- The Whitefish Press

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The Whitefish Press
www.whitefishpress.com
The Voice of Fishing’s Past, Present and Future
Serving the fly fishing, bass fishing, tackle
collecting, and fishing history world since 2007, the
Whitefish Press currently has over 70 titles in print.
Whether your interests lean towards the history of
fishing, collector’s guides to the most popular
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FISHING FOR HISTORY
the magazine
Volume I, Number 7
July 2013
PUBLISHER
The White(ish Press
4240 Minmor Drive
Cincinnati OH 45217
EDITOR
Dr. Todd E.A. Larson
COLUMNISTS
Bill Sonnett
Gary L. Miller
Ben Wright
Finn Featherfurd
Doug Bucha
Dr. Todd E.A. Larson
John Etchieson
Robert Ellis
Harold Dickert
Dick Braun
Dr. Tim O’Brien
James Jordan
Steve Lumpkin
Tom Jacomet
CONTRIBUTORS
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial: Rethiking the NFLCC Nationals
Deconstructing old Ads with Bill Sonnett
Gary Miller’s Angler’s Miscellany
John Etchieson’s A Few Lines About Lines
Robert Ellis’ Bronson Reel History
Tom Jacomet’s Lure Lore
Michael Hackney’s From the Reelsmith’s Bench
The Fishing Photographer with Doug Bucha
Michael Koller’s Hooked on Paper
Ben Wright’s Spinning Reel Report for May 2013
Steve Lumpkin’s Illinois Tackle History
1000 Words: Surf Casting
Annotated Tackle Catalogs with Dr. Todd E.A. Larson
Lost Patents
Big Nemo
Gary Hall’s Quiz of the Month
Voices from the Past: Ox Brains for Bait
Hollywood Goes Fishing
Focus on Full Page Ads
Letterheadings with Jim Jordan
Voices from the Past: Hardy Ads
Big Game Fishing History with Dr. Tim O’Brien
Voices from the Past
The News of the Month for June 2013
The UNID Files
Henshall’s Fish Culture by Clyde E. Drury
The Friday Funhouse for May 2013
Photo Essay: The Automotive Fishing Ad
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Steve Barrow
EDITORIAL ADVISORS
J.K. Garrett
L.P. Brooks G. Buckley Juhasz
CONTACT
"[email protected]
SUBMISSIONS WELCOME:
PLEASE CONTACT US!
This magazine deals with our outdoor heritage. It concentrates in particular on the history of 9ishing and 9ishing tackle, and seeks to provide interesting, informative, and important materials for anyone who wants to help preserve our nation’s (and the world’s) 9ishing. © 2013 The White9ish Press.
VISIT THE FISHING FOR HISTORY BLOG AT:
fishinghistory.blogspot.com
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First of all, let me say that the Fort Wayne Nationals was as well-‐run and organized as any National show I have ever attended. Massive thanks go out to Dave Saalfrank and all of the show organizers and volunteers. It was awesome and I really enjoyed all aspects of the show. I am really looking forward to returning to Fort Wayne.
What I think needs to be addressed has nothing to do with the amazing show put on by the volunteers like Dave and his team, or the Dine folks in Kansas City next year.
What needs to be rethought is the NFLCC National Show itself.
I began thinking about this on Friday afternoon at exactly 2:30 p.m. while sitting on the show Dloor. I was at my table when a brand new NFLCC member stopped by to buy a book. After brief introductions, I asked him what he thought of his Dirst Nationals. His response?
"I thought they said this was the biggest show of them all? Where are all the people? And why do half of the tables have sheets over them?"
I had no answer for him. At 2:30 on Friday afternoon-‐-‐with the show Dloor open until 7:00 that evening-‐-‐there were less than 100 people on the entire show Dloor. A show Dloor with 500 sold tables...
Contrast that with Thursday at the same time, when there were far more people and the aisles were crowded from one end to the other.
Then contrast that with Saturday, when almost everyone had pulled up stakes (including myself) and vacated the Dloor by noon, despite the show being open until Dive p.m.
The question you have to ask is: WHY?
The answer is complex, but includes a conDluence of reasons: exhaustion from room trading, conDlicts with the tackle seminars, people picking up and leaving for other shows, etc.
All I know is that if you arrive at the Nationals after Thursday, you are not really seeing the NFLCC in all its glory. And that is a damn shame.
So how can we Dix this?
I don't have all the answers, but I would like to offer what I think is a solution. It has been arrived at after much discussion with other collectors, and after a talk with outgoing NFLCC president Byron Parker, who offered very valid and cogent criticism. I appreciate very much his input.
So here's what I think is wrong with the NFLCC Nationals: it's long since outlived being a three day show.
I believe the NFLCC nationals would be far better served moving to a Friday-‐Saturday two day show. Let me explain. If the NFLCC Show moved to Friday-‐Saturday 8:00-‐6:00, I believe we would not have the absences we normally see on Friday afternoon (Saturday being universally seen as a "dead" day). F L C C
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What about Thursday, you might ask. Would we lose the bargaining power with hotels/convention centers by ditching a day? How about we rearrange the Nationals in this way. 1) Move the Members Meeting (and Executive Board meeting) to Thursday morning/early afternoon, to be followed DIRECTLY by the seminars. I attended the great seminar by Warren Platt and Bill Sonnett on Jishing antique tackle, and afterwards had a dozen people say they would have gone BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE THEIR TABLES. 2) Move the Auction to Saturday Evening after the show ends. This as much as anything would encourage the NFLCC members to stay Saturday night, as well as potentially bring in more auction items. (By the way congrats to Brent Vonderheide and his team on a great auction, it was amazing to watch and raised nearly $50,000). So to recap, I believe these changes would make for a much stronger Dloor show. It would:
-‐-‐ encourage members to stay on the Jloor both days, as it would have a lot of trafJic (from different groups) on both Friday and Saturday. -‐-‐ encourage members who have to work during the week to attend Friday afternoon/evening, as they would still have all day Saturday on the Jloor and the auction to look forward to…
-‐-‐ it would make Thursday night the granddaddy of all room trading evenings, and one in which most members who book a three-‐day weekend could attend.
-‐-‐ it would free up members to attend the seminars without fear of leaving their tables unattended.
-‐-‐ It would turn the NFLCC auction into THE EVENT of the weekend, and encourage everyone to stick around Saturday for the duration of the show as they would stay for the auction.
-‐-‐ Allow break down beginning an hour before closing on Saturday, and allow enough time so that people who have tables can still make the auction.
I would love to hear opinions, both pro and con, on this plan. Frankly, I think it would work a ton better than what we already have, with half-‐empty shows after lunch on Friday and all day Saturday.
Your turn…
FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
R E T H I N K I N G
B I L L
S O N N E T T
DECONSTRUCTING OLD ADS
WITH BILL SONNETT
T H E
C R E E K
C H U B
P L U N K E R
T h i s a d v e r t i s e m e n t from the March 1928 issue of Outdoor America magazine proclaims the Creek Chub Bait Company's “Plunker” as “new” though it is known that it was produce in 1927. Seasoned Creek Chub Bait Company collectors will recognize in this illustration the Plunker's early, full-‐bodied shape. It is listed as weighing ¾ oz. In a few years it would take on a slimmer appearance and have its weight trimmed to 5/8 oz. Identifying genuine early Creek Chub Plunkers can be confusing. The confusion results from the fact that later Shur Strike Plunkers (made by C.C.B.C. as a less expensive, second line of baits) are nearly identical in shape to t h e e a r l i e s t C r e e k C h u b Plunkers. The Shur Strike baits must have been made from a lighter wood or had a lot less paint on them as they are listed at ½ oz..
Few plugs have been featured in paintings as many times as the Creek Chub Plunker. It is usually in the mouth of a bass with the Sish leaping high, as anglers in the distance look on. Most of the time it is the ubiquitous red and white.
The idea of a surface lure (with no spinners) that popped, plunked and splashed when given a good tug, seems to have evolved from Jim Heddon's “slopenose”(cc 1902) on through the various “woodpecker” style baits. The Holzaphel Mushroom Bait (cc 1912 -‐-‐ see Deconstructing Old ads for October 17th 2009)) appears to me as somewhat of 576
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an intermediate between the “ w o o d p e c k e r s ” a n d t h e Plunker. Since the Plunker proved to be an effective lure for big Sish, it has been copied in countless ways by large and small companies alike. From the Heddon Chugger to the present-‐day Pop-‐R and its many morphs, the "plunking bait" has become a standard type in any line-‐up of surface lures.
When sportswriter Brent Frazee of the Kansas City Star was introduced by Warren Platt to bass Sishing with v i n t a g e t a c k l e , h e w a s presented with several vintage lures to use. He Sirst chose the Creek Chub Plunker. Brent soon started to catch bass with the bait and despite repeated encouragements from Warren and myself to try some other baits, he has steadfastly stuck with the Plunker. Frankly, he has caught about as many Sish as either of us when we've Sished together. If one has to be a “one-‐lure Sisherman” you could certainly do worse.
As a boy, I spent many h o u r s l o o k i n g o v e r t h e selection of plugs at the local hardware store. These always included Creek Chub Plunkers which I found very alluring, but for some reason I never chose to buy one with my hard-‐earned, lawn-‐
mowing money. It was not until I got into collecting old tackle that I decided to give the Plunker a try. It has since accounted for many large bass, especially after dark. I wish I had purchased one back in the 1950s -‐-‐ just think of all the bass I missed out on!
AN ANGLER’S
MISCELLANY
by Gary L. Miller
H E D D O N ’ S
D O U B L E
H E A D E R
Here's something I just came across that you may 4ind useful for those interested in line research. I've never heard of Heddon's " D o u b l e -‐ H e a d e r " B a i t -‐
Casting Line before. It's from a blurb in the June 18, 1931 Hardware Age Magazine.
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C A S T I N G
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s p o o l s w i t h t h r e e sections, showing the heavy ends on either side and the lighter test in the center. Spools are decorated with gilt, and four spools of line in gilt paper are packed in a display box. Line is offered in three weights: 12, 15 and 20-‐kb. test, with ends 10 lb. heavier. List price of display box is $13.00. It includes 1 12-‐kb. center line No. 12/22 list, $3.00, s spools No. 15/25 with 15-‐kb. center at $3.25 each, and a spool of 20-‐
kb. center line No. 20/30 at $3.50. Usual d e a l e r d i s c o u n t p r e v a i l s . O t h e r combinations may be ordered.
Heddon "Double Header" Bait-‐Casting Line
"Double-‐Header" bait casting line, offered by James Heddon's Sons, Dowagiac, Mich., has ends which are d o u b l e b r a i d e d . M i d d l e portion of 40 years is light test and Dive yards near each end is gradually reenforced by braiding in extra strands. By this extra braiding the maker states that double strength and double wear are obtained.
L i n e m a y a l s o b e reversed, giving it so much extra wear and strength. This line is particularly valuable because the extra strain on it in playing the Dish close to the boat, or in landing it, is matched by the greater strength at the ends. "Double-‐
Header" lines are handsomely packag ed on individual 577
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By Dr. Todd E.A. Larson
By John Etchieson
H O W
T O
D A T E
Y O U R
As a collector of old -ishing lines, I can often -ind those called "collectibles" that were made during that -ifty year span from 1909 to 1959. However, I consider myself extremely fortunate whenever I can -ind any old -ishing line that can truly be called an "Antique." You see, technically speaking, for a -ishing line to truly be considered an ”Antique" today it should have been made at least 100 years ago or more.
"Antique" can refer to almost any old object that has value due to its age, aesthetic appeal, condition, rarity, and/or historical signi-icance. But it's not always simple deciding what is or is not an antique. In the 1930s, antiques were considered artwork, and thus could be brought into the United States duty-‐free, and so everyone wanted to call every old item an antique.
The U. S. Customs Of-ice stepped in and surveyed antique dealers, and concluded that antiques were objects made before the development of mass production in the 1830s. Since that de-ining moment — mass production — was 100 years in the past, the customs of-ice decided that an antique was something made more than 100 years ago. Duty was collected on objects less than 100 years old, but items more than 100 years old were still duty-‐free.
That 1930s de-inition is still in use today, and is used by collectors and dealers to distinguish between true antiques and collectibles
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S P O O L
The truly antique -ishing lines that were made more than 100 years ago are e x t r e m e l y r a r e , a n d s u r p r i s i n g l y , a r e o f t e n passed over by some rather astute collectors of "antique" and "collectible" -ishing tackle simply because they have not yet learned how to recognize them for their antiquity. To remedy that situation I would like to share with my fellow tackle collectors a few of the clues that I have learned over the past 20 years of collecting -ishing lines. The following clues have helped me to identify those tell tale signs of antiquity that often appear on those 100 year old plus -ishing lines:
Clue one -‐ the simple text labels. Simple text labels are very common on those lines spools that were made more than 100 years ago. These style labels will usually containing only a company name, maybe a line brand name and very limited text. They will usually have no graphic art work, except for the occasional trade mark art. An example of such a simple label is the one shown above that was custom made between 1895 and 1903 for Stark and Weckesser of Dayton, Ohio by the Hall Line Company of Highland Mills, New York. The "S & W" brand was also marked on metal spinner lures that were made for Stark & Weckesser by P-lueger. In the late 1890s, Stark and Weckesser operated a bicycle shop and also sold -ishing tackle just a few blocks from their main bicycle shop competitors, the soon to be famous, Wright brothers. This FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
simple labeled wooden spool of -ishing line predates that -irst successful airplane -light that was made by Orville and Wilbur Wright in December 1903.
Clue two -‐ look for fancy script lettering and printer's -lourishes and dingbats (the printer's term, not the lure). It is quite common to -ind these little fancy swirling lines in the "white space" of labels or incorporated directly into the letters used on the labels of line spools made from the 1880s through the 1890s with a few 579
from the very early 1900s. These ornamental design styles were especially in vogue with printers during the last third of the 1800s. The Edward K. Tryon (the Crown and Fish was their trade mark) Hardware Company of Philadelphia, line spool label shown above is from the late 19th century and make use of ornamental -lourishes in the letters. Note, in particular their use in the capital letters "B," "C," "S" and the "L." Fonts such as these can help a tackle collector to identify -ishing lines as being made prior to 1900
The Abbey & Imbrie "Maltese" line spool left would now qualify as a true antique line, because it was listed in the -irms 1907 and earlier catalogs. Note also in particular the style of the font used in the A & I logo. This same logo which was also in use by Abbey and Imbrie during the late 1800s uses the previously described printer's -lourishes and dingbats which are incorporated into the intertwined letters "A" and "I."
Clue three – look at the shape of the spool when viewing it from a side pro-ile. The shape of wooden spools changed several times between the 1870s and the 1930s, so it helps to learn about the different shapes and the period in which they were used to identify the age of your line spools. If the spool has a wide diameter (3 inches wide across the face of the spool) and is very thin (3/8 inches thick or less) then it is very likely a candidate to be a true 100 year plus antique line spool. FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
Every one of the line spools in my personal collection of more than 2000 spools that -it this exact same pro-ile have all been identi-ied through information contained on their labels and from catalogs and advertisements as being con-ined to the 1903 to 1908 time period. These very thin wood spools have not yet been identi-ied nor associated with any other time period other than these early 1900 dates, so they were most likely a short lived fad with the line spool manufacturers.
Another important shape or pro-iles to look for are those spools with the "V" shaped center or the modi-ied "V" shaped center. All of these "V" shaped styles that I have ever seen and researched have all been associated with labels on line spools that were made only between the late 1800s to the very early 1900s.
Clue four – look for a company logo that is centered right in the middle of the label. This was a common practice and design style that was characteristic of -ishing lines that were made only between the 1880s through the very early 1900s. After 1910, line spool labels still continued to feature a company's logo, but not usually in the very middle of the front main label, and the logos were not generally as prominently featured as they had been in the 1800s. The Shakespeare Company's "Indian Silk" logo design shown above (centered in the middle of the label) was -irst introduced in 1908 and was then used for only one year before the Indian's image was changed in 1909. In 2008, this particular line spool became a true 100 year old antique. The three examples shown below are all pre -‐ 1908 line spools, and they also, all employ the simple centered company logo in their label design. All of these also qualify as true antique line spools.
This particular version of the Saranac brand -ishing line label (pictured next page) was only made between the years 1905 and 1908. This -ishing line features the Clark -‐ Horrocks (later to become Horrocks -‐ Ibbotson) logo centered in the middle of the label, which was typical of labels made from the late 1800s through the very early 1900s. Note also the printer's -lourishes just above and below the words "Trade Mark" which offers still another clue to this lines antiquity.
The simple centered company logo on the spool above was used from the late 1800s through the very early 1900s. The logo, consisting of the intertwined letters "E" and "C" and a tied feathered hook was the trade mark of "Empire City" which was a popular 1890s "house brand name" that was owned and used by Abbey & Imbrie on their less expensive lines of rods, reels, -ishing lines, tackle boxes, and other economy -ishing tackle. Note the -lourishes at the tips of the letters and incorporated into the font design. This is still another clue to this line spool's age of 100 years or more.
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The Thomas J. Conroy "Minnow Casting" line spool above features the company's logo centered in the middle of the label. T. J. Conroy used this same design on their line spool labels from the late 1800s through the very early 1900s. And, while this line spool has not yet been completely researched to determine its exact age, it is a very likely candidate to be classi-ied as a true antique, which was made more than 100 year ago.
If you have any line spools that have a company logo centered in the middle of the label, 581
or fancy printer's -lourishes designed into the white space of the label or incorporated into the lettering, or have any wooden line spools that are very thin or have the "V" shaped side-‐view pro-ile, then you may well have a very rare and historically signi-icant -ishing line spool. I would like to hear from anyone that has such spools, and will be happy to try to help them further identify the makers and exact ages and values of their truly antique -ishing line spools. I can be reached at [email protected] Thanks, John Etchieson
BRONSON HISTORY
B R O N S O N
S A L T W A T E R
Somewhere in t h e e a r l y 1 9 3 0 s Bronson bought the JA Coxe Company from Southern California. It was just a one manned shop! Joseph Coxe was a deep sea Cisherman and a reel m a k e r . H e w a s a m a s t e r o f b o t h . Where he lived near San Diego, CA was one of the best ocean Cishing areas in the U . S . I n 1 9 2 3 h e p a t e n t e d h i s f r e e spool design on his s a l t w a t e r r e e l s , keeping up with some o f t h e o t h e r r e e l m a k e r s w h o h a d already had their own free spool designs at the time. We believe B r o n s o n n e e d e d someone in his Cield to have him design and help build them some salt water (or as SW) reels. At this time B r o n s o n d i d n o t produce any SW reels and probably new they were missing out on this demand! Bronson already lost out on selling SW reels for over 10 years prior. PClueger and Ocean City were way ahead of them in this market. Bronson also missed out selling the SW trade reel’s, in our years of looking we have on found one and not sure if it was done at the factory or later by someone else! There was lots of Cishing going on in the 1930s during the Great Depression due to many people out of work and Bronson needed to catch up!
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I n 1 9 3 3 Bronson came out with 4 new reels in their catalog to add to their inventory, SW reels for the Cirst time! Bronson, well known for selling fair quality reels at a very good price! This w o u l d b e a n e w venture for Bronson for the next 8 or 9 years! The war came in 1941 and that put a halt to Bronson reel manufact-‐uring as for most all other large reel making factories.
T h e r e e l s were the Viking No.
600, The Buccaneer No.700, The Sea Rover No.900 and the Jolly Roger No.1200. In the 1933 catalog these were all 250 yd. size reels! We do not have a n o r i g i n a l 1 9 3 3 Bronson catalog, what we have are some B+W copies that we got t h r o u g h t h e O R C A library. (The ORCA Library run by Don Champion has some great info on vintage reel’s, members get fantastic breaks on copies and book loaning, the link for all this will be below along with the link to join!) So we are going to jump up to the 1934 catalog for pictures of their ads, the pages are in color and will look much better in our column than some B
+W pictures. Bronson added one more reel to their inventory of SW reels in 1934 of these now 5 reels, with some in other spool sizes.
1934 Field & Stream
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spool and a 5 point star drag, hexagon end caps. The reel shown is also a later version from around 1937. The one pictured has a plastic crank knob. The Cirst versions had wood crank knobs. (We are working with what we have, so some of these reels shown will be a year or two off from what the ads show!) These came in a 250 or a 300 yd. size. We have been looking for the box for this, but still have not found one, so we are using a picture from a fellow reel collector and ORCA member. Notice that the box shows a Viking ship printed on it along with Bronson’s SW reels pirate ship logo?
In the 1934 catalog Bronson advertised their new Coxe designed “Auto Mesh” feature, (Patent # 1495676) a unique free spool design that came with all their free spool reels. This was the original Coxe design that was Ciled in 1922 and issued in 1923, this design was changed several times in the 1930s we found more patents that were updated slightly changing over the years which then was now owned by Bronson!
The Viking No.600 is the Cirst one that we will describe! This reel has black bakelite side plates with metal reinforced inner plates that are made of brass and are heavy chromium plated as are the rest of the reels metal parts except the spool, it was made with German Silver (Or as GS) Clanges as said in the catalog, later they would change the German Silver to Nickel Silver. (Or as NS). These reels do not have reel numbers stamped on the bottom of the foot only the name!
It features the Auto-‐Mesh free 584
Bronson Viking saltwater reel.
The next reel is The Buccaneer No.700, this reel has all black bakelite side plates, has the Coxe Auto-‐Mesh free spool, but no star drag! The parts are made of brass and nickel plated. This reel has the wooden crank knob, with some knurled end caps. The tail plate has the common 585
spider washer that creates tension on the end caps for spool adjustment and not to come loose and get lost. Also having their pirate ship logo! These were only offered in a 250 yd. size for this year 1934.
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logos, we thought that they were stamp painted on, yet the paint looked to be some sort of nickel silver paint, because it turns color just like silver does when it tarnishes. Now in the picture of The Sea Rover shown which shows a little wear, J the logo is missing, so we found out that it is a cut-‐
out, maybe an emblem pressed in during the bakelite mold?
The Sea Rover No.900 is next, again this reel has black bakelite side plates that are reinforced with brass inner plates that are chromium plated as are the rest of the reels parts, except the spool it has the German silver Clanges with a brass arbor. It also has the Coxe free spool. But again no star drag! These were offered in a 250 or a 300 yd. size. Now on these pirate ship FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
Next is The Jolly Roger No. 1200, another simple SW reel that is made of black bakelite with nickel plated parts, with no free spool or star drag, only came in a 250 yd. size. Also no pirate 588
ship logo! Probably saving money on this less expensive reel. Price was $2.95! These were only offered in the 250 yd. size.
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head plate to the left just a tad and pull it apart! In the picture we show the larger 300 yd. reel, you can see the rivet heads and the slots they slide in and the knurled head plate ring that comes off! The price in 1934 was $10.00 for the 250yd. and $12.00 for the 300 yd. size! The tail plate picture is of a later 250 yd. reel without the take apart design! We believe Bronson had trouble with those take aparts and only used them for a short time, maybe only one year?
Last is one of Bronson’s best SW reels. The Sea Wolf No. 400. These are a gorgeous reel and scarce! These came in a 250 or a 300 yd. size. They are made of German silver throughout and heavily chromium plated, with transparent side plates. The Cirst version of these came with a quick take apart feature on the head plate, (1934 add says it is on the tail plate, we believe this is a mistake?) To take apart the reel you would Cirst unscrew the large locking screw on the face plate at about 6:00 until it is loose and then turn the FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
All these reels are out there at very low prices, (Except the Sea Wolf No. 400) So you can easily start a collection of some very Cine reels (Our Opinion) and not have too much $ invested in them. Bronson continued to make these SW reels up to the beginning of the war! They made other models than what we show here after 1934. The others are The Raider No. 200, The Traveler No. 210, The Torrent No. 250, The Tracer No. 150, The Privateer No. 300, The Corsair No. 700 and The Falcon No.800. Again some of these reels came in different spool sizes. In 1942 Bronson closed down the reel making and started making war products for our Country. After the war Bronson did not make any more of these larger SW reels with their name on them, from then on JA Coxe was branded to all of their SW reels!
Pirate ship trademark for Bronson’s early saltwater reels.
The metal pirate ship insert f o u n d o n a l l B r o n s o n saltwater reels in this family before World War II.
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The Miami Metropolitan Fishing Tournament
WWW.LURELORE.COM
THE DILLON-BECK QUIVER-LURE
If imitation is the greatest form of /lattery, then the Quiver-‐Lure bait by Dillon-‐Beck Mfg. Co. is certainly a leader in that regard. Seems back in 1940 or so, a fellow named Dillon left the employ of the W. J. Jamison Company of Chicago and opened a /ishing lure company of his own called Dillon-‐Beck Mfg. Co., of Irvington, New Jersey. Dillon-‐Beck produced a line of /ishing lures which went under the trade name "Sport-‐A-‐Lure", one of which was the "Quiver-‐Lure", an almost identical lure to Jamison's "Quiverlure", both in shape and obviously, in name! In Carl Luckey's Old Fishing Lures and Tackle, he indicates that Dillon actually marketed the Jamison Quiverlure as it has been found advertised in Dillon-‐Beck advertisements.
This lure came in a red and blue box with the company name listed on the front as "Dillonbeck" but on the back as "Dillon-‐Beck". The company lasted only a couple of years and by 1942, was gone, having produced only one other lure during its brief lifetime called the Killer-‐
Diller.
The value range for this lure is estimated to be between $30 and $40.
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M I C H A E L
H A C K N E Y
FROM THE REELSMITH’S BENCH
WITH MICHAEL HACKNEY
The
M eis s e l b a c h
P a te n te d
F e a the r li g ht
Reel
I like simplicity. wheel, a click spring H u m a n s , b y t h e i r encircling the said nature, tend to want to click wheel and formed m a k e t h i n g s m o r e with opposed ends to complicated than they bear upon opposite really need to be. sides of the said click Albert Einstein said and having a crook “Make everything as intermediate to its simple as possible, but ends, straight pins not simpler.” (I like projected outwardly quotes too!). In the from the cheek plate at case of Cishing reels, opposite sides of the t h e M e i s s e l b a c h crook but upon one brothers, August and side only of the spring, William of New Jersey, and a screw applied to were practicing that the cheek plate within p h i l o s o p h y w h i l e the said crook to retain Einstein was still a boy.
the said spring in T h is mon t h ’ s contact with said pins Reel8lections takes a and secure the same l o o k a t o n e t h e removably upon the Meisselbach brother’s cheek plate, as and for Figure 1
: U
S P
atent #
553,069 D
rawings
early patented reels -‐ the purpose set forth.
the Featherlight. US 2. In a 8ishing reel, the Patent #553,069 was granted to August F. combination, with the reel frame formed with a Meisselbach and William Meisselbach on Jan. 14, suitable cheek plate carrying an axial reel 1896. The patent drawings are shown in Figure spindle, a spool mounted upon the said spindle 1. The Meisselbach brothers were savvy and provided with a click wheel adjacent to the businessmen and innovators, you can learn more said cheek plate, a reversible double headed in Phil White’s well-‐researched Meisselbach and click pivoted upon the inner face of the said Meisselbach-‐Catucci Fishing Reels.1 cheek plate and adapted to engage the said click The claims made in patent #553,069 are: wheel, a click spring encircling the said click wheel and formed with opposed ends to bear 1. In a 8ishing reel, the combination, with the reel upon opposite sides of the said click and having frame formed with a suitable cheek plate a crook intermediate to its ends, straight pins carrying an axial reel spindle, a spool mounted projected outwardly from the cheek plate at upon the said spindle and provided with a click opposite sides of the crook but upon one side wheel adjacent to the said cheek plate, a click only of the spring, and a screw applied to the pivoted upon the inner face of the said cheek cheek plate within the said crook to retain the plate and adapted to engage the said click 592
Figure 4: Bottom of Riveted Foot showing 280 size
593
1. said spring in contact that both lightens the reel with, said pins and and looks attractive. The s e c u r e t h e s a m e foot is a simple stamping removably upon the riveted to a Citting cross cheek plate, as and for brace, simple and quite the purpose set forth.
strong. Finally, the sliding C l a i m o n e check button on the back describes the click spring, allows the angler to w h i c h i s b e n t a n d disable the click. Simple, retained by a screw and functional, and very cost two pins. It is rather effective to manufacture interesting as we’ll see in in high quantities.
the internal photos of the The spool is held in reel. Claim two describes p l a c e w i t h a s i m p l e a reversible click pawl, it r e t a i n i n g s c r e w . can be rotated 180° if/
R e m o v i n g t h e s p o o l Figure 1: Front Side of Meisselbach Featherlight
when one end wears reveals the patented down, doubling the life of check mechanism shown the reel. The brothers in Figure 4.
contend that this arrangement of spring and The click wheel is pressed onto the tube double-‐ended pawl is simpler and doubles the life that comprises the hub. It is made of steel. The of the reel.
interesting and patented spring design and pawl Let’s take a look at a Meisselbach are shown in the close-‐up in Figure 5. The spring Featherweight reel that is stamped with this is wishbone shaped as per the patent description. patent “PAT. JAN. 14 ’96”. Figure 2 shows the It is attached to the back frame plate with a single front face, Figure 3 the back face, and Figure 4 screw and is retained by two small pins. This is the bottom of the foot.
the simple arrangement described in the patent. The reel features a simple but attractive In addition to being simple to manufacture, it stamped raised pillar frame and spool side plates. allows the spring to be unclipped from one of the Decorative porting features the six petal design as springs without tools. The pawl can then be that shown in the patent but adds a little extra rotated 180° to present the other end, which is cutout between the petals. This is a nice feature properly shaped. Although inexpensive to manufacture and purchase, the reel was designed to give long service and value -‐ trademarks of the Figure 3: Back Side Showing Click Slide Button. Meisselbach brothers.
Figure 5: Close-‐up View of Spring and Double-‐ended Pawl
Figure 6: Featherlight disassembled.
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J U N E
I S
S T R A W B E R R Y
Yes, June is strawberry time in Michigan and as you can see, strawberry can have a second meaning. This would be the classic Heddon “Strawberry” ?inish, to be exact. Heddon called it spotted, or simply “S” if you were ordering a lure in this color.
Where did this name come from and who was the ?irst collector to coin it? As we look at the lure, it is easy to see where the name came from. The color seems to show up for the ?irst time on the 1911 Swimming Minnow. The next lure to use this color was the 1913 Dummy Double. The name spot or spotted was the cataloged color for both lures. I was unable to ?ind the name Strawberry used in any Heddon catalog throughout the years.
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T I M E
I N
M I C H I G A N
The oldest published use of the name Strawberry appears in Kimball’s early reference books. The book says, the #11 had white with red and green decorations-‐ referred to as “strawberry.”
I checked with a few collectors who have been collecting for years and none of them knew who coined the name. One collector has even been an advanced strawberry collector from the 1970’s.
I will now open the question up to you, the collecting fraternity. Who was the ?irst collector to use the name, Strawberry? If anyone has a good answer, please write or call me so I can post it for everyone to see. -‐-‐ Doug Bucha ([email protected])
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W R I G H T
&
M C G I L L
Two men opened their own .ishing tackle company in 1925 under the name of Wright & McGill. Stan Wright and Drew Mc Gill were those two men. They were located in Denver, Colorado then and the company remains headquartered there today. Most, if not all, .isherman are familiar with their .ine products.
I don't remember when or where I picked up my .irst Wright Mc Gill notebook. I just know that I really liked it. The pocket sized, 3"X6", pad caught my eye because of the .ishing graphic on 596
N O T E
P A D S
the front of the notebook. Besides a product graphic on the cover, each notebook has a calendar and about 15-‐20 blank pages for writing notes. The notebooks were perhaps included with a dealer kit for shops or were an item shops could give to customers making a purchase. I have founds notebooks with dates from 1954 through 1965. If you have more information regarding t h e s e c o l l e c t i b l e s p l e a s e w r i t e m e a t [email protected].
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BEN WRIGHT’S SPINNING REEL REPORT
JUNE 2013
RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN WITH MORE INTERESTING REELS !!!
Airex:
Astra ewb @ 26.15
Vic green e-‐wb @ 102.50
Featured Reels:
Abu Record 500 exc+ extra spool w/Fitted leather case @515.81
Abu Record 500 same as above @ 753.00
Rare Early Mepps Vamp exc @ 1924.94
Daiwa:
GS30 ewb @ 127.50
SS3000 nib @ 151.88
Dam Quick:
Super 270 nib @ 58.00
listed as a Super TWO SPEED nib "BUT" all photo's showed the reel as a SINGLE SPEED ??? @ 110.55
Reels of Interest:
Ocean City 350 yellow like new @ 81.00
Swiss Esquire nib @ 224.26
check out the prices for these Orvis Ulta-‐Lites
50A Like New @ 299.50
50A nib @ 400.00
75A nib @ 332.26
75A nib @ 535.00 holy cow !!!
English:
Loncast S.E. Cook exc @ 97.20
French:
Dopeer exc-‐ @150.00
Centuare Carbie green ewb @ 79.00
Croizix Finish wear @ 89.10
Reel Deals:
Alcedo Micron curved Leg exc @ 51.03
Feurer Bro's Astra 414 exc-‐ @ 14.50
Flo-‐Line exc+ w/poor box @ 42.00
Mepps Super Vamp exc @ 53.55
odd ball Mustomatic CF exc-‐ @ 9.99
Penn Special 430 CF nib @ 41.00
South Bend Sup-‐Matic 606 ewb @ 33.60
Heddon:
100 CF nib @ 69.01
200 SCF nib @ 89.05
260L nib @ 37.55
Other reel-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
Abu:
Abumatic 155 CF exc @ 164.13
700 third version ewb @ 220.65
1000 second version nib @ 229.60
Suveran S2000M e+wb @ 385.00
Cardinals:
C33 nib @ 79.95
52 nib @ 256.00
54 nib @ 171.38
55 exc @ 191.70
752 nib @ 76.01
755 nib @ 71.00
Japanese:
Karmann 41 Gold color exc+ @ 140.00 wow
Grant Sport exc starting @75.00 NO BIDS
Johnson:
710 CF exc @36.50
Centurary 100A CF nib @ 45.00
Pink Princess 100AP CF exc @ 110.00
Mitchell:
3rd version paint wear @ 194.06
Garcia 300 nib box marked 300X @ 255.00
common 308 e+wb @ 76.00
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Zebco:
44 Cf nib @ 103.50
55 CF Ewb @ 43.00
Cardinals-‐-‐-‐
7X nib @ 120.00
557 exc+ @ 90.00 More reels:
Sea Martin mk 2 exc @ 142.01
Tamco by La Salle exc @ 132.50
Uslan 500 ewb @ 162.53
Ranger Lime Tamer 33 nib @ 158.49
odd ball James 3 in 1 CF nib @ 66.98
Penn:
700 3rd version exc+ w/poor box @ 156.50
716Z nib @ 195.72
Italian:
Alcedo-‐-‐
2C/S bronze exc @ 114.08
Jupiter e+wb @ 202.55
Mercury last version exc @162.00
Nautilus B1 exc-‐ @ 152.50
Nettuno marked Foreign exc @ 127.50
Zangi-‐-‐-‐
Pelican 50 gary exc @ 194.24
" " orange/white cup exc @ 271.93
Orvis 100A e+wb @ 210.50
Last two Waltco ny-‐o-‐Lite boxes with papers only
one sold @32.50 one sold @ 12.50
Have a great summer
Ben
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VOICES FROM THE PAST
The following epistle is from the great Raymond R. Camp, long-‐time outdoor editor of The New York Times. In an article entitled "Production Line Equipment Fails to Dim Popularity of Old-‐Fashioned Fly Rod," published on March 11, 1955, he opined on the great bamboo rod maker Jim Payne:
Many new tackle items are being displayed and tested at the booths and pools at Kingsbridge Armory, many of them fabricated of plastic, =iber, glass and assorted materials. But it was a relief to =ind one angler at the casting pool with an old-‐
fashioned =ly rod.
This man was dropping a =ly lightly on the water with a Payne rod, a precisely engineered and fabricated wand formed of six carefully selected strips of bamboo. It cannot be "thrown" in a boat. You can't arc the tip around until it touches the butt. No angler would try to stretch a cast to 100 feet with this old-‐fashioned but far from obsolete item of tackle.
599
But there are quite a few dry =ly purists who would seriously consider some other sport if Jim Payne stopped making these rods exactly as he made them when father was a lad.
In the midst of production line tackle, it is refreshing to =ind a rod that has a quality undimmed by time. Custom rod makers are aging, and apprentices are few. So many anglers are worrying about the future source of this equipment. Prices for custom rods have increased, but who ever met a wealthy rod-‐maker?
A nifty love letter to the bamboo Fly rod from one of the most respected writers in the outdoor Field.
Custom 308 w/one tier tournament spool all polished @196.22
410 Special ewb @ 97.20
MPU only for 302 nib @ 53.00
STEPHEN L. LUMPKIN
ILLINOIS’ TACKLE HERITAGE
with Stephen L. Lumpkin
W O O D Y
E S T E S :
L U R E
M A K E R
All of us from time to time wish we could make our own lures and many of us do this very thing…..some better than others. I personally haven’t taken the time to try this daunting but intriguing task. Some day though, I’m gonna make the plunge.
A Chicago, Illinois man by the name of Elwood “Woody” Estes was a man who always wanted to make his own lures. This is a story about him and some of the lures he ingeniously designed. Elwood Estes was born in Kentucky on December 1, 1912. By 1930, he and his mother were living with his step dad, Jessie Williams, at their home at 2219 N. Lincoln Avenue, in Chicago. By 1940, Woody and his recently widowed mother were living in a rear apartment at 2709 Magnolia Avenue. Woody was 28 years old and had Tinished his 2nd year of college when his step father passed away. He needed to Tind a job to support his mother.
Woody had always been a Tisherman from his childhood in Kentucky to his living in Chicago. While in Chicago, he would travel to Wisconsin on a regular basis to Tish for bass Woody Estes with a couple of nice largemouth bass.
Ike Walton Camp, Webster, Wisconsin, c1946.
and pike. His son, John Estes was nice enough to provide a photograph of his dad during this time period and a picture of the camp they used to Tish from during the 1940’s and 50’s. Woody’s son was not certain but he though that his dad started making his own lures during the 1940’s and steadily continued to make them for the remainder of his life. Some of the Tirst lures he made were more traditional in shape and function but Woody would put his own twist on the classic shapes.
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Two Shakespeare Mouse type Estes designed lures.
Another lure design Woody came up with was using a unique metal lip mounted to the front of the wooden body. The lip could have been a take-‐off of the Arbogast Jitterbug but with the Estes touch. He tried several body designs, two of which are shown here.
It was during the 1960’s and 1970’s that Woody started trying out another new lure design and this time a completely unique concept. This was the start of his plastic spoon built lures. The concept was simple enough. Just put two ordinary plastic spoons together, cut off the handles, and you’ve got a lure body. Rig a hook through the hollow plastic body, weighted or un-‐weighted, add spinners, tail dressing, or not, and glue the whole unit together for a super duper Tish-‐catcher.
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Three FlatCish/Lazy Ike type Estes designed lures.
Woody used a variety of sizes of spoons; tea spoons for spin casting, and soup and table spoons for bait casting, along with a variety of hook sizes, lengths, and spinner sizes. He also didn’t just paint them one color but tried many colors and patterns that Tit the situation.
Surface Tea Spoon w/rubber skirt
Sub-‐Surface Tea Spoon w/rubber skirt
Sub-‐Surface Tea Spoon w/attached grub worm
Surface Tea Spoon w/belly spinner & up-‐turned hook
Surface Tea Spoon w/weighted belly spinner & up-‐turned hook
Woody also used larger plastic spoons for regular b a i t c a s t i n g s i z e a p p l i c a t i o n s . V a r i o u s combinations of belly mounted spinner blades, some with extended wires with spinner blades, rear spinner blade mounts, and propeller blades mounted fore and aft.
Surface Table Spoon w/propellers fore and aft
Surface Table Spoon w/rear spinner blade.
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Nine color patterns of Tea Spoon Baits
Underwater Table Spoon (side mounted wire & spoon)
Underwater Table
Spoon w/keel and
spinner on wire
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Woody Estes found that his plastic spoon lures were great Tish catchers and he would always take them on his regular trips to the Wisconsin lakes. He never marketed them or even tried to get them into sporting goods stores. Friends would gladly share his well kept secret lures and Woody was satisTied knowing that he could make his own lures and bass would like them as much as he did. Elwood “Woody” Estes retired from Teletype in the 1980’s and died at his home on April 4, 1992 at the age of 79 years. Thank you for your contribution to Tishing tackle history Woody. (RIGHT) Elwood “Woody” Estes in his later years with a nice bass caught on one of his plastic picnic spoons.
(BELOW) Two sizes of Surface Tea Spoons w/weighted belly spinner 604
1000 WORDS
In this 1000 words we have a great post card made
from a photo of ca. 1910-1920 surf casting in North
Carolina. It's a really striking image, and a great post
card to boot!
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DR. TODD E. A. LARSON
Annotated Tackle Catalogs
THE PETERS ARMS & SPORTING GOODS CO. 1900 Catalog -- REEL SECTION
T h e Peters Arms & Sporting Goods C o m p a n y o f Cincinnati, Ohio was founded in February 1900 a n d i n c o r p -‐
orated that year by O.E. Peters, the president of t h e f a m o u s P e t e r s C a r t r i d g e Company of the same city. The company was i n c o r p o r a t e d f o r $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 and had as its o f F i c e r s f o u r men who were also executives for the parent Firm: S.M. Peters, O.E. Peters, J.H. McKibben, and F.C. Tuttle. Thomas Schiffer, author of Peters and King: The Birth & Evolution of the Peters Cartridge Co. & the King Powder Co. (2002), writes that the First ofFicers were: E.O. Peters (president), A. L. Peters (treasurer), F. C. Tuttle (secretary), and A. R. Roll (sales manager). Notices of incorporation were printed everywhere from Hardware Age to Industry Week. 606
T h e company was located at 119 East 5th Street in Cincinnati on what is known as Government Square, a block w e s t o f t h e m o r e f a m o u s Fountain Square in downtown. This was about 25 miles from t h e P e t e r s C a r t r i d g e C o m p a n y factories located at Kings Mills, now known as Mason, Ohio. It was not a very successful company, closing its doors in 1909, despite the fact that the company was an active advertiser (the ad shown here is from 1905). It did carry a full line of Fishing tackle from the b e g i n n i n g , a s evidenced by this Catalogue #1 from 1900 and its line of Fishing reels. T h e P e t e r s C a r t r i d g e C o m p a n y remained a titan of the Field for many decades after their aborted attempt to enter the sporting goods Field.
There were several different models of
the #33 Meek.
Note the nine sizes of the
Milam reels listed in the Peters
catalog to the right. The very
rare #9 was available for
$30.00, which rose to $32.00
for a click and drag version.
This was the equivalent of
$903.00 in today’s term. A full
set of eighteen Milams would
have cost you $11,800 in
today’s terms in 1900. How
much would a collector pay for
such a set? $100,000?
$200,000?
607
Peters Arms carried a full line of
Kentucky Reels, as you can imagine.
The reel to the left is the “Raised
Pillar” or “Top Hat” #33 Blue Grass
by Meek & Sons. Note that the jeweled
wide spool version was $24.00 -- the
equivalent of $677.00 in today’s
terms, according to eh.net. Although
later reels, compared to the earlier
hand-made bench Meeks, these Blue
Grass models are still incredible
fishing machine.
The full line of Julius Vom Hofe reels were still
popular, even in the middle west like Cincinnati.
There are 37 different sizes and styles of
Vom Hofe reels on this page alone!
Note that you could buy a
dozen of these JVH reels for
$120 at the time wholesale.
These hard rubber with metal
plate reels are very popular
with collectors today; note
the huge number of sizes/
styles available.
Note that jewels cost an additional $2.50 each
wholesale per reel -- that’s an additional
$70.50 in today’s terms!
608
These Hendryx reels
were $.67 each -which is $18.90 in
today’s terms.
There are many “tells”
for Hendryx reels, but
few as easy to spot as
the center click on the
face plate.
The most expensive reel on this page was
$4.50 each!
609
Hendryx made so many reels its almost impossible to keep track of them, selling everything from utility reels to big
saltwater models. Here is a pretty standard representation of baitcasting reels from the turn of the century.
DR. TODD E.A. LARSON
LOST PATENTS
REDISCOVERING FISHING’S LOST TREASURES
T
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T h e A r c t i c Creel is an enduring design invented by Robert P. Gutshall in the immediate post-‐
World War II era. Gusthall, a Denver, C o l o r a d o n a t i v e , a p p l i e d f o r h i s patent on March 17, 1947 and it was a w a r d e d a s 2,555,128 on May 29, 1951. As his patent claims, "this invention relates to a c r e e l f o r Lishermen, and has for its object to p r o v i d e a l i g h t , durable and sanitary c a r r i e r f o r L i s h w h i c h p r e s e r v e s them in a cool and e s s e n t i a l l y d r y c o n d i t i o n . " H e assigned the rights to the Colorado Tent & Awning Company o f D e n v e r , w h o manufactured it.
The novelty of the Arctic Creel was that it provided evaporation of moisture on the outside, which 610
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9
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k e p t t h e i n n e r temperature much c o o l e r . W i t h a n i n n e r ( m a d e o f w a t e r a n d a i r -‐
impervious nylon) a n d o u t e r ( L l a x canvas) casing, the creel utilized heat c o n d u c t i v i t y b y immersing in cool stream water to create a chill effect o n t h e i n t e r i o r , better preserving Lish.
It was a clever invention, which apparently is still in production today as Orvis' "Arcticreel." W h i l e t h e r e a r e some differences between the two, the general principal remains the same. It was highly reco-‐
mmended in its day, and as they appear regularly up for auction, must have been fairly popular. T h e y s o l d f o r a r o u n d $ 5 o r i g -‐
inally, and today can sell for 20x that much.
611
December 2002, Field & Stream magazine recommended the Arctic Creel (at the time manufactured by Cortland) as one of their “Great Gear under $100.” It stated: “The Arctic Creel’s vinyl lining and Scotch Llax canvas cover keep Lish clean and cool, and there’s a big pocket for tackle and other people’s streamside trash.” It retailed for $40 at the time. Not much is known about Gutshall (1903-‐1992) except that he appears to have been a lifelong Denver resident, and was married to a woman named Nancy. Gustshall’s invention, however, was a lasting contribution to the Lishing word. FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
The original Arctic Creel came with a green canvas shoulder strap, a button Llap, and a green nylon lining. The exterior was canvas and there were three large circle vents at the bottom of the bag. It was also designed to be more comfortable when worn. The Artic Creel was favored by a lot of notable Lly Lishing writers. Harry Middleton, for example, writes of using one in On the Spine of Time (1991), and Al Kyte recommended its use in his Fly Fishing, Simple to Sophisticated (1987). Even The Explorer’s Source Book (1973), a guide book for extreme exploration edited by Alwyn T. Perryn, recommended the Arctic Creel as superior to any other creel on the market. In N E M O
B I G
TACKLE TIPS
with BIG NEMO
A
S I L V E R
C R E E K
This c. 1921 Silver Creek Minnow Salesman sample case came out of California from a gentleman who found it in his garage, in an old beachfront home. It was in a Steamer trunk that also had some old quilts or blankets that had mildewed and rotted and most likely added to the corrosion as did the salt water exposure. It‘s believed to have been in that trunk for decades before it was discovered and sold to a collector in Georgia, Rob Pavey. I was commissioned by the present owner Bob Beebe to restore the case and stop the decay of the case and lures.
The lures were encased in rusted and oxidation a virtual environmental hazard. All the hooks were near if not totally eaten by the salt exposure and it had started to invade the integrity of the Kinish of the lures as well.
All the lures were removed, held in place with two to Kive eye screws imbedded into the wood case, and wired to the lures. Then the stripping of the mildewed fabric on the outside and interior of the case began. After that, the removal of the hardware began and the repair of the wood that had been damaged. Each lure was cleaned and the hooks replaced as close to the exact originals as possible. The case was then recovered in a vintage material that closely resembled the original. All the hardware was replaced with the 612
R E S T O R A T I O N
same brass Stanley hardware found on the case when it was made, as it is still made today.
Then the inside reconstruction began with a bed of cork and museum quality cotton cloth. New kick boards were made and covered and installed as well. Each lure was placed in the case as thay were and signage added for each lure as to factory pricing at the time it was originally made. This 90+ year old restoration was done so the ages after us can enjoy it for years to come. Here is Bob Beebe’s view of the restoration:
I have collected Moonlight for a long time...almost 25 years so I knew when I acquired the Silver Creek salesman display that is was a special, one of a kind item. Silver Creek was in business for such a short time as best we know and there isn't much in the way printed material on the company ... a small 4 page catalog or two, a few box inserts and some correspondence between Heddon and Paw Paw Cos concerning Silver Creek is about all. So here I had a pretty good sample of the Silver Creek line in this little case. However, while the painted lure bodies were well preserved, the hooks, hook hangers (screw eye) and the cloth case lining had deteriorated to the point that they were a visual detraction from this otherwise stunning collection of Silver Creek lures. As time 613
m e t a l a n d t h e materials they come into contact with. Also, it may have helped him that I was in no hurry for the return of the case and that I would get it at the National in KC some 9 months later. Part of the restoration of this m a n y l u r e s i s t h e tedious and careful removal of the lures and their hardware from the case. I am sure Joe has more than 100 hours of his time invested in the project. The only thing noticeably different from the as found condition of the display is a brass label entitled "Silver Creek" on the outside of the case. It looks good to me but whoever may own it in the future can take that off if they want. In summary, I am very pleased with Joe Nelson's restoration of vintage Iishing items and the preservation value for the future he brings to our hobby.
marched on over the Iive or so years I have had the case in a conditioned room, the rust and corrosion slowly continued to the point that if I tried to clean the hardware, some of it would not survive even a gentle cleaning.
I guess I heard about Joe Nelson the restorer on Joe's board (how appropriate!) although we had met before at the Knoxville National show. I talked to Joe on the phone and by email to get an idea of what he could do to preserve the "collection" including the case and return its appearance to as close as possible to the original state. In our discussions, I sensed that he and I as lure collectors and preservers were "on the same page" when it comes to what one should and shouldn't do.
Also, Joe has a good appreciation for the science aspects of the interaction of the lures, the 614
What am I?
What is this tool that no self respecting 1880’s
Trout Fisherman wouldn’t be caught dead without.
TURN TO PAGE ___ FOR ANSWER
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C H E W E D
O X
B R A I N S
F O R
F I S H I N G
B A I T
( 1 9 0 3 )
The following exchange, reported by had an intolerable aversion to chewing raw Henry Cholmondeley-‐Pennell in 1903, gives the material of this kind, we never got any further with background on the subject of Chewed Ox Brains it.' Now, Mr. Editor, every angler will know by this for bait…it's the Hirst time I've ever seen this announcement what is meant, and that it is an subject broached. I think I'll stick to #16 nymphs unequivocal denouncement of the uses of ox brains for Chub…
and' pith' as a bait for chub. Anglers, in verity, have quite enough to refute on the score of habits A winter bait which has found many scarcely reAined, when the impalement of worms, advocates of late years is the 'pith' or spinal frogs, gentles, beetles, snails, and even cockroaches, marrow of a bullock or cow, with bullock's brains is in question; but it is a Uetle too bad to add to this as ground bait, as described at p. 234. In the category of uncleanly handlings that of a process 'Modern Practical Angler,' I have observed that, hitherto conAined to Otaheite. Too hot to eat these 'For this mode of chub-‐Hishing the colder the brains may sometimes be; for let me tell you, in weather the better, provided only that the water spite of the italicised 'raw,' they are Airst boiled, is not discoloured. . The pith should be used with and many an Italian considers them, with the Nottingham tackle, so as to Hish the stream for accompaniment of a little melted butter, as Aine a fourteen or Hifteen yards down, the most dish as is brought to table. I know of no work favourable position being deepish water close to where the instructions are that these brains should boughs and 'rooty' banks. The bait should swim be masticated in a raw state: and if any exist, the about three or four inches from the bottom, as writer must have been wholly ignorant at the time nearly as may be, the brains being thrown in from that they would be useless, for the simple reason time to time above the swim. In this mode of that they could not be separated by the teeth into Hishing it is not advisable to bait any one swim that state of Aineness of particles necessary to form beforehand, as chub are shy Hish and it is seldom the most tempting ground bait—if that can be that more than two or three can be taken out of called so that does not sink—that was ever offered the same place without scaring the rest; to a chub. But as some doubt does exist upon this consequently it is better to move from place to subject, let me, for the sake oi decency, Airst remove place, throwing in a small quantity of ground bait the prejudice against this bait entering the mouth at each. By this made of Hishing the largest chub of the most fastidious. I have here a recipe from my are to be taken; and when used by skilful hands, I late friend M. Soyer, who, it will be admitted, was have known a punt well to be half Hilled with Hish.
not altogether an unaristocratic gastronome: 'Lay The following correspondence on the the brains in lukewarm water to disgorge, then subject of ox brains and pith as bait, took place carefully take off all the skin : put about a quarter some years ago in the columns of the Field, of a pound of butter in a saute-‐ pan, rub all over between 'Greville F.' and the editor. As the the bottom, cut the brains in slices, lay them in the correspondence, besides giving some valuable pan, and season according to liking. Many prefer hints, presents the pros and cons of the question the brains as a dish by itself, plain boiled, and in a picturesque way, I here quote it.
merely Alavoured with salt, pepper, and perhaps a slice of lemon.' Here, then, we have the luncheon Sir—In reply to' E. R.,' in notices to correspondents prepared for the chub, minus the condiments. They in last week's Field the following paragraph are not raw, as stated, but scrupulously cleaned appears: 'We never used it, as one of the Airst and skinned. Many a poor man gets a worse dinner, directions given by those who use it is to chew it and there are well-‐fed Aishermen on the Thames—
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provide accordingly, or you may Aind yourself brainless before half the day is over.
-‐-‐ Greville F.
[The process of chewing ox-‐brains, whether cooked or raw, and sputtering them into the water all day long for ground bait is certainly (at least in our opinion) one which might raise an objection to the use of such a bait on the part of any angler troubled with the slightest feelings of delicacy in the following of his amusement. Perhaps we are over-‐
fastidious, but we cannot help thinking that, even at the expense of a slight reduction in the weight of our bag, we should prefer some other bait. We fancy we know something about chub Eishing, having made some tremendous bags of them in our time; and if chub are in the least inclined to feed, we do not believe that the superiority of brains over greaves or cheese, &c would be so great^s to make it worth our while to undergo such a process. We might like to eat ox-‐brains cooked; we cannot say, however, for certain, as we never tried them. We do like sweetbreads, for example, but we might have a well-‐
founded objection to chew them and spit them in the water all day. It is perhaps a matter of taste after all, and 'Nottingham George' and the renowned 'Bendy,' though no doubt capital Eishermen, are hardly the Mentors whom we should select to instruct us on a matter of that kind. As regards the question of cooked or raw, we certainly have seen it recommended that they should be masticated raw, and we well remember that precisely the same objection was raised to them as we have made. We believe that a short correspondence embracing these points took place in the Field some years ago; and we well recollect, that the answer of the advocate for chewing the brains raw was that 'they were very sweet.' As we have said, we never used them, having an objection to them, as already expressed; and perhaps it would have been better to have simply chronicled our want of experience, instead of adding thereto the reasons for it. We fear that even now, when we do know they are to be cooked, that want of experience is likely to continue, unless, indeed, our friend 'Greville F.' has any sympathy with the puntsman whom he quotes, and would really like to do the masticating and blowing part of the process for us; in which case we will test the infallibility of the bait with the greatest pleasure.
— Ed. Field.]
under a shrewd suspicion that, when they recommend brains, it is one word for the chub and two for themselves. My only personal objection to their use is dental; and if it be so in others, they must choose their Aishermen like a horse, by his teeth. When Colonel S. Airst saw 'Nottingham George' go through this process, and witnessed the cargo of chub that was brought to punt by its application, he is said to have astonished the company at dinner at the palace in the evening by accounting for his fatigue with the statement that, while he was Aishing, a man in the same punt 'blew out his brains'—the surprise being only allayed when his friends were assured that the fellow did it for his living. In using brains, the essential is that the particles should be so minute that they should be capable of being extensively dispersed upon the water. If too large, the chub would be satisAied with this gratuitous offering, and not come to the hook—Master Chub being somewhat like the guest of Count BeauAlitte, an eminent gourmand of Louis XIV.'s reign, who, objecting to the fricassde not being sufAiciently minced, was answered, 'Oui, je pense la denture de mon chef actuel n'est pas si bonne que celle de mon dernier.' But what is ' pith'? This is simply the spinal marrow of the ox, which requires some little skill to manipulate for the hook, and is the bonne bouche of the repast, the brains being but an appetising whet or preparation. It will be found that after the pith is taken from the vertebrae it possesses two skins. The outer one, which if boiled would be too tough for the hook to penetrate, is removed by Airst cutting the tube the entire length on one side with a sharp pair of scissors, and then with the Ainger and thumb pulling it off the pith, which is now perfectly white, but when boiled for a few minutes the inner skin becomes brown, and is then consistent enough to hold on to the hook. This is, perhaps, the most killing bait for chub in the winter months, even when the snow is on the ground, that has ever been discovered. 'The Angler's Instructor' on this head says: 'Bullock's brains, when nicely cleaned and cooked, are as white as a curd, and fully as sweet to eat as sheep's brains. The renowned " Bendigo" when he goes chub Aishing
—and he is no novice at this game— takes half a hatful with him, and he is obliged to chew the brains before he throws them in; nor can he prevent, as he says, a portion going down his throat, they are so sweet : so, you see, he Aishes with one part and swallows the other. Two heads of brains are quite sufAicient for a day's chub Aishing.' If, however, you have an epicure in the punt with you, it may be well to FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
Hollywood Goes Fishing
This month in 1000 Words we continue our "Hollywood Goes Fishing" theme with a great studio
photograph of starlet Leila Hyams. Hyams was one of those silent film stars who transitioned
into talking pictures. Beginning in 1924, she began as a supporting character in silent films but
by the late 1920s had graduated to speaking leads. In 1930, she co-starred with Robert
Montgomery and Wallace Beery (both ardent anglers) in The Big House. She retired from films
in 1936 but remained active in Hollywood as the wife of noted agent Phil Berg. Here she poses
for a studio still ca. 1930 with an Ocean City surf reel.
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LETTERHEADINGS
with Jim Jordan
F i s h i n g T a c k l e C o m p a n y Letterheads often turn up with content discussing the availability of their companies catalogs. Many times company letterhead are included with the catalog when mailed. These letterheads tend to have a format of bland content which usually includes an introduction to that years catalog, a request for an order and a thank you.
This 11/9/21 Weber Letterhead is much more interesting than those letterhead which are typically associated with tackle company catalogs.
The beautifully colorful outdoor Ely Eishing scene and the letters content makes this letterhead really enjoyable. It even has an illustration of Oscar Weber's signature spider web in the lower left corner. The spider web would be found on Weber packaging for many years to come.
Weber's opening words signify the beginning of the Weber Life-‐Like Fly Company. He goes on to discuss his product line and packaging. I Eind it amazing that Weber was offering six grades of Trout Elies and Eive grades of 620
Bass Elies in his Eirst catalog. I would love to see a sampling of the different grades for comparison. Weber mentions that his catalog will be available January 1. That would make 1922 the Eirst year for a Weber Life-‐Like Fly Company catalog. I have never had the pleasure to see a 1922 Weber catalog. I bet it is beautiful. An article in a 1921 Sporting Goods Journal describes the Weber catalog as having 32 pages and included detailed illustrations of silk worm gut, also, over one hundred illustrations, showing trout, bass and salmon Elies in natural colors. The article also stated the catalog would be offered to jobbers and dealers upon request.
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PERT WEE
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T h e f o l l o w i n g kind, fully mounted with passage comes from snake rings and brass C e y l o n M a r i n e a n d r e e l @ i t t i n g s , a n d Estuary Fishing: Notes measuring, say, 12 to 15 on a Neglected Pastime feet (mine are 14 ft.), b y A . H . P e r t w e e c o s t a b o u t R 1 0 a t (London: Caper & Sons, Allahabad, or one-‐eighth 1907), a nifty account of of what you would have Bishing in India around to pay for a new English the turn of the twentieth salmon rod of the same century. It's particularly size. I have found that for interesting because of spinning purposes, they its reference to a hollow are not only lighter than rod -‐-‐ and its emphasis English rods, but are on the importance of a A T.P. Luscombe & Co. spinner marked Allahabad dating from m u c h q u i c k e r i n one piece rod in general. the early twentieth century. I have several marked pieces of "recovering."…
Of course, the principle Luscombe tackle.
But to return of the hollow rod would to the Ringall. Like most later be fully explored in good things, it is not the 1920s and 1930s, and today hollow building quite perfect; there is ore disadvantage about it is commonplace in the bamboo Bly rod world. But that has probably lost it more admirers than all its at the time, the idea of a hollow rod was pretty good features has attracted, and that is, you must novel. I also like this passage as it references take it all in one piece. It is no good at all if you cut Luscombe, and I have several spinners marked it and make the ordinary ferule joints you've got to with his name.
take it whole or not at all.
I hear the chorus of disapproval that will When I @irst took seriously to @ishing—
greet this fact, as also the enquiries as to why it which was many years ago, and in India—the fates cannot be cut, so I will tell you why it can't, and directed my footsteps to a shop in Allahabad kept also why it needn't be. The Ringall being, as I have by a Mr. Luscombe who was, and for that matter already mentioned, hollow, depends for its strength still is, not only a true artist with rod and line, but a chie@ly on the fact that at the moment of striking, practical @ishing tackle-‐manufacturer to boot.
and during all subsequent strains, all of the rod gives, and that from tip to reel it forms a perfect A Wonderfully Cheap Indian Rod. unbroken curve. Now no jointed rod does this, for the simple reason that the parts bound by the brass Here I was introduced to a new kind of rod ferrules are kept perfectly rigid, and the under side which deserve to be much better known than they of the curve a* those points does not contract as it are, and which, in my opinion, are far superior for should do; in other words, the under half of the general all round @ishing to the most expensive joints remain the same length as the upper half, weapons made at home. These rods are known in consequently the under edge of the ferrule cuts Northern India as Ringalls, and are, I believe, the through the very thin wall of the bamboo, and a same thing as Messrs. Oakes & Co. of Madras sell bad smash-‐up follows. That is why you cannot under the name of Labeo Rods. They are a sort of successfully joint any hollow rod and retain its full bamboo reed, hollow, and very light, but of most strength.
astonishing strength and @lexibility. A rod of this 622
at each end, and tack three or four short buckled straps round it so as to form hinges on one side and fastenings on the other. You now have a case very light, strong, and perfectly safe, it will go into the guard's van if you are travelling by rail, or the smallest podian can carry it.
I have frequently carried mine in rickshaws, ticca gharies, bullock carts, and even on a bicycle, and hope to do so many a time again. If you are very particular you can have a teak case made, for out here, where none of us march for miles across country carrying our own rods as we might at home, a few pounds weight more or less is neither here nor there.
The reason why you needn't is simpler. When not, in use, hang up your rods tip uppermost, from a loop, and not from the top ring. When transporting them from place to place, or from your house to river or sea, carry them (or rather get a cooly to do so) in an ordinary bamboo carrier. These cost about one rupee each, and with ordinary care will last a lifetime. This is how to make one. Take a female bamboo, the kind used for scaffolding will do, of about, three inches diameter, and a few inches longer than your longest rod. Split it lengthwise and knock out all the joints except those OTS:
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Although the was not particularly best American 2ly rod suited for 2ishing with makers had offered a "midges" as he had few rods as short as 6-‐
originally claimed in f o o t e a r l y i n t h e his catalog. Perhaps a previous century, it degree of confusion wasn't until the 1960's w o u l d h a v e b e e n that 2ly rods under 8-‐
avoided if he had foot began to catch on instead called this rod generally. At least part the Midget.
of this trend surely had N o n e t h e l e s s , something to do with b e c a u s e o f i t s those anglers who had v e r s a t i l i t y a n d surrendered to the p l e a s a n t h a n d l i n g s i r e n -‐ c a l l o f s p i n -‐
characteristics, the 2ishing, but were now Young rod soon gained returning to their old Dr. Todd Larson landing a 12” brown on a 4’ 8” Banty made by a dedicated following, love of 2ly 2ishing. rodmaker Chris Lantzy. including the erudite W h i l e t h e y w e r e e d i t o r o f E s q u i r e serious about again m a g a z i n e , A r n o l d taking up the challenges of our ancient sport, they no Gingrich. In the angling books and articles that he longer wished to do it with their old 9-‐foot bamboo 2ly wrote on the side, Gingrich touted the Midge, and rods. They simply had become too accustomed to the shorter rods in general, with a zeal and charm that light weight and shorter lengths of their 2iberglass was dif2icult to resist. Anglers and rod makers alike spinning rods, and now wanted 2ly rods with a similar slowly began to understand that ultrashort short 2ly heft and feel. rods could well have a viable place in just about any There were three noted individuals in serious angler's battery of rods. However, as all this particular who took up their cause. On a number of was rather new to most of the makers, it took them occasions the legendary Lee Wulff demonstrated that some time to understand the requirements and to even large Atlantic Salmon could be cast to, and come up with tapers (and especially in glass) that landed, by a pro2icient angler using a 2ly rod as short were on the mark. as six foot. In Michigan, a maker of 2ine bamboo rods named Paul Young had developed a nifty little bamboo Note: The second half of this article will appear here 2ly rod that he labeled the 6'3" Midge, even though it next month.
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A "Carrier" For The Rod
Dr. Timothy P. O’Brien
BIG GAME FISHING HISTORY
with Dr. Timothy P. O’Brien
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For the past several “By the time they could be brought about to draggers. These boats were m o n t h s w e h a v e b e e n follow the trail of a hooked blue 6in or blue adapted to con8igurations discussing the development of marlin, those 6ish would have broken the line more suitable for big-‐game heavy 8ishing tackle, which and gone on their way, hardly knowing they angling, and while seaworthy, was required for angling had been hooked.”
they were not well suited for success when seeking the the purpose. These early -‐-‐Erl Roman, The Miami Herald, 1940.
large pelagic species. A 8inal i t e r a t i o n s l a c k e d t h e piece of the puzzle, adequate outriggers, towers, dual boats, skippers, crews, and tactics, were also controls, and many of the other items that would necessary for angling success. Since the large become commonplace in boats for deep-‐sea game8ish like tuna, marlin, and sword8ish dwell in angling, hampering the sport immensely. Tommy the deep waters far from shore, it became Aitken wrote in The Saturday Evening Post, “The apparent early-‐on that a proper vehicle was marlin, the sail8ish, the tunas, the makos, and required to get to the 8ishing waters, chase 8ish, many others, demand a boat sturdy enough to go and return the angler safely to port. Having an into the open sea. They demand expert guiding, adequate boat was not enough; a properly trained unless you have learned the art yourself from the and skilled crew to complement it was necessary, guides.”
as well. In the 1920s and early 1930s, there were Prior to the mid-‐1930s, often the boats some boats up to the task, but most were slow, used for tuna and sword8ish were simple cumbersome, and almost unmanageable because rowboats and dories, which were dispatched they only had a single engine. In those days one from a larger vessel. When 8ish were spotted, the engine was a particularly risky proposition when small boat would be rowed into position to traveling far from shore because they were slow present the bait to the 8ish. Once hooked, tales and un-‐maneuverable, weather could change abounded of 8ish pulling these small boats great suddenly, and radios for communication were distances. S. Kip Farrington, Jr. wrote, “He went scarce. Erl Roman wrote in The Miami Herald, “By offshore about 8ive miles, doubled right back, and the time they could be brought about to follow carried me some ten miles the trail of a hooked blue 8in or further…” Stories like this blue marlin, those 8ish would were very common in the day. have broken the line and gone While the ride may have been on their way, hardly knowing exciting, it was not practical t h e y h a d b e e n h o o k e d . ” and dangerous. The captains Further, most of the boats a n d c r e w s r e a l i z e d t h e l a c k e d t h e a m e n i t i e s shortcomings of this method necessary for any type of and began to use larger, comfort. Modern day angling powered boats for the sport. author Mike Rivkin wrote, Most of the early boats “Fishing boats of the day were used for deep-‐sea angling (L-‐to-‐R) Michael Lerner, Captain Tommy primitive affairs with few nods were boats that had been Gifford, and Larry Bagby land a 601-‐pound to comfort. The sweeping designed for other purposes, Broadbill Sword6ish with a dory. Nova Scotia, bamboo outriggers often Canada 1937. (O’Brien Family Collection)
like trawlers, cruisers, and wound up in the water, and 624
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‘the crow’s nest’ was prominent as those of little more than a s o m e o f t h e precarious perch high pioneering anglers. above the foredeck.”
M e n l i k e T o m m y O n c e b o a t s Gifford, Lloyd McNeil, w e r e i m p r o v e d , Larry Bagby, “Barrel” quali8ied crews were B o w e n , t h e C a s s n e e d e d t o B r o t h e r s ( S a m , complement them. Johnny, and Archie), These crews typically and others were the learned their trade on 8irst to go after the big the waterfront and at 8 i s h i n B a h a m i a n sea through hands-‐on waters. There they experience, being b e c a m e m o r e m e n t o r e d b y experienced and came someone with more to understand better experience. Robert t h e h a b i t s a n d M c D o w e l l w r o t e , behaviors of the great “ T u n a h a v e b e e n game 8ish, and at the c a u g h t b y g r e e n same time, changed 8ishermen helped by the sport. good crews and they I n t h e e n d , have been caught by angling success would 8ine anglers in spite c o m e f r o m a of poor crews. But for c o m b i n a t i o n o f consistently good e l e m e n t s a n d catches and frequent components. Perhaps records it takes an Michael Lerner Broadbill Sword6ish caught from a modi6ied expressed best by expert 8isherman, in commercial 6ishing boat. Nova Scotia, Canada 1938. (IGFA Ralph Whitaker in tuna 8illed waters, Collection)
S o n g o f t h e aided by a shrewd Outriggers: Big-‐game adept staff.” Fishing on the Ocean Many of these crews devised or made the Surface, “Big-‐game 8ishing is a concerted effort improvements to the boats and the methods and and becomes more pro8icient as the members of a tools for angling success out of necessity. For team, angler and crew, work together.” So, this example, Captain Bill Hatch was credited with the was the world of big-‐game angling in the early drop-‐back method of baiting making it possible to 1 9 3 0 s . W h i l e m a n y i m p r o v e m e n t s a n d hook bill8ish. One of the most enduring innovations had been made, it was still a world i n n o v a t i o n s w a s t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n a n d where it was more common to see broken tackle development of the outriggers by Captain Tommy than to see stories of record 8ish. It was still a Gifford. Originally, Gifford made them from long world where it was common to have a noble lengths of bamboo that he called, “the crudest 8ighting 8ish challenged and fought only to be lost damn things you ever laid your eyes on.” Later he to the mutilation by sharks. The challenge was would add spreaders and guy wires to stiffen clear and innovative minds created the entire them. Eventually, outriggers would be made from package: rods, reels, lines, boats, methods, crews, more durable materials like aluminum. The list of and captains to achieve angling success.
improved appliances would grow to include Next month we will begin to look at 8ishing 8ighting chairs, baits, rigs, and many other and 8ishing tackle from a more philosophical innovations.
approach.
By the mid-‐1930s, the names of some of Let’s go 8ishing!
the pioneering captains and mates became as FISHINGFORHISTORYMAGAZINE July 2013
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R.S. Stringfellow (1904)
Although the style of this poem is With jocund song, right merrily antiquated, I kind of like it. It's from R.S. They pass the time away! Stringfellow and was published in the June 1904 "I go a-‐Gishing!" Three Gishers bold Recreation magazine.
Now emulate the saints of old. I GO A-‐FISHING.
R. S. STRINGFELLOW
To mountain stream and shady nook, Afar with rod and line and hook. They make their way; through hot sunshine. To where, 'neath shady cliff and pine, Somewhere I have read of an angler,
W'ho gained a wondrous fame.
He lived in the land of Israel; St. Peter was his name. They hope, if fortune prove so kind, On speckled trout they soon may dine! So lived the saints of old! "I go a-‐Gishing," now each one said. "The spot we've reached and camp is made":
And soon beneath the cooling shade, "I go a-‐Gishing." he said one day
To his friends in Galilee; "I go a-‐Gishing." So says the Book; With boots waist-‐high, the stream they wade! The joyous time Glies all too fast. While here and there with Gly they cast; And in each boiling crystal pool Some wily trout would play the fool— Much to the angler's joy! But all too fast the moments Gly, The time has come to say good-‐bye. Rack to town and dusty street, Back to sun and sweltering heat. And off he went with line and hook,
A-‐Gishing in the sea. Since then along that storm-‐beat shore
Many a wave and billow roar; And in the rush of wave and blast Many a life has breathed its last. But still the anglers go! "I go a-‐Gishing." 'tis often said. Although St. Peter's long since dead. But the words of this reverend saint and sage, There on the good Book's sacred page, Live on and on from age to age, And still the Gishers go! "I go a-‐Gishing!" Three Gishers, this time, Will be the subjects of my rhyme. 'Twas in midsummer's sweltering days; But memory sweet shall still be mine, I'll think and sing of auld lang syne; And the good old angler of Galilee My guardian saint, I trust, will be! The sun beat down with scorching rays, When off to the West these Gishers went, With heart and mind on pleasure bent, Away to the West, these Gishers three. 626
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In vintage tackle news, Old baits still catch 4ish. Fishing tales from days gone by. And Big Lou McEachern casts a lead weight over the Astrodome. Remembering Bill Dewitt, tackle man. Field & Stream's vintage tackle of the week winner comes from Canada, while this one is a Dalton Special.
In 4ishing news of the weird, 13 year old boy charged with 4ishing tackle theft. While one angler is assaulted by gang of thugs. Is this why a 4ishing rod w a s b r a n d i s h e d a s a weapon? Thieves steal $5000 worth of tackle.
In general 4ishing news, one angler is going for most 4ish caught in 24 hours record. This is a nice g r e a t g r a n d f a t h e r -‐ a n d -‐
grandson 4ishing story, while this 5 year old is much better angler than you, catches 10 & 12 pound bass-‐-‐on the same day. A 93-‐year old angler is not ready to retire. A lead ban makes it through the New Hampshire house, which is why small tackle shops fear the lead ban. Why 4ishing with dad can be reel fun. A crowd funded electronic one-‐handed 4ishing rod is off and running. Bull sharks in the canal are no fun. An Irish story about how one grandmother fed a family on the river. A very cool cutthroat is caught in Pyramid Lake. There is always a good tackle 4ind at a garage sale. And if your planning on 627
owning an American tackle company, read this article.
In tournament 4ishing news, Dyess & Crawford bring in a big creel. Three anglers catch a record Mako s h a r k . S o m e p e o p l e , however, aren't happy with this catch, but they should read Ted Williams on the subject. Read about a generational 4ishing derby. New rods from Redington. New Texas cat4ish record on a 4ly rod. Take the IGFAs Sharks and Recreational Angler survey.
I n i n t e r n a t i o n a l 4ishing news, Jeremy Wade is jealous: local native lands 6 foot Wallago, while an orca steals an angler's catch off the line. Speaking of the devil, River Monster's Jeremy Wade gets asked the t o u g h q u e s t i o n s , a n d responds brilliantly. A new study shows the Skeena river once held 50X more chum salmon. In 4ly 4ishing news, the Dietrich Brothers are making split cane rods. Dry 4ly 4ishing hooks fathers and sons. Fly angler in Russia is living the dream. Fly 4ishing the stock market: a new book. Finally, in celebrity 4ishing news, Prince William was spotted in a Hardy & Grey's hat; world implodes. And Bloomberg TV 4inally discovers who Johnny Morris of Bass Pro Shops is, use word "avuncular" to describe him.
T H E C A S E O F T H E E A R LY E N G L I S H
Wayne LeBoeuf of New Braunfels, Texas send me the following email and pictures:
In the early seventies, my father, brother and I were guided by Rudy Grigar in the Galveston area. Rudy gave me two handmade baits that I thought he had made. After purchasing the book, PLUGGER, and reading a bit of it and doing some research, I think these baits look more like Doug English colors. They're made out of hard, white plastic and appear to be hand molded.
So, my Texas friends, are these early Doug English hand molded lures? The colors ARE reminiscent of English lures, but perhaps someone out there can ID them for Wayne. He can be reached at wjleboeuf AT att DOT net.
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D r. J . A . H e n s h a l l a s a F i s h C u l t u r i s t
By Clyde E. Drury
F I R S T P U B L I S H E D W E D N E S D AY, S E P T. 1 7 , 2 0 0 8 O N T H E F I S H I N G F O R H I S T O R Y B L O G
In 1865 while working as a medical doctor in New York, Henshall began studying the scienti>ic and life history of >ishes as a means of rest and relaxation. His study of the writings of all the leading ichthyologists of the day served him well in the scienti>ic section of his “Book of the Black Bass.” It was there that he established priority for the scienti>ic names gives to the largemouth and smallmouth bass.
When he moved to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin he began to study the >ish up close. He stocked a pond on the property with adult bass and studied their breeding, spawning, and feeding habits for several years. He also studied the bass in several other nearby lakes and another hatchery run by Colonel George Shears of Beaver Lake.
The months of February, March, and April, 1889, were spent by Henshall in making an ichthyologic exploration of the southern coast of Florida, together with the U.S. Fish Commission schooner Grampus. During the months of January, February, and March, 1892, he was engaged in collecting a series of the salt-‐water >ishes of Florida for use in preparing the exhibit of the U. S. Fish Commission at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893.
Some key dates in Henshall's >ish culture career:
1886-‐1892 – secretary and then President of the Ohio Fish commission
1891-‐1892 – President of the American Fisheries Society
1897-‐1909 – for 12 years Superintendent, Bozeman Montana Hatchery, US Fish Commission
1909–1917 – Superintendent of Tupelo Mississippi Hatchery
Here is a brief list of works written by Henshall on the subject of >ish culture:
Henshall, James A., Dr. "Contributions to the Ichthyology of Ohio: No. I." Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History 11 (July-‐October 1888): 76-‐80.
629
Henshall, James A., Dr. "Contributions to the Ichthyology of Ohio: No. 2." Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History 11 (January 1889): 122-‐126.
Henshall, James A., Dr. "On Some Peculiarities of the Ova of Fishes." Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History 11 (July-‐October 1888): 81-‐85.
Henshall, James A., Dr. "Some Observations on Ohio Fishes." Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History 12 (January 1890): 114-‐125.
Henshall, James A., Dr. -‐ Report Upon A Collection Of Fishes Made In Southern Florida During 1889. 4to. Pages 371-‐389. 1891. U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries. Document 167. Washington DC. Extracted from the Bulletin Of The United States Fish Commission, Volume ix, For 1889. Henshall, James A., Dr. -‐ Notes On Fishes Collected In Florida In 1892. 8vo. 15 pages. 1894. U.S. Fish Commission Bulletin for 1894, Article 17. Softbound. Washington DC. Reprinted 1987.
Henshall, James A., Dr. -‐ A Plea For The Development And Protec¬tion Of Florida Fish And Fisheries. Taken from Proceedings And Papers Of The National Fishery Congress held at Tampa Florida, January 19-‐24, 1898. Ex¬tracted from U. S. Fish Commission Bulletin for 1897. Article 8, pages 253 to 255.
Henshall, James A., Dr. -‐ A List Of The Fishes Of Montana With Notes On The Game Fishes. 8vo. 12 pages. 1906. University of Montana. Missoula MT. A descriptive paragraph on Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. Indicates that Bass had been planted in the western portion of the state where the waters were warmer. He also says “The colder waters of the eastern part of the state are totally unsuited to black bass; moreover, they should never be planted in ponds or streams containing trout.” Four pages are devoted to trout, and grayling with a short paragraph on the Rocky Mountain whiteeish. Reprinted 1985.
Henshall, James A., Dr. -‐ Culture Of The Montana Grayling. 4to. 7 pages. 1907. Fisheries Document #628. U. S. Dept. of Commerce and Labor. Washington DC. Softbound.
T H E
F R I D A Y
F U N H O U S E
T H E F R I D AY F U N H O U S E
J U N E
2 0 1 3
06.24.13 Herbert Hatton of Britain Fly Rod FVP: $89.99
630
06.07.13 Unknown British Bait FVP: $491.87
06.12.13 Ford Fender Collection FVP: $172.19
06.08.13 Tycoon Fin Nor Glass Trolling Rod FVP: $308.11
06.10.13 Playfair of Scotland Fly Reel FVP: $200.00
631
06.09.13 Heddon Punkinseed
FVP: $1225.90
06.13.13 Shakespeare Glass Minnow Traps FVP: $585.75
06.10.13 Pflueger Sea Shell Spinner
FVP: $443.00
06.08.13 Heddon Musky 350 FVP: $355.01
632
06.12.13 Inuit Fishing Lure FVP: $305.00
06.09.13 CCBC Musky Wiggler FVP: $1225.00 RNM
633
06.14.13 Nat Uslan / Airex spinning rod FVP: $204.50
06.16.13 Heddon 740 Punkinseed FVP: $192.41
06.15.13 A&F Phillipson Passport FVP: $223.49
06.17.13 Winston 7' Fly Rod
FVP: $1527.50
06.22.13 Penn Catalog #11 FVP: $230.00
634
06.19.13 3 Tins Marked "Maggots, Baits, Worms" FVP: $47.00
06.15.13 Heddon Dummy Double
FVP: $318.00
06.16.13 1927 Sports Afield FVP: $510.00
06.16.13 Air-Fed Minnow Bucket FVP: $174.50
635
06.14.13 Pflueger 4 Bros. Underwater Minnow FVP: $228.16
06.15.13 3 Crazy Crawlers FVP: $350.00
06.23.13 Unmarked Birdcage Fly Reel
FVP: $610.00
636
06.23.13 Wagtail Chub in Goldfish FVP: $128.49
06.23.13 Bagley DB3 FVP: $666.77 RNM
06.21.13 Piro's Water-Whacker FVP: $248.49
06.29.13
Shakespeare #7715 Glass
Minnow Trap
FVP: $229.49
06.20.13
Heddon 150
FVP: $871.00
637
06.22.13 Cabo Blanco Ashtray
FVP: $399.00
06.27.13 Farmer's Corpus Christi FVP: $429.24
06.23.13 Pink Princess FVP: $110.00
06.23.13 Wright & McGill Baby Crab Box FVP: $527.99
06.21.13 K&K ANimated Minnow FVP: $213.50
06.25.13
Heddon Simson
Line Spool FVP: $67.00
638
06.30.13 3 Dolly Bobbers FVP: $164.51
06.30.13 B.C. Milam #3 FVP: $1482.57
07.02.13 Bagley World Bass FVP: $310.00
Type to enter text
06.30.13 ABU Matic #72 FVP: $380.00
06.30.13 Pflueger Kent Floater FVP: $686.86
639
06.29.13 Heddon Crazy Crawler FVP: $293.00
06.26.13 Tycoon Regal rod FVP: $256.00
07.01.13 Heddon Lucky 13 FVP: $820.00
07.04.13 Hardy St. George FVP: $1301.87
06.30.13 DAM Everready FVP: $611.00
06.29.13 Philip Geen FVP: $507.24
640
Occasionally a hand-‐made reel shows up on the internet. They often show the results of home craftsmanship; in other words, they are “crafted with mother’s loving hands” as the old saying of my grandmother would go. This home made spinning reel, however, was made in a prison in Belgrade, Serbia, and shows just an incredible attention to detail. Honestly, this reel -‐-‐ made from solid block aluminum -‐-‐ is one of the Einest bench made spinning reels I’ve ever seen. It really is a great work of machining and I’m sure it works wonderfully well. 06.29.13 home made spinning reel FVP: $288.89
641
THE AUCTION OF THE MONTH
P
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A
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The Automotive Fishing Ad
T H E
C E N T U R Y
L O N G
L O V E
A F F A I R
The long love affair between the automotive and airline industries and 5ishing has reached into its second century. From the very beginning -‐-‐ when cars 5irst became mass consumer products at the turn of the twentieth century -‐-‐ companies touted the freedom that the automobile (and the motorcycle) gave the driver to explore the great outdoors. For this reason, many early sporting magazines carried an “automotive” section, and many automotive stores carried 5ishing tackle. S&M Auto Parts, Western Auto, Oklahoma Tire and Supply Co., and others became staples of the tackle trade.
As the industry matured, 5ishing became a standard theme in the advertising of everything from luxury automobiles to airlines to gas stations to spark plugs to large oil companies. As you’ll notice perusing the 5ifty plus full page advertisements, the motif that emerges most often is that 5ishing a wholesome family activity. B E T W E E N
A N D
F I S H I N G
Thus, the sport of angling could not have had a better, or more powerful, proponent than some of the largest companies in world history, including Ford, Chevrolet, Esso, Mobile, American Airlines, and others. These major companies, all of them served by the largest advertising 5irms on Madison Avenue (including Young & Rubicam), also worked with some of the leading sporting artists of the day. Thus everyone from legendary pinup artist George Petty to Saturday Evening Post icon Norman Rockwell painted 5ishing advertisements published in all of the leading journals of the day, from McCall’s to Cosmopolitan to Country Life in America. This is the 5irst of a four-‐part series on the 5ishing advertisement in American culture.
1923
1912
642
C A R S
1931
643
1935
1936
1931
1937
1937
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1945
644
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645
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647
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648
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649
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654
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656
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2011
658
1993
FISHING FOR HISTORY
ADVERTIS ING S ECTION
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
FEATURING THINGS OF INTEREST
TO READERS OF THE BLOG!
Advertise Here For Free (In Most Cases)
As you may or may not know, despite
the (relative) success of the Fishing for
History blog, I do not take advertising
on it. However, this does not mean I
think it is a bad idea. This is why I
created this special section so that
people can let all of us know about a
CUSTOM TACKLE MAKERS FREE!
particular product, service, or book
they’ve created. Authors who have
written books will get a free quarter
page advertisement; tackle makers
(rod, reel, lure, misc.) can also get a free
ad (contact us for details). Show hosts
get free advertising. Tackle dealers and
SHOW ADVERTISING FREE!
other fishing-related services are
welcome to contact us for details about
potentially advertising their wares in
the Fishing for History magazine. If you
are interested in learning more, feel
f re e t o c o n t a c t u s d i re c t ly a t
[email protected].
BOOK AUTHORS FREE!
Noted blogger and fly fishing writer Erin Block just had to make a bamboo fly rod from scratch. As she writes:
Although I couldn't put my finger on just why, exactly. This, unlike most emotions regarding fly rods, wasn't a want, it was a need. To find out for myself why people fish bamboo, and why when they do, it verges on a religious experience. And also, to discover why, in a society that measures worth from profit and efficiency, do people still build bamboo rods. Bamboo rod makers appeared to take the long way around -‐-‐ putting more miles on the odometer, so to speak...But as I came to find out, they also happen to have very rich eyes, and very full hearts. And as George Black writes.."Once they've put down roots, they tend to become trees."
What resulted is a personal, passionate, and unique journal of not just how a bamboo fly rod is made, from culm to varnish, but the motives of the people who make such works of art. The View from Coal Creek is a reflection on fly rods, fishing, and life seen from the vantage of a canyon in Colorado, but these are props in a larger story about life, love, and tradition. Erin Block is a young, powerful voice carrying the torch and passing on lessons, values, and history of this great, literary and vibrant sport.
If you love fly fishing, bamboo fly rods, and the long way home -‐-‐ you will love this book. WHITEFISHPRESS.COM or AMAZON.COM
Bill Plummer (1922-‐2007) was one of the greatest bass fisherman who ever lived. His influence on the sport is great; Alex Langer, inventor of the Flying Lure, calls him "one of the quiet fathers of modern fishing," and his best-‐known lure, the Super Frog, is considered on the finest fish-‐catching baits ever invented.
Yet the actual fishing philosophy that Bill Plummer espoused-‐-‐and more importantly lived-‐-‐has been revealed only to a few close confidants. Here, for the first time, the Reverend Norman Helm (a friend and fishing companion of Plummer's) details Bill Plummer's bass fishing philosophy, from equipment to weather and everything in between. This book will be a revelation to new bass anglers, but even old hands can learn much. For Bill's philosophy was not just about catching more and bigger fish, it was a philosophy of life.
In this book you will meet the Magic Man-‐-‐and if you take to heart what it can teach you, your fishing, and life, will be improved.
The book includes an outstanding foreword on the life and legacy of Bill Plummer written by Thomas P. Fusco, author of the acclaimed The Complete Guide to Bill Plummer Lures and the Vintage Tackle of Harrison Industries, available from The Whitefish Press.
WHITEFISHPRESS.COM or AMAZON.COM
THE HISTORY OF THE L&S BAIT COMPANY
by Stephen L. Lumpkin
ABOUT THE BOOK
This definitive history of the L&S Bait Co. – the
second volume in the History of Illinois Fishing Tackle
– began as a simple continuation of historian
Stephen Lumpkin’s first book, The Jointed River
Minnow. After several months of research, he
determined that this book would be an enormous
task that needed to chronicle the history and
document all of the products of a company that was
at times the largest fishing lure maker in the world.
The result of Mr. Lumpkin’s efforts is A Million
MirrOlures. The reality is that L&S sold many, many
millions of MirrOlures, and this 220 page reference
book covers all of them. It sets new standards on
books that are devoted to documenting the history of
fishing tackle. It includes the Harold LeMaster story,
the inventor of the Shiner Minnow that began in
1937, the start-up of L&S in 1946 in Kankakee/
Bradley, Illinois, the story of the partnership between
LeMaster and Phil Shriner, the beginnings of the
MirrOLure, the start up of the Florida operation in
Clearwater in 1951, and many fascinating facts about
the 63 year period from 1937-2000. This is just the
first part of the book.
In Part II, the collector reference section of the
book, Lumpkin covers all of the models produced
(over 150 different models and sizes) and shows over
one hundred and sixty colors produced during this
time period. Dozens of incredibly detailed charts and
illustrations help the collector identify product and
learn more about when and for how long it was
made. Over 500 full color, high quality photographs
are a major part of this book and add to the overall
impact of the fishing tackle made by an impressive
and world class fishing tackle company still in
business today.
BOOK DETAILS
8.5" x 11" Softcover * Full Color Throughout * 500+
Images * 220 Total Pages * $44.95
Available from:
whitefishpress.com and Amazon.com
O
R
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A
The Old Reel Collector’s Association
PETER LELLOS’
HEDDON ZIG WAG PAGE
W E WA N T Y O U !
http://zigwag.weebly.com
Join ORCA at http://orca-online.org/
JOE NELSON’S
BOX REPAIR
DEAN SMITH’S
TACKLE TREASURES WEB SITE
FOR ALL YOUR REEL AND LURE BOX
REPAIR NEEDS!
http://www.tackletreasures.com
http://www.joesoldlures.com/spt/joe_nelson.htm
O
R
C
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The Old Reel Collector’s Association
EBAY CONSIGNMENTS?
CONTACT TOM JACOMET
[email protected]
W E WA N T Y O U !
Join ORCA at http://orca-online.org/
WANTED: Information and/or photos about
historical tied flies and fly tiers for book on
subject. Please contact G. Buckley Juhasz at
[email protected]
JOE NELSON’S
BOX REPAIR
DEAN SMITH’S
TACKLE TREASURES WEB SITE
FOR ALL YOUR REEL AND LURE BOX
REPAIR NEEDS!
http://www.tackletreasures.com
http://www.joesoldlures.com/spt/joe_nelson.htm
THE NATIONAL FISHING LURE
COLLECTOR’S CLUB
JEFF HATTON BAMBOO FLY RODS
http://www.gnomishrodworks.com/
THE WORLD’S LARGEST TACKLE
COLLECTING RESOURCE
JOIN TH E NF LCC
http://www.nflcc.org
BEN WRIGHT’S
SPINNING REEL
REFERENCE &
VALUE GUIDE
$59.95 (plus shipping)
and available only from
the author at:
[email protected].
QUESTIONS?
Email for order details.
Email Dick Braun, the Zebco Guy, at:
[email protected]
JOHN ETCHIESON -- LINE SPOOL COLLECTOR & HISTORIAN
If you have any questions or comments on line spool and their history, or any rare spools for
sale or trade, contact me at [email protected]
NOW SHIPPING
FROM THE WHITEFISH PRESS
8.5” x 11”
334 Pages
Softcover
$44.95
The Definitive Book on The Rinehart Jinx!
NOW IN STOCK!
Don’t miss out this time around!
Get yours before it sells out!
order at whitefishpress.com
The Whitefish Press
www.whitefishpress.com
The Voice of Fly Fishing’s Past, Present and Future
From well-known fly fishing authors like Mike
Valla and Hoagy Carmichael Jr. to exciting new
names like Bill Lambot and Perry Palin, The
Whitefish Press strives to publish vibrant voices
that are in step with the great tradition of fly fishing
literature. With over 30 books available on
everything from Catskill Dry Flies to bamboo fly rod
history, you’ll find unique, fascinating, and thrilling
works on fly angling throughout our catalog.
Our books are available from
whitefishpress.com, Amazon.com, and finer book
and tackle stores. We are always interested in
hearing from prospective authors and look forward
to publishing many more quality fly fishing books!

- The Whitefish Press

Transcription

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