Hardy seems to cycle through its product lineup quicker than many other manufacturers. I have a wonderful 9’9” 3-weight Ultralite LL rod that’s no longer produced, and their excellent FWDD reel was a flash in the pan for just a few years. That FWDD reel is light, smooth, and has just the right amount of pre-set drag stops for most trout fishing. I fish it on my 2 and 3-weight rods, and I’ve always wished I’d have bought one in a 5-weight size.

I arrived at the Crossroads shortly before 9:30 a.m.—a half-hour early, with plenty of time to add ice to my cooler and gas to my tank. I had driven all morning under an overcast sky, but now the clouds were gone, and the temperature was rising toward ninety. Although catching a trout on an afternoon like this in a shallow spring-fed pond would be close to impossible, I knew crazier things could happen. I, for example, was escorting John Gierach to John Voelker’s famed Frenchman's Pond.