Often when rediscovering vintage or antique tackle it strikes me that we have seen much of this before.
Illustrated here is one of me ole matey Chris Sandford’s favourite collections of what initially appears to be a field surgeon’s instrument kit.
Well it kind of is, as most of these implements dating c.1900 to 1950’s are used in the pursuit and capture of the poor old pike.
Many of the hook removers, scissors, ratchet jaw openers and disgorgers have Patent applications and are easy to research. Alfred Jardine, Allcock’s, Hardy and others all played their part in assisting the angler, most of whom were probably terrified of a pike when removing a hook or two.
Remember barbless is a recent choice for many anglers but going back 100 years, barbs were very much in favour as some people still fished for the table.
So you can imagine the appeal when staring down the toothy gob of a huge pike, like the 30lb fish here, what a relief it was to have the right tools (ish).
Some of these gadgets can be just a few ££, some can run into four figure sums, like the Jardine screw or ratchet Pike gags.
Gadget collecting really came to the fore approx. 30 years ago with many high profile collectors chasing rare bits at auctions and swap meets and so the prices escalated.
Today it only takes a rare accessory to come up for sale and there are plenty of buyers globally.
The internet has made the acquisition easier, you don’t even have to leave your chair, but hunting antique fairs and car boot sales can still pay off and is more fun.
