Hardy Rods - Story of Hardy Bros Tackle Makers

The House of Hardy has been known as one of the worlds many tackle makers for over a century. Potential and excellence are their trade mark. They are recognised anywhere as one of the worlds many makers of fine Fishing tackle.

William Hardy and his brother John James formed the Hardy Bros partnership in 1873. Initially they dealt in high Potential firearms but soon changed direction. They both loved to fish and their passion became their business. Thus was started the sublime line of Hardy rods and reels.

Penn Reel

The early rods were made from greenheart, lancewood and hickory. In 1880 bamboo was added and soon the business invented split bamboo rods. These were made by splitting bamboo canes into six segments and gluing the tapered segments to form a hexagonal rod. The Hardy Palakona split cane rod won them a gold medal in an 1881 exhibition.

Since then many kinds and models of split cane rod have been made by Hardy. They vary from the lightest of trout fly rods,through huge old salmon fly rods of eighteen feet in length. Even larger are rods made to cope the Mahseer. This huge and powerful game fish was caught in rivers in India where many Englishmen dwelt in the heyday of the British Empire.

In 1891 Hardy introduced their model perfect fly reel and patented it's design. This very fine fly reel has prolonged in production with minor alterations up to up-to-date times. A favorite of both anglers and collectors the model perfect reel is perhaps their best known product. This perfect reel was made in all sizes from small trout reels to large sizes for salmon Fishing.

Hardy Bros invented many improvements in fishing tackle design. For salmon and trout rods they produced spiral lock joints which prevented a rod from loosening and advent apart. Stud lock joints and split end joints were also a Hardy Bros invention. Screw grip and W fittings for rod handles and bridge rings to allow freer line movement were other developments.

Hardy Bros were the first to make ball bearing reels. They were the first to feature a check mechanism housed inside the reel arbor. In 1911 they introduced the first large arbor reel. Hardy Bros were a true innovator in the field of top Potential fishing tackle.

The Hardy Bros partnership became a tiny business in 1911 and in 1928 it became a publicly owned company. During world war two fishing tackle production had to take second place to munitions manufacturing. Immediately after the war Hardy Bros prolonged to enlarge its fabricate of fine fishing tackle.

Hardy Bros has won more than its share of awards for excellence over the years. A Hardy reel won the first American Kudos Award For fabricate Excellence. In 1984 House of Hardy won five Japanese market fabricate awards--the first non Japanese business to attain such an honor.

The House Of Hardy continues at the gift time to fabricate the very best of fishing rods,reels and tackle. Their name continues to inspire anglers all over the world to own a Hardy product. Nothing else can quite compare.

Hardy Rods - Story of Hardy Bros Tackle Makers