It's been a while since I profiled a new tackle web site, so over the next couple of months I'll make a point to review some of the cool new places on the web featuring fishing history and tackle.
Today we look at a great British site called Feathers, Flies & Phantoms, run by Scotsman Colin Innes. It features the history of Scottish tackle and makers with an emphasis on the Aberdeenshire river region.
This is a wonderfully detailed and fascinating archive of information much of which I imagine has not appeared in public before. It includes a terrific list of makers/manufacturers/resellers, all of which have historical write ups and photos of ads, tackle, etc.
Take for example William Blacklaws of the village of Kincardine O'Neill, a Victorian rodmaker and fly tier. Innes not only reprints an awesomely detailed history of Blacklaws from The Fishing Gazette of August 1889, he reproduces photos of a selection of distinctive salmon rods made by Blacklaws as well as the only known Blacklaws salmon reel.
While most Americans have likely heard only of William Brown and Charles Playfair, there are dozens of other makers that Innes fleshes out in the region in as much detail as possible. Many of these sections contain illustrations, catalog pages, photos, and detailed histories.
This is clearly a labor of love and an incredible resource for anyone interested in Scottish salmon fishing or British fishing tackle. It's one of the finest web sites of its kind in the world.
You can reach the Feathers, Flies & Phantoms web site by Clicking Here. But only if you have plenty of spare time!
-- Dr. Todd
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