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I have a Howells 733-2 and it is a very different beast from the Hidy. Everything that has been said about the Howells so far is spot on. I'll add that while I can't feel it under the cork, the rod loads well into the butt (and quickly!) on all but the very shortest casts. But without a thick middle or beefy tip, Gary made a rod that responds with a near uniform, progressive bend form when under load of a fish. This is a rod where the whole thing works with anything more than the leader out the tiptop. Super sensitive, feel everything, full-flex, rod that could no doubt protect 10x tippet. It can actually generate pretty high line speed at moderate distances, but it excels at "unrolling" a line from 10 to 30 feet with almost no effort. I've fished it on tumbling freestones and while capable, I found it a little too lazy and imprecise for my tastes in that environment, though it does roll cast very well from 5 to 20ft. The biggest liability for its intended purpose in my view is that I find it difficult to throw a lot of line--and midging trout seem always to be just "that" much farther away than where my fly lands. On the lawn, I can cleanly coax 45-50ft out of it, but on water, quite about 10ft less, especially if water is over the knee...just a little soft and short for aerializing much line. IMO, it sucks with a 4wt and doesn't load right with a 2wt. It is one of the few rods I have cast that seemed truly limited to a single line weight. Viewed another way, one of the few rods that casts a line exactly as intended. Fun and very specialized. Haven't tried Bolt's version, but I have heard it is just a hair faster...a hair. My rod has the red band of wraps at the cork, but I don't think the 733-2 is a hollowbuilt.

As for Hidy, I'll be getting to play with an 804-3 Hidy pretty soon and may be able to add more, but here's what I know based on my 733-3 and conversations with several other owners: SPRINGY. There's just not really a better word of which I can think to describe my rod. As has been mentioned, although Jim makes longer and stronger rods, he appears to excel at and be best known for his light line rods from 6 to 8 feet for 2-4wt. This rod has an extra ferrule on the Howells and might feel slower but doesn't. In fact, just the opposite. While full flexing, this rod has bounce--in a good way. I can cast a very long line with a Cortland Clear Creek 3wt and it shoots line pretty well, too. More precise than the Howells, more point and shoot, but not like a 7' 4wt swelled butt dry fly rod. Not as delicate a line as the Howells, but just as sensitive. A little more beef in the butt section, but neither rod is swelled. Tippier feeling, but the rod is working along the entire shaft. It feels very ALIVE with fast recovery and responsiveness and it just has this SPRINGY feeling to it that is hard to describe. Perhaps its the hollowbuilding, or taper, or both.

Equally good, but different beasts.

Now this is a FUN rod. Sensitive, flexible, hugely capable of changing tempo on demand. A great rod for small streams without lots of overhanging trees where you need some length for high sticking or line mending. Small fish are not dull! A great rod, too, for general light line trout fishing on medium sized waters and fish. Great looking, too.

C