Hartley Fly have selected renowned specialist suppliers who are the award winning leaders in their field.

Fulling Mill – please see Fulling Mill section

Richard Wheatley

'Makers of Fishing tackle sundries since 1860 - our heritage is your guarantee'.

Richard Wheatley is a traditional British manufacturer of an extensive range of fly boxes, tackle boxes and fly fishing accessories.

The traditional handcrafted aluminium range includes Dry Fly Compartment Boxes, Easy Grip Foam Fly Boxes, Flat, Slotted and Ripple Foam Fly Boxes, Dry Fly/Nymph Fly Boxes, Clip Fly Boxes, Tube Fly Boxes and a range of coloured empty boxes into which a choice of inserts can be fitted to suit your various fishing flies.

The Malvern Fly Box range are produced from quality ABS plastic and include popular interiors, choice of compartments – Easy Grip, Flat or Ripple Foam and Clips.

The Comp Lite range of fly boxes are made of tough, lightweight polypropylene with a choice of Easy Slot or Easy Grip foams. There is also a selection of handmade quality hardwood Fly and Tackle boxes.

The aluminium and hardwood ranges can all be personalised for that special touch.

Over a century ago Richard Wheatley set a standard of craftsmanship, which has been maintained with pride by his sons and grandsons. Today the 'Wheatley Box' is known and prized by fly fishermen throughout the world, tested and proved by their fathers and grandfathers.

Richard Wheatley, founder of the company was born in 1827. At the age of 13 he went to work for a maker of pearl buttons. In 1844 he was apprenticed to a maker of pocket books and fly books where he served a four year apprenticeship after which he started his own business. During the early days, a fishing pocket book was considered a fisherman's basic accessory. Normally they were made in leather with numerous pockets and parchment dividers.

In the 1880's the first fly clip was developed by Wheatleys to hold eye flies.

Around 1900 aluminium was introduced on a commercial scale and Wheatleys were among the first English manufacturers to use this new material. A special satin finish was developed, which is still used today, to distinguish the Wheatley Fly Box. Some improvements have been made over the years – compartments, spring latches, etc but they are in essence the same.

Although the Wheatley factory has moved with the times and modernised in many aspects, most parts of the manufacturing process are carried out in the same way as they were many years ago. All the interior fittings are assembled by hand, since there is no way to automate this sort of precision.

Quality cases for your quality fishing flies…

Fishing Hook Suppliers:

VMC

VMC is a French hook manufacturer and a world leader with 100 years experience in hook making.
Today, VMC hooks are distributed in over 70 countries to anglers and the world's most popular fishing lure brands. VMC is the creator of exclusive innovations in hook design and manufacturing technology.

Technical Expertise
Automatic Mechanical Forming
to create the hook's shape, point, barb…
using world-exclusive automatic machines, designedand built in-house by VMC's engineers and technicians

Heat Treatment
to ensure the hook's optimal mechanical resistance
hardening
tempering

Finishing
to ensure the hook's performance and anti-corrosive properties
Chemical sharpening
Coating (varnish or electroplating)

Partridge

Partridge of Redditch has been an innovator and technology leader in the manufacturer of fishing hooks since the late 1800's.

During the 1980's and 90's Alan Bramley spent much of his time working with the bright young talent of the day to create some of the most advanced hook patterns that the industry has ever seen and many of them, both patterns and fly fishermen are still around giving pleasure and sharing their passion to today's dynamic talent. Materials have moved on in leaps and bounds and hook patterns too have evolved but the art of fly tying remains one of the most rewarding past-times around.

History As the name implies, Partridge of Redditch is based in Mount Pleasant, Redditch, in central England. Both the town and the district have been renowned for its specialized metal work throughout many generations, needle making and hook making in particular. It is not easy to establish when this started, but according to one likely theory it started with the existence of a large monastery at Redditch. The monks were reputed to have been skilled artisans, and when Henry VIII dissolved the brotherhood the monks were taken in by leading Catholic families in the area, who obviously put their skills to use. From there processing of steel and specialised metal work were developed and refined.

In the early days needle making and hook making went hand in hand; the techniques developed for making needles could be applied in making hooks as well. Steel wire was drawn in Birmingham and then sent out to needle and hook producers in adjacent towns such as Studley, Alcester, Henley-in Arden and Redditch. In the middle of the nineteenth century Redditch seemed to establish itself as the main hook-producing centre. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the transition from pure handwork to industrial production made Redditch famous for excellent fish hooks throughout the world. In this period they actually dominated the world market.

The early history of Partridge is somewhat obscure. We know that it was started on the basis of existing hook manufacturing shortly after the turn of this century, but no one knows the exact year any longer. What we do know, however, is that it has been the only British sport hook manufacturer who has been able to survive and create a name for itself in the twentieth century. Partridge of Redditch bears its name from the founder Albert Partridge. He left the firm to his son Ted, who sold it to Alan Bramley in 1970 when none of his children were interested in taking over the company.

Alan Bramley further developed the company, and in the 1970s he extended the production to include exclusive split cane rods as well as continuing to develop and improve hook production. Thanks to him Partridge of Redditch has become an internationally acclaimed fish hook brand.

The last phase of the history of Partridge of Redditch was initiated in 1996. Then the Norwegian hook manufacturer O. Mustad & Son bought Partridge of Redditch from Alan Bramley. As far as Mustad is concerned, one might say that the circle had been closed. When O. Mustad & Son started their production of fish hooks in the 1870s, they soon realised that the hooks coming out of their machines were not fit to fish with. They were too soft and rusted after a day in water. The founder, Hans Mustad, then summoned specialists from Redditch, England, to help him solve the problems. They were specialists in tempering, design and fly-tying. Partly thanks to Redditch expertise, Mustad is today the leading manufacturer of fish hooks in the world.

Mustad clearly realises and appreciates the traditions and quality of the Partridge-of-Redditch brand and Partridge will continue to have its own dealers and distribution, and will continue to market Partridge of Redditch products separately from the Mustad hooks.

Partridge now has many customers who are enchanted by the magic of their Finest Handmade Fish Hooks.

Kamasan

Kamasan hooks are a very popular variety of hooks made in Japan. They are extremely strong and are made in a variety of shapes that are perfect for the fly tier. Each hook is made of the finest high carbon steel and chemically etched to create a sharp needle point. Kamasan hooks are then given a double bronzed finish. This finish helps to prevent the hook from rusting, if packed into a fly box when wet.