The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Good evening Gents.
Just a short post.
As we do occasionally send a float sailing into a tree and being as were are consider anglers, we do our level best to retrieve it along with the line.
I have a weed cutting blade that screws into my landing net pole, that I have used on the rear Occasion with great effect.
I was looking at a blog I follow, have done for the last 10 years and enjoyed the very interesting post.
Bellow he's a photograph of a Victorian tackle retriever, many of you would've seen them, but I thought for those who haven't you might find interesting.
JW Sutter cutlers London.

Mr B

https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/09/05 ... d-cutlers/

I had one of those but the plastic bit broke, so I 'fixed it'.

I admit I prefer that Victorian one!

JAA wrote: ↑Thu Sep 07, 2023 9:55 pm I had one of those but the plastic bit broke, so I 'fixed it'.

I admit I prefer that Victorian one!

I have one similar to your one... no plastic but dreadfully soft blade... bent the first time I used it! I wish my old man was around... he worked with iron all his life, he would have made me one, would have been a peace of cake for him.
Like you said... the Victorian one looks great!
I know there would be some of out TFF craftsman who could knock a tackle retriever up for sure.

Mr B

Mr B wrote: ↑Thu Sep 07, 2023 8:29 pm Good evening Gents.
Just a short post.
As we do occasionally send a float sailing into a tree and being as were are consider anglers, we do our level best to retrieve it along with the line.
I have a weed cutting blade that screws into my landing net pole, that I have used on the rear Occasion with great effect.
I was looking at a blog I follow, have done for the last 10 years and enjoyed the very interesting post.
Bellow he's a photograph of a Victorian tackle retriever, many of you would've seen them, but I thought for those who haven't you might find interesting.
JW Sutter cutlers London.

Mr B

https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/09/05 ... d-cutlers/

Here's one from my collection of similar vintage. I believe it was sold by Allcocks:


The oldest tackle retriever I have in my collection is this brass 'clearing ring'. The illustration it is photographed on is from T. F. Salter's Angler's Guide (1815).


(It is one of my most prized posessions - there is no other tackle I would ever dare use it to recover!).

John Milford wrote: ↑Fri Sep 08, 2023 12:08 am

Mr B wrote: ↑Thu Sep 07, 2023 8:29 pm Good evening Gents.
Just a short post.
As we do occasionally send a float sailing into a tree and being as were are consider anglers, we do our level best to retrieve it along with the line.
I have a weed cutting blade that screws into my landing net pole, that I have used on the rear Occasion with great effect.
I was looking at a blog I follow, have done for the last 10 years and enjoyed the very interesting post.
Bellow he's a photograph of a Victorian tackle retriever, many of you would've seen them, but I thought for those who haven't you might find interesting.
JW Sutter cutlers London.

Mr B

https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/09/05 ... d-cutlers/

Here's one from my collection of similar vintage. I believe it was sold by Allcocks:


Screenshot_20230907-234848_Photos~2.jpg


The oldest tackle retriever I have in my collection is this brass 'clearing ring'. The illustration it is photographed on is from T. F. Salter's Angler's Guide (1815).


Screenshot_20230907-235026_Photos~2.jpg


(It is one of my most prized posessions - there is no other tackle I would ever dare use it to recover!).

Thats fantastic John,
A far cry from whats on the market now!
The tackle retriever looks really good.. all sorts of angles of retrieve.
In the clearing ring, very interesting how would that be used?
Is it made by the same Salters who make the scales?
Yes, not something tou would want to loose!
Thanks John.

Salter's Angler's Guide does sound like a tackle guide John, but he's an old angling author. The full title of his book is:

The Angler's Guide Being A Complete Practical Treatise on Angling: Containing the Whole Art of Trolling, Bottom and Float Fishing, Fly-Fishing, and Trimmer-Angling, for Sea, River and Pond Fish, Founded on Forty Years' Practice and Observation.

(A bit of a mouthful!! ).

Clearing rings were attached to a stout cord wound onto a thumb reel. If the tackle snagged the ring would be placed on the main line and allowed to slide down to the snag, whereupon it was jiggled on the end of it's cord to hopefully free the tackle (or at least minimise any loss).

Bearing in mind they originated in the days of relatively short horsehair lines, gut casts and fine gut hooklinks - all of which were very precious to the angler, 'pulling for a break', like we do, would have been unthinkable.

I often think the meticulous care of tackle in those days - the thorough drying out of everything after every use, re-dressing, etc., etc., must have required a level of dedicated patience and care we would find utterly intolerable in our modern world!

Mr B wrote: ↑Thu Sep 07, 2023 10:50 pm

JAA wrote: ↑Thu Sep 07, 2023 9:55 pm I had one of those but the plastic bit broke, so I 'fixed it'.
I admit I prefer that Victorian one!

I have one similar to your one... no plastic but dreadfully soft blade... bent the first time I used it! I wish my old man was around... he worked with iron all his life, he would have made me one, would have been a peace of cake for him.
Like you said... the Victorian one looks great!
I know there would be some of out TFF craftsman who could knock a tackle retriever up for sure.

Mr B

The blade is this one is really very good steel - I also have an old fashioned screw-in gaff head for hooking branches down

JAA wrote: ↑Sat Sep 09, 2023 7:59 am

Mr B wrote: ↑Thu Sep 07, 2023 10:50 pm

JAA wrote: ↑Thu Sep 07, 2023 9:55 pm I had one of those but the plastic bit broke, so I 'fixed it'.
I admit I prefer that Victorian one!

I have one similar to your one... no plastic but dreadfully soft blade... bent the first time I used it! I wish my old man was around... he worked with iron all his life, he would have made me one, would have been a peace of cake for him.
Like you said... the Victorian one looks great!
I know there would be some of out TFF craftsman who could knock a tackle retriever up for sure.

Mr B

The blade is this one is really very good steel - I also have an old fashioned screw-in gaff head for hooking branches down

Yes, when I took a second look at your one I could see it was home spun.. the blade did look good and I could see the welding.
I was thinking of doing something similar.
Thanks for posting mate.

Mark, I have a similar shaped blade, probably made in Sheffield before the WW2, I have had it since I was 5 years old, it’s still going strong, I first used it for bringing down a high blackberry branch that had more berries than the lower branches. It’s also proved excellent for trimming a few branches or reeds. I will have it with me when we fish in October.

Here’s mine.
Late Elizabethan
The red bit goes into a rod eye to hook it over the branch