Hardy Neroda Fly Boxes

Another piece of fishing kit to collect. These Hardy Bakelite boxes are things of beauty. I've got a few although it's not an extensive collection.

During the winter blues I did a bit of research into their history - published HERE

If anyone can add information please feel free to contact me

Hardy South African Surf Reel

A year ago I posted this (LINK) on Clarks forum. I'd never seen a Hardy South African Surf Reel except in catalogues so it was an opportunity to share.

The owner has now decided to sell this reel so if anyone is interested in acquiring an extremely rare piece of Hardy History please contact me and I will put you in touch. It is understood that there were 56 reels made in this, 6 inch, size.

**Edit: This reel was sold in May 2010 for approximately £1000 **

Music

Bowie was just singing “♪ Ziggy played guitaaaarrrr ♫” . . . . . there was a small bow wave amidst the ripples near where my fly was supposed to be. Silk whizzed through rod guides, Kings of Leon went into “♪  Sex on fire ♫”, little Mr Dingley played a loud tune. This boy wanted to play and not surrender. The joy of using barbless hooks is that you learn that if you ease up, he’ll back off and go, so cane was bent and line sang. Adrenalin hit receptors (his and mine).

Fish, energy, net, release . . . . and that self satisfied feeling when you watch him swim away, almost hoping that he’ll look back over his shoulder and say “Hey, was fun, must do it again sometime”

Fly fishing!

Firsts

A day of firsts: -

First day fly fishing this year.

First tangle . .

First time I’ve used my tiny ‘new’ (to me) Dingley with its silk line – I’d forgotten how great that ‘whizzzz’ sounds as the silk floats through the rod guides.

First reminder this year of how sharp hooks can be . . . .

First ‘Fishing days’ photos.

First time out for my winter acquisition ‘ATH Traun’ – for the uninformed these reels do not catch fish, make you a better caster or even make you sexually attractive to cute lady dog walkers . . . .  If you’re stuck with any Ari Hart reels I have a locked room where I can keep them from spoiling other anglers’ days.

First reminder of how my eyes aren’t getting any better, or leaders are getting finer and fly eyes getting smaller (?)

First live use of Steven’s knitted string tapered leaders – excellent.

First time, of many to come, when I've said to myself "I must tidy the junk out of my fishing bag" . . .yet, when I look in that bag I get a warm smiley feeling . . 

First day wearing my floppy old hat this year.

First snagged tree; no grass though . .

First fishing day smiles . . . 
Not the first reminder of why we do it.

Best wishes to all in the same boat,  . . . . or bank,  . . . . or waders

Hardy Reel checks

The expert reel makers at Hardy Brothers of Alnwick created many check mechanisms over the years. These were then copied by several other reel makers and versions are still available in contemporary reels. For the uninitiated the check is the "Clicker", the noisy bit that creates resistance so that line does not free-spool off the reel.
As well as neat pieces of engineering the check is also a useful means of dating early reels. Below are photographs of a few with, where relevant, some indication of date first produced.

Early or 1896 check

 1906, (sometimes called 1905 -11) check

The beautiful 1912 (most likely 1st used 1911)

 

Mark 1 check or 1917

  

 

2 versions of the Duplicated Mark 2 check

Some say 1922, some disagree

(note: "Duplicated" is assumed to mean that parts were interchangeable, not that there was a spare set within the reel)

 

Post war (1950's) check which introduced the ability to change from Left to Right hand wind

  

 

The 2 parts of the transverse (edge on) Golden Prince check from the 1980's

 

 Hardy JLH from 1990's with what they called the "compensating click check"

Reels for dreams

For all you tackle tarts (see below :-) ) some images that prove that good design is still out there.

From the minds and workshops of Leen Huisman of LH Design  Alex Kaplun of Megoff and the famed Ari 't Hart for Exclusive reels  (. .. more to follow)
If, and who doesn't, you would like some of this art please ask Mark - Here (link)

 

  

The 'Amber' - titanium with translucent amber

  

  

  

  

L H  Series E Sapphire : #4/5

  

ATH Designed Trilogy

  

Celebrating the 50th Anniversay of the Remco

 

Coming soon

TACKLE TART

         

tackle,  noun,

·        equipment, apparatus, or gear, esp. for fishing:

tart,  noun,

• promiscuous, of easy virtue,

A mildly derogatory term traditionally used in a self-mocking manner, or for good-natured abuse of friends.

Anglers have always wanted the best toys they could get to practise their sport and this phrase came into the lexicon of angling to jokingly (usually) refer to those who abused that privilege.

From Elfric the Abbot writing in his “Collequy” in the tenth century, via Dame Juliana’s “Treatyse of ffyshynge with an Angle” in 1496