The Impregnated cane rods are all hand built by the craftsman of Farlow Sharpes in Aberdeen, Scotland. Harold Sharpe, MD of Farlow’s acquired the original J S Sharpes Fishing Tackle Ltd business in 1960. Impregnation is simply a process that fills the tube-like fibres of cane and the minute gaps between those fibres with a […]
01
Jun
Jun
Yes, one of the few fishing lines the ordinary man could make himself. Assuming you have access to a horse you could be on your way to a cheap line with some effort, well, a lot of effort. Way back in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s it wasn’t as easy to nip to a […]
31
May
May
My pick of the week has to be a set of 3 Farlow pocket catalogues from 1889-1899 that have just come into stock via Richard. These little gems have provided great reading with some fascinating information. They can give the correct title or name to a particular item and or its production dates. Take the […]
22
May
May
There has historically been a professional rivalry between Farlow and Hardy. Retailing a stone’s throw away from each other in London the competition for product sales must have been at times intense. I have just been browsing through one of our many Farlow catalogues, the 1840-1940 Centenary Edition. It struck me that the brand name […]
Hardy, Reels, Thomas Turner blog
Hardy Bougle MK V 3″ Lightweight Centenary Limited Edition reel No 000
21
May
May
I keep saying it, just when you think you’ve seen it all, up pops this one in another collection we bought this week. A unique, one-off reel, this factory gold finish would not normally have been offered for sale, being part of the Hardy Archives. This number 000 would have been from the first production […]
20
May
May
Safely selling and buying worldwide, we have bought in two high quality collections this week. A smatter of Hardy Smuggler rods all as new in Hardy block leather tubes are just the ticket for a gift to someone or yourself. A range of sizes and casting weights plus rare Smuggler spin rods are included too. […]
20
May
May
I’m constantly being asked, what was it like 20/30 years ago in the vintage tackle trade? Well, same medicine but different bottle. The internet was in its infancy then and had minimal effect on how the tackle antique tackle trade operated. Ebay was created by Pierre Omidyar in the fall of 1995 and now is […]
20
May
May
A quick reference guide for the Parabolic series of rods available in the 1960’s. This may be of use to collectors and users alike. World renowned hotelier and angler Charles Ritz designed his set of rods tested by Pierre Creusevant and other leading anglers of the day. The first production rod came out of the […]
16
May
May
Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s the lockdown but a plan was hatched by my daughter Louise. How difficult could it possibly be to cast a 9” gel body tuna fly on a 20” rod using a broken vintage DAM reel into the open mouth of a cast brass 3” fish? A few casts in […]
14
May
May
One location has a special place in my fisherman’s heart. Marathon Key, midway down the Florida Keys on the edge on the Seven Mile Bridge is it. A working Key with no frills, great people, fishing, seafood, beer n ribs in Tiki huts, what’s not to like. For 10 years or so whilst travelling the […]