OT: Pretty fly...as in fly reel help

[William]

We purchased a new place and are going through our things again in an attempt to downsize even further. I unpacked these and honestly I don't know anything about them other then it's a fly reel and some flies. I've done enough duckduckgo-fu to know it's a decent reel, but the flies, no idea. The reel obviously has some wear but the action is silky smooth

I know there are some fly fishing forum friends here, any ideas on the reel or the flies/flys?



Thanks,
W.

[msl819]

I cannot give you specifics on the reel but it appears to be made by Hardy which is a high quality, sought after reel manufacturer. It certainly looks old and well used but that is relative. The flies appear to be trout or salmon flies. Again, they look old. By modern standards the reel and flies are not the “best tool for the job” but they are certainly cool! And I am sure they would still catch fish. Any old rods to go with them?

[HenryA]

The reel is a Hardy St. George. They were well thought of back in the day. I think they ended in the 80s. Somewhat collectible, though yours is pretty rough. It could probably be cleaned up, lubed and fished.

The flies are mostly New England style streamers and largely out of fashion now-a-days. I don’t get the feeling they are valuable. Vintage flies need some provenance to have value - as in tied by by famous person or owned by such.

You could make a nice shadow box display with that stuff.

[saf-t]

The reel is old, but perfectly usable, as are the flies. They'll catch fish, which is all you need.