Vintage LHW Hardy reels

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60InchDV8
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Vintage LHW Hardy reels

#1

Post by 60InchDV8 »

Let’s share photos of our vintage Hardy LHW reels.

They are very rare because traditional wet fly angling for salmon and trout favoured RHW reels. Swinging a wet fly with the current involved holding the rod and reel against the anglers waist or hip, to balance the 10 to 20 foot greenheart or bamboo single or double hand salmon or spey rods and their heavier reels that could weigh up to a pound. The wet fly was fished on the reel meaning when a trout or salmon took the fly, the hook set was facilitated when it played line off the reel. The line belly tightened as the rod tip continued to lead the fly towards the shoreline. This slow increasing tension on the line, allowed the hook to rotate and set in the scissor, or the corner of the jaw, obtaining a secure hook set. A RHW reel’s reversing spinning handle was better suited to this greased line style of fishing as by facing upstream, it avoided getting snagged in the anglers jacket. This prevented a poor hook set and the fish becoming unbuttoned during the fight.

The advent of dry fly fishing made LHW trout and salmon reels more popular. An angler had to arrange a special order to obtain a LH reel which incurred an additional cost. This expense also contributed to the lower number of purchases of these hand made reels.

Pictured here are an 1887 Hardy Brass and Ebonite 4 inch Salmon reel, a 1905 check LHW reverse ‘Rings Up’ 4 inch Salmon Perfect, and a 1912 check 2 3/4 inch Perfect with an agate line guard.
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