As a teenager passionate about fly fishing I was amazed that Hardy’s, this legendary company with the huge reputation came from such a remote Border town (just south of my Scottish home). Hardy's were expensive, way out of my price range but a real mark of seriousness in ones angling. Yes, they were a little traditional. Probably quite old fashioned too. But that name, it was indelible, it really did stand for something, for 'the best' and anglers couldn't get enough.
On rediscovering fly fishing 20 years later, I was astonished to see the modern day phenomena of Ebay featuring thousands upon thousands of much treasured items of vintage Hardy gear fetching good money. That longevity was reassuring.
So what is it about Hardy’s that managed to get into the psyche of anglers everywhere? What is it about angling Hardy's managed to bottle so perfectly? An idealised past? A notion of what perfect fishing is all about? Or simply the ultimate in quality? More than all this and I was itching to find out what. THE LOST WORLD OF MR. HARDY was to be the result.
Together with partner Heike Bachelier, we set out on a journey to explore this world, to capture the dedication and the passion, to handcraft a feature length film that in itself is very much a product of these values, a movie made by film craftsmen, a Rolls Royce amongst fishing films.
Andy Heathcote, filmmaker
