Fishing Reel and Leather Case

The Refords bought most of their fishing gear from a handful of suppliers in Scotland and England. Buying directly from manufacturers or from retailers in Montreal, their fishing gear was top of the line and often stamped with their initials or embossed with their names.

Forrest and Sons made this reel and leather box for Elsie Reford in 1923. Based in Kelso, Scotland, Forrest catered to the fishermen who frequented the rivers of Scotland but also supplied the fisherman for whom the rivers of the Gaspé were their favourite haunt.

Frequent visitors to London, Elsie and Robert W. Reford would also buy their gear from Hardy Brothers on Pall Mall. Hardy Brothers were then (and still are) among the leading purveyors of specialized equipment for salmon fishing. Manufactured in England in Alnwick, Northumberland, Hardy has been making high quality rods and reels since the 1870s. Their vintage equipment is highly sought after by collectors. They created their own museum where visitors can examine the many items created for generations of fishermen around the world.