The Harrison’s No. 2989 “Celebrated O’Shaughnessy” is a rare and historically significant blind-eye salmon and wet fly hook from the golden age of Redditch, England hook making — estimated to date from the 1920s to 1940s. Forged from heavy-gauge steel and finished to a tapered shank for silkworm gut snelling, this hook combines two defining characteristics of pre-war British angling: the powerful O’Shaughnessy bend — a design originating with the hook makers of Limerick, Ireland — and a forged, blind-eye construction used by tyers of classic Atlantic salmon flies, winged wet flies, and traditional patterns demanding both strength and a streamlined gut-to-hook connection. Made in England and marked “Reg. U.S. Pat. Off,” the 2989 reflects the era when Redditch manufacturers dominated the global fishing tackle trade. Whether you’re a collector of vintage fly tying tackle, a historian of Redditch hook making, or a traditional tyer sourcing period-correct hardware for framing classic salmon flies, this reference page covers the identification, technical specifications, historical context, modern equivalents, and collectability of this scarce Harrison’s hook.

Made in England | Celebrated O’Shaughnessy Dublin | Limerick Hooks | Forged Tapered

Harrisons 2989 Point
Harrisons 2989 Hook
Harrisons 2989 Box

Harrison’s 2989 – Additional Info

1. Identification

Brand: Harrison’s — attributed to Harrison & Bartleet of Redditch, England. The firm was formed in the 1870s when Richard Harrison of Redditch entered into partnership with Arthur Greame Bartleet of the prominent W. Bartleet needle-making family. The name “Harrison’s” on the label reflects the firm’s commercial brand identity, while “Harrison & Bartleet” was the formal company name.
Model/Code: No. 2989 — “Celebrated O’Shaughnessy, Dublin.”
Size: Unspecified on the surviving label (no distinct numeral legible). Based on box dimensions and the hook’s physical profile, these appear to be medium-to-large salmon or heavy wet fly sizes.
Estimated Era: 1920s–1940s. The typography, “Made in England” mark, “Reg. U.S. Pat. Off” designation, and blind-eye (tapered shank) construction collectively date this hook to the transitional period when gut-snelled flies were being phased out in favor of eyed hooks for most applications, but remained strongly preferred by salmon fly tyers and traditional wet fly anglers.

2. Technical Specifications

Eye: Blind / Tapered Shank. The shank terminates in a fine mechanical taper rather than a formed wire loop, designed for direct whipping of silkworm gut. The box notation “NO EYE” (handwritten in marker) suggests the box was sold at a later date — likely when eyed hooks had become the overwhelming standard — and the seller marked the box to alert buyers of the period-correct but unusual construction.
Wire: Heavy gauge, forged. The “Forged” designation means the wire has been mechanically compressed (flatted) along the plane of the bend and shank, significantly increasing lateral strength and resistance to bending open under load. This was standard for salmon hooks, which had to withstand the sustained pressure of a large, running fish.
Bend: O’Shaughnessy. This is the defining geometric feature of the hook. The O’Shaughnessy bend is a strong, relatively round curve with a longer throat (distance from the point of the bend to the tip) and a straighter, more aggressive point angle than the Limerick bend. It should not be confused with the Limerick bend, which has a sharper angular transition and a different point geometry. The O’Shaughnessy and Limerick are distinct patterns that share only their Irish origins.
Finish: Bronzed. The “Dublin” designation in the product name refers to a style tradition in forged salmon hook making rather than a specific finish. Dublin-style hooks were commonly finished in either bronzed steel or black Japanned lacquer to resist corrosion; the lacquered variants were particularly traditional for salmon irons.
Point: Machine-ground needle point with a medium barb. Chemical sharpening was not developed until the 1980s and does not apply to hooks of this era.

3. Historical Context

The Harrison & Bartleet firm occupies an important chapter in the broader story of Redditch hook making. Redditch emerged as the world’s dominant center for needle and fish hook production during the second half of the 19th century, not because of fishing tradition, but because the town had already developed the wire-drawing, tempering, and pointing skills needed to make surgical and sewing needles at scale — and hooks require precisely the same technical foundation. By the mid-Victorian period, trade directories listed over 100 firms in the Redditch area engaged in some facet of needle and hook manufacturing.

Richard Harrison established his hook-making concern in Redditch between 1840 and 1865. In the mid-1870s, Arthur Greame Bartleet — youngest son of the Bartleet needle-making dynasty and heir to a connection with the well-established W. Bartleet & Sons firm — entered into partnership with Harrison, forming Harrison & Bartleet. The two families were neighbors on Prospect Hill in Redditch and were well acquainted before the business partnership formed.

It is worth clarifying the broader Redditch corporate history, which the original page describes inaccurately: W. Bartleet & Sons (the needle and hook manufacturer, related to but separate from Harrison & Bartleet) merged with H. Milward & Sons in 1903. Partridge of Redditch, meanwhile, traces its lineage to Albert Partridge working at Wm. Bartleet & Sons in 1901, and subsequently taking over the Crescent Works in 1930 and incorporating A.E. Partridge & Sons in 1933. S. Allcock & Co. is a separate Redditch firm altogether. The thread connecting Harrison & Bartleet directly to Partridge is indirect, running through the shared Bartleet family network and Redditch manufacturing culture rather than through any direct merger.

The O’Shaughnessy Bend — A Note on Origins: The O’Shaughnessy is not a Limerick bend, though both are Irish by heritage. The O’Shaughnessy hook was developed by Daniel O’Shaughnessy and his successors, master hook makers working in Limerick, Ireland from at least the early 19th century. By the time of Limerick historian Maurice Lenihan’s 1866 account, the O’Shaughnessy name was already celebrated as one of the finest hooks ever produced — “every fishing hook was said to be worth a salmon.” The shape was subsequently adopted and standardized by English Redditch manufacturers, becoming a staple for salmon and heavy wet fly work. The Redditch and Birmingham hook trade eventually supplanted the Irish workshops in volume, but retained the O’Shaughnessy name as a recognized pattern.

4. Usage & Equivalents

Primary Use:

Classic Atlantic Salmon Flies: The forged O’Shaughnessy with a blind tapered shank is a period-correct hook for tying full-dress Victorian and Edwardian salmon flies for display or framing.
Traditional Winged Wet Flies: The heavy wire and strong bend make this suitable for larger traditional wet fly patterns, particularly those fished on rivers for sea trout and salmon.
Gut-Snelled Presentations: Historically, tyers would whip a length of silkworm gut directly to the tapered shank with silk thread, creating a rigid, nearly invisible leader-to-hook connection for fishing.
Display and Framing: Due to the increasing rarity of blind-eye gut-snelled tackle, many examples of these hooks find their highest use as components of framed artistic flies rather than fishing tackle.

Modern Equivalents: There is no direct mass-produced equivalent for a blind-eye, forged O’Shaughnessy trout or salmon hook today. The closest alternatives by characteristic are:

Mustad 3406 / 3407 — Classic O’Shaughnessy Forged Hook: The correct modern Mustad hook with an O’Shaughnessy bend. These are eyed hooks in heavy forged wire. The Mustad 3399, by contrast, is a Sproat bend — an entirely different pattern — and is not an appropriate O’Shaughnessy equivalent.
Partridge CS10/1 — Blind Eye Single Salmon: One of the few remaining commercially produced blind-eye hooks designed for classic salmon fly tying, though in limited availability. Uses a Bartleet-style bend rather than O’Shaughnessy.
Alec Jackson Spey and Salmon Hooks (Daiichi): Well-established specialty production hooks designed for traditional Atlantic salmon and steelhead/spey patterns, available through mainstream fly fishing retailers. An eyed alternative for classic salmon fly dressers who work in the same tradition but use modern construction.
Partridge Bartleet (CS10/2, CS10/3): Traditional salmon irons in the Bartleet bend, blind-eye variants increasingly hard to source but historically the most direct British equivalent in spirit to the Harrison 2989.

5. Technical Description

A vintage blind-eye salmon and wet fly hook in bronzed or lacquered high-carbon steel. The shank terminates in a smooth mechanical taper, not threaded or grooved, suited to a close-wound silk whipping over silkworm gut. The O’Shaughnessy bend is formed with a relatively smooth, powerful curve — heavier in cross section than a typical trout wet fly hook of the same era, with a longer throat than a Limerick, and a medium-to-long point with a machined or ground needle tip. The forging process compresses the wire at the bend plane, resisting lateral deformation under sustained load — an important characteristic for a salmon hook that must hold a multi-pound fish across a long fight. The medium barb is a standard cut type. Wire gauge is heavy by trout standards; these hooks were built for salmon work.

6. Collectability

Ranking: 8/10

Harrison & Bartleet blind-eye salmon hooks in general command stronger collector interest than blind-eye trout hooks from the same period, for several intersecting reasons. The salmon fly collecting and tying market — particularly the Victorian and Edwardian full-dress tradition — has sustained robust demand for period-correct hardware. Framed classic salmon flies using original gut-snelled hooks on original ironmongery are a recognized art form among collectors.

Key value drivers for this specific example:

Original box with intact labeling: The box itself is a significant artifact. Clear typography, legible model numbers, and an intact “Made in England / Reg. U.S. Pat. Off” stamp are strong provenance indicators. The handwritten “NO EYE” graffiti, while visually striking, may slightly reduce pristine collector value but substantially increases historical interest — it tells a story of the hook’s commercial afterlife.
Unused condition: Hooks unused in the box, with no rust, no bent points, and no gut remnants, represent maximum collector value.
The “Celebrated” designation: Harrison’s use of “Celebrated” in the product name is a specific marketing claim tied to the O’Shaughnessy hook’s reputation as one of the finest salmon hooks ever made. This label is itself historically informative.
Authentication: The Redditch market has loose, unpackaged blind-eye hooks of uncertain origin. Original packaging with the Harrison’s brand mark is the most reliable provenance indicator.
Demand trends: The revival of interest in full-dress Victorian salmon fly tying over the past two decades has kept blind-eye salmon hooks in sustained demand among serious tyers. As original stock continues to thin out and no new production replaces it, prices for clean, packaged examples have generally trended upward.