George Anderson enjoys high-performance motorcycles and fly rods.

George Anderson reported today that the Hardy Zenith 8’5″ has won his Yellowstone Angler 4-weight-rod annual Shoot Out, with second place taken in a 3-way tie by the Sage TXL 7’10″ ($625), the Sage ONE 8’5″, the Winston B3X 8’5″ ($795), and the Beulah Platinum 8’8″. Forty different rod makes were entered to the contest but only 20 made the final tests. The finishers will be reported within two weeks. Anderson says the Zenith sells for $629 (alone) and with the matching mist-gray Hardy Evolution LT 1.5 reel ($285 alone) for $935 as a set, including backing, SA Trout Taper line and his Clear Butt 12-foot leader and free shipping. He says the Lamson Lightspeed 1.5 reel ($299) also matches well with the Zenith. Tom Morgan’s 8’5″ ($1345) placed fourth in the contest, scoring a perfect 20 in casting from 25 to 35 feet. For the full report on contest judgement parameters and finishers go to yellowstoneangler.com.