The History of Fish Hook Making in Kendal and the Birth of Modern Fishing Tackle

For centuries anglers all throughout the world have relied upon fish hook designs that stem from one small English town: Kendal.

Long before modern manufacturing revolutionized the fishing industry, Kendal became one of the most prominent hubs for hook making and gear creation. The town has played a huge part in how fishing equipment is constructed today, from the 1700s when the town was making handmade hooks to the 1800s when it became a worldwide player in the manufacturing of fishing tackle.

Many anglers may not be aware, but some of the hook types still in use throughout freshwater, ocean, fly and predator fishing were either developed or perfected in Kendal generations ago.

The town's influence stretched well beyond local lakes and rivers. The Kendal hook producers are credited for standardising hook patterns and improving durability and becoming some of the first fully integrated fishing equipment enterprises in history.

The history of the Kendal hook lives on today, with modern manufacturers still producing patterns based on the original designs from the area.

Why Kendal Became a Fishing Tackle Powerhouse

Kendal had an important part to play in its growth in the fishing trade.

Its location was adjacent to the lakes and rivers of the English Lake District, and gave access to a great variety of species of fish, such as:

• Trout
• Salmon
• Pike
• Perch
• Char

Local anglers were now fishing different species in different waters, increasing the need for more specialized hooks and tackle.

Hooks were still mostly handmade and there was a lot of non-uniformity back then. They were of different sizes, and different curves, and the strength of the hooks varied enormously from maker to maker.

Kendal craftsmen sought to overcome these deficiencies by perfecting forms, improving metals and designing more dependable hooks. Over the years the hamlet became recognized for hooks fishers could count on.

That fame would go well beyond the borders of the United Kingdom.

Fishing Hooks Before Kendal's Rise

The fishing gear industry was not standardized before Kendal made its name as a hook maker.

Many fishermen manufactured their own hooks, or bought them from small local blacksmiths. Consequently:

• Hook sizes were not uniform
• The designs differed from maker to maker
• Performance was unpredictable

Charles Kirby made an important early breakthrough in the mid-1600s. His "Kirby bend" was one of the first distinctive hook patterns and gained him widespread acclaim among anglers.

Kendal, meanwhile, was the guy who helped to bring hook making from a scattered craft to a more finished and dependable industry.

The Beginning of Kendal Hook Manufacturing

One of the earliest fish hook manufacturing firms was set up in Kendal by Thomas Adlington around 1745.

This was the beginning of the town's metamorphosis into a tackle-making mecca.

Adlington's hooks immediately developed a reputation for:

• Power
• Accuracy
• Consistency

Unlike many of the smaller companies of the time the business remained in the Adlington family for centuries. This enabled techniques and designs to develop and improve over decades.

That long-term craftsmanship was to become one of the defining qualities of the hooks created in Kendal.

Adlington & Hutchinson and the Expansion of Kendal Tackle

Thomas Adlington passed away in 1829 and the firm ultimately became Adlington & Hutchinson when George Adlington joined forces with Philip Hutchinson in 1834.

This relationship helped to make Kendal one of the world's most acknowledged centres for hook making.

What made the company exceptionally significant was that it did more than just manufacture hooks.

By the 1830s the business was producing a wide variety of fishing equipment including:

• Fishing rods, multi-piece
• Artificial flies
• Reels
• Gutlines
• Landing net
• Fishing gear
• Multiple species hooks

It was a giant stride forward for the fishing business.

Kendal firms did not just concentrate on one product, but pioneered the idea of a comprehensive fishing gear brand – something which is now commonplace in the world of fishing.

The Famous Kendal Hook

The "Kendal hook" was known the world over in the 1800s for quality and reliability.

Kendal-made hooks were sought after by anglers, and the town acquired a strong association with the manufacture of high quality tackle.

Indeed, Kendal had even created its own hook sizing scale:

• No. 00 was the tiniest hook
• The biggest was No. 20

This reverse numbering method was unique, and set Kendal items even farther apart from competitors.

But more significantly the design and balance of Kendal hooks were a huge impact on what modern fish hooks look like today.

Many modern patterns retain the technical ideas first mastered in Kendal workshops, from hook curvature to position of point.

Major Innovations That Changed Hook Design

Kendal hook makers weren't just making tackle, they were making it better.

The Sproat Bend (1865)

The Sproat bend was introduced in 1865 and gave increased strength and holding power, as well as better hook penetration.

The design was subsequently highly praised by reputable fishing authors, and led to innumerable future hook patterns.

The Pennell Hook (1870)

In 1870 Hutchinson & Son released a hook-pattern by Cholmondeley-Pennell.

The hook incorporated successful characteristics of prior designs into a more effective and versatile pattern.

This partnership of fishers and manufacturers demonstrated how Kendal firms constantly strove to enhance performance.

The Eyed Dry Fly Hook (1879)

Kendal's most notable contribution was the development of the eyed dry fly hook in 1879.

Prior to this discovery, flies were tethered to gut material.

The addition of an eye allowed to:

• Flies adhere better
• Greater flexibility
• Make fly-in fly-out easy
• Increase overall fishing efficacy

This principle is still the base of modern fly fishing even now.

Kendal's Influence Beyond Hooks

Kendal's influence was felt in almost every aspect of the fishing tackle industry.

Fishing Rod Development

As far back as the 1800s Kendal producers were producing:

• Travel rods
• Screw fit rods
• Multi-piece rod systems

These early portable rod designs helped shape the creation of modern tiny, travel-friendly fishing rods.

Artificial Flies and Regional Patterns

Kendal manufacturers also got noted for making customized flies for particular lakes and species.

These were:

• North Country flies
• Windermere's patterns
• Sea-Trout Flies

They have a good understanding of local fishing circumstances and fish behavior in their designs.

The Quill Minnow

It was one of the first successful artificial spinning lures, the Quill Minnow, invented in 1873 by James Garnett of Kendal.

The lure demonstrated that artificial bait could successfully compete with natural bait – a concept that helped lay the foundation of modern lure fishing techniques.

The Decline of Kendal Hook Making

The hook-making industry in Kendal was hugely successful in the 1800s, but the early 1900s saw rising problems.

In other countries, mass industrial production made it faster and cheaper to produce, and standardized hook sizing eliminated the uniqueness of Kendal-made items.

The local industry was in slow decline as a result of competition from bigger manufacturing centres such as Redditch.

By the 1920s Kendal's supremacy was beginning to decline.

In 1934 the company was finally shuttered by Charles Hutchinson bringing to an end nearly two centuries of Kendal hook manufacture.

The Kendal Hook Still Exists Today

Eventually the original factory closed but the Kendal hook design never disappeared.

Modern companies such as Mustad offer hooks based on historic Kendal patterns.

So the Kendal influence on craftsmanship lives on in the present fishing-tackle shops around the world.

Today many of the hook designs used for trout, salmon, coarse fishing and predator fishing are still based on the original engineering concepts created in Kendal centuries ago.

Kendal's Lasting Legacy in Modern Fishing

Kendal's history in fishing is far more than just one product.

The town helped shape:

• Contemporary fish hook design
• Early manufacture of fishing rods
• Branding for Complete Tackle
• Rod systems, portable
• Standardization of hooks
• Innovative tackle for performance

For years Kendal provided the benchmark of quality and reliability in the fishing industry.

Its legacy is evident every time an angler ties on a hook, pieces together a travel rod or makes use of modern tackle built around concepts first created in this old English town.

From Kendal to Modern Travel Fishing

The concept of portable, multi-piece rods first seen in Kendal during the 1800s remains central to modern fishing.

Today Rigged and Ready, the travel fishing rod specialists, based in Kendal, continues that same philosophy through innovations including:

• Super-compact, multi-functional rods
• X Series Travel Rods designed for spin and fly fishing
• Smuggler Series rods built for travelling anglers
• Predator Series rods designed for versatility across species

The goal remains exactly the same as it was in Kendal generations ago:

Go Anywhere and Fish Everywhere

Final Thoughts

Kendal's narrative is one of creativity, craftsmanship and lasting influence.

From its beginnings in the mid-1700s until its rise in the 1800s, the town helped to make the making of fishing gear a more reliable, sophisticated and performance-driven enterprise.

Most importantly, the legacy never truly disappeared.