Hardy’s Salmon Flies: Patterns from the Fly Tying Department 1883-1969

Introduction

1,000 salmon fly dressings, all of which are associated with the Hardys fly shop between 1883 and 1969. They include many which are taken from the fly shop pattern box and notebooks kept by the salmon fly dressers, and some of these may not be recorded elsewhere. There are more than 800 colour illustrations of salmon flies, many of which are the product of the fly shop, some of which are patterns given to Hardys to copy, and some of which are originals from the hands of Kelson and Pryce-Tannatt, as well as more recent fly dressers including Megan Boyd. As might be expected, given the large number of countries in which Hardys had agents and customers, there are dressings for England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the USA, Iceland, and Norway, and many of the flies are associated with particular rivers, such as the Spey, Tay, Helmsdale, Wye, Usk, Hampshire Avon, and others. There are also some colour illustrations of sample materials intended for particular flies, reproductions of plates from catalogues, and a comprehensive list of all the salmon flies listed in catalogues from 1883 until 1969..

An indispensable guide to anyone interested in period salmon flies and fly-tying. Profusely illustrated with over 800 colour photographs of salmon flies, and documenting over 1000 dressings, this gives a comprehensive view of the great variety of patterns and styles produced in the Hardy’s fly tying department over almost 100 years. Full Color, 8.9×11.3 inches, 630 pgs.