I first met Howard Croston 14 years ago when I was hired by Hardy to help with their salt water rods and reels. Howard was their product developer and designer, and we instantly hit it off. His knowledge and experience in the fresh water world was profound. He’d competed in 16 fresh water World Championships, and was the individual World Champion in 2019 when the English won the Team Championships. Howard had also competed in casting competitions and lectured about the spectrum of his craft.

The Hardy design team was rewarded with immediate success in our quest in the salt. Our very first prototype rod and reel won the biggest tarpon tournament in the world, The Gold Cup, with Thane Morgan and Craig Brewer. With Howard’s tremendous knowledge, and Hardy’s commitment to winning, the victories kept coming and products keep improving. You can find these rods and reels in many of the boats you see on the flats of the Florida Keys and around the world, and in 2021 the top seven placed teams of the Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament were throwing Hardy.

As we celebrate our 150th anniversary at Hardy, I’m proud to have my friend, Howard Croston, on the podcast today to help us understand the the differences in fishing, casting, and building fly rods & reels.