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Even If you’ve only been interested in fly fishing for a short time, you have probably heard praise for the venerable 9ft 5wt. The 905 has been touted as the go-to, do-everything utilitarian trout rod since its inception. It’s the best-selling configuration in nearly every trout and freshwater-oriented series.

However, as most reading this know, fly rods come in different sizes to serve the many fishing scenarios, anglers may face. A rod over nine feet offers many advantages, from high sticking and better line management to roll casting larger nymphs and streamers. Unfortunately, rod makers don’t always dedicate as much time designing 10ft tapers as the nine in the same series. We recently got to demo the 10ft 5wt Hardy Ultralite, and the results floored us. Read on to see why this could be the rod that’ll convince you to leave the 9fter in the truck.

Outfit

Fit & Finish

We’ve always been impressed by Hardy’s build quality and the components of the Ultralite series. The 10ft 5wt is indistinguishable from its shorter sibling sans the extra length. Hardy even opted to leave off the fighting butt, a feature we’ve seen on many 10’ trout rods lately. You can find the complete breakdown here.

Distance

You can cast the Ultralite 1005 as far as needed for general trout fishing purposes. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how well the extra foot aids in launching bigger streamers compared to its nine-foot counterpart.

Presentation & Accuracy

The ten-foot Ultralite is probably not the rod to deliver a #20 Griffith's Gnat precisely on the nose of a rising brown trout. However, we found it to be reasonably accurate for its size. Short, accurate casts will be a little challenging to make, but we can see the Ultralite being a solid dry fly rod on larger tailwaters where longer shots are the game's name.

Flex & Feel

With the added length comes extra weight, right? Generally speaking, yes. However, we found the Ultralite insanely lightweight, even questioning its 10ft length at times. This is one reason it makes for a great all-around trout rod. The added leverage helps launch bigger flies, but the airiness resembles a much shorter rod, allowing the Ultralite 1005 to separate itself from the rest of the pack.

Like other rods in the Ultralite series, it tends toward the faster side of the spectrum without being unbearably fast. It’s very apparent that head rod designer Howard Croston put a lot of R&D into this particular model, as its taper seems just right for a rod of its length. A slightly heavier Scientific Anglers Amplitude MPX is a good choice for an overall line. However, an SA Amplitude Anadro would be a solid pick if you plan on tossing big indicator nymph rigs and articulated streamers.

Conclusion

Be it dry flies, articulated streamers, or bulky nymph rigs, the Hady Ultralite 10ft 5wt can handle it all. Not just ‘reasonably’ well, as with many ‘specialized’ rods. The extra length adds another dimension to your fishing, and you’ll be hitting pockets and seams with a drift not possible with a shorter rod. Your roll casting, mending, and ability to throw heftier flies are enhanced, and you won’t be burdened by added weight. If more rod makers can build 10ft trout rods like Hardy’s near-perfect Ultralite, we can see more anglers gravitating towards the longer rod for their do-everything 5wt.

Pros

  • Lightweight!
  • Exceptional ‘do-everything’ versatility
  • High-end components

Cons

  • The added length can be quarrelsome in tighter corridors
  • In-close accuracy