A Hardy Anomaly

One of the rare Hardy's reels is the St George Salmon, a fly reel which measured 4" 1/4 in diameter and was introduced in 1920. With a fixed check and twin handles and a regulating check mechanism, the reel owes its origins to the Silex.

This reel is a fixed check, custom made fly reel, modelled on the Silex No 2, measuring 4" 1/4 with a single handle. No casting trigger is present and it has a rim mounted tension adjuster. This reel has the identical measurements to the St George Salmon.

My view, is that the reel below, a one off special order, is perhaps the work in progress forming the background to the St George Salmon. This example is a unique example and the engraving of the reel foot, dating this example to 1916, bears the initial JJH (John James Hardy).