Hardy

Established in Alnwick, Northumberland in 1872, by brothers William and John James Hardy, the company was originally a gunsmith, but began selling fishing tackle in 1874.

The company was granted it’s first patent in 1880, and has never looked back – innovation is still at the forefront of what they do.

The company became Hardy & Greys Ltd in 2004 – the change of name reflecting the acquisition of fellow fishing tackle brand Greys, later followed by the acquisition of Chub.

Hardy & Greys became part of Pure Fishing in 2013.

Even though Hardys are no longer a family business, the company continues to value its tradition as well as its founders’ endless quest for improvement. In the past decade or so, Hardys has paid homage to its history with several lines of reels designed specifically for the collectors’ market – these ranges have tended to sell out very quickly and have provided many anglers with a second chance to own reels which would otherwise be far outside their price range.

However, collecting is not what Hardy is about and at the time of writing, the firm remains at the cutting edge of tackle development, with its new range of SINTRIX rods setting a challenge that its competitors will find hard to match. Long may Hardys remain a contender, and yes, you can still buy a Perfect reel. Nothing succeeds quite so much as getting a thing right the first time around.