybe it’s because I’ve been fishing the Zenith so long, but this rod feels so natural and easy to hit theses targets. I was surprised that it’s actually a bit softer in the tip than the Zenith, and that lead to better accuracy at 25’, which was pleasantly surprising for us New England anglers that make a lot of those casts.

Flex & Feel

It’s a fast rod with a faster recovery, but the Hardy Zephrus manages to give you a lot of feedback along the way. As I mentioned, I found the Zephrus to be a tad softer in the tip than the Zenith and that helps load it faster and give you better close in accuracy. It’s fairly quick through the mid- and butt-sections which gives you the ability to load it and toss a lot of line.

Nymphing

One great feature of the Zephrus is how great of a nymphing rod it is. It really allows you to open up your loop and toss a lot of weight with ease.

Warranty

Lifetime, but check with Hardy about the details. Price: $699

Conclusion

The Zephrus is a great rod, and I’m happy to report that, despite the organizational changes that have occurred over the last several years, Hardy hasn’t screwed up this rod. It’s great! So if you missed out on the Zenith, you’ll be really happy with the Zephrus. It’s like the Zenith, but a little better. Am I in a hurry to eBay my Zenith? Not really. I wanted to leave you with one other thought, which is: don’t go for the 9’ 5wt. We tested it in this review because it’s the most popular size of trout rods, but we also cast the 8’6” 5wt, and it feels a lot lighter, yet retains most of the distance and power. I think for 90% of anglers it will be the better rod. You can buy both the 9’ and 8’6” versions of the Hardy Zephrus here. I’d fish it with a half-size heavier line like Rio Grand or the new SA MPX.

Pros

• Every bit as great as the Zenith was
• Fantastic accuracy across the range
• Cheaper than other top-end rods

Cons

• Only a small upgrade over the Zenith
• Horribly confusing naming conventions