Not lost but gone before

 


 Congratulations to Hardy; the well-known fishing brand now spanning one hundred and fifty years in business. Orvis, put aside their recent down-sizing in the UK, have been going even longer, founded in 1856 the other side of the pond. Both brands enjoy that longevity that’s partly due to their focus on quality and customer service.

 I am certainly no fishing historian, but just having that passion for all things fishing makes sifting through old magazines and the like enjoyable. Damn it, but even when I’m not in the market to buy anything at all, looking through a tackle catalogue just landed on the doormat is compulsive and enjoyable. Some people use the phrase “fishing porn”! It is very similar with old gear and ‘tackle tinkering’, and I totally get the idea of collecting fishing stuff, for those that can afford it. I mentioned these aspects in ‘Hands on’ a year ago; prior to that, another year or so, was a piece called ‘Not Ure usual Red Tag’ which referenced something in a magazine edition from 1953, nearly seventy years back!



 I dragged those old magazines out again the other day, killing some time, noticing the Hardy brand made regular appearances but there was no mention of Orvis. I supposed that to be something to do with the era of post-war austerity? What struck me was my familiarity with some brands which were around when I started to get into fishing as a boy, many of whom have long since fallen by the wayside. Do you recall any of the following?:

Allcocks [Redditch]

Ambidex Reels

EfGeeco

C Farlow & Son [London]

Grice and Young [Christchurch]

Luron [monofilament by ICI]

Milbro Reels [Millard Bros., London]

Milbro Rods

Milwards Fishing Tackle [Redditch]

Mitchell Reels

Ogden Smiths

Pfleuger [that’s an import!]

Sealey Fish Hooks [Redditch]

Sportex Perlyl [German mono, London]

E Veniard’s Fly Tying Materials [Surrey], later to become J Veniard

Youngs of Harrow

 Another brand that appeared, although not tackle, was Exe Valley Fishery, Dulverton, Somerset, who proudly advertised their quality fish stocks of “Brown Loch Leven Trout and Rainbow Trout", available to all fisheries in the UK, and even export, particularly to Africa and India. They were incorporated in the 1920s; I passed one of their delivery trucks on the motorway just the other day.




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