The Friday Funhouse

The Friday Funhouse
The Video of the Week: Swim Jigs for Bass



Things I Would Buy if Only I Could Afford Them
You don't see a Hastings Wilson Wobbler in the box very often.


This 1883 Edward vom Hofe reel is just delightful.


One of the hottest collectables are Tycoon tackle HRH rods.



While not the highest end item, the Carter Dunk's spoon fish was made only 50 or so miles from me, and is a nifty lure.


Scramble finish! Scramble finish!


I love the Jensen Frog Legs Kicker in the box. Such a nifty lure!



Instant Collection Alert: Rapala Mania!


The Clark Expert is a really great classic lure...


A Shapleigh/Heddon Bottle Nose bait is a super rare and cool bait.


I don't know who made this metal minnow (Gregory?) but it is sure a looker.


I've never seen a Millsite Three-Pack before!


This is a very tough Paw Paw Pike Caster.


Is this a fishing-themed crock?


What are you looking at, vacuum head?


Shark Tooth! Shark Tooth!


This Johnson Reel Peanut Bowl Stand is just what you need to ring in the holidays.



As always, have a great weekend, and be good to each other, and yourself.

-- Dr. Todd

Thursday Review: Thomas Chubb Web Site

Thursday Review: Thomas Chubb Web Site

I normally don't review web sites that don't focus on fishing and fishing history, but I did want to bring to the attention of the fishing world the nifty page put up by the Thetford Historical Society on Thomas Chubb, the legendary Post Mills, Vermont rodmaker from the Victorian era.


What they've done is put up and incredibly details--and accurate--history of this most fascinating individual. Chubb was a Confederate Civil War veteran who formed one of the most important rod manufactories in American history. He was a pioneer in mass advertising and the major employer in the area. Both men and women were responsible for working the factory floor.

The factory burned tragically in 1891, and as legend has it, the next morning Leander Bartlett of the Montague City Rod Company was standing over the smoking ruins and offering to buy the remnants and name from Chubb. He (reluctantly?) agreed and Montague rebuilt the factory, retained the name, and continued making Chubb products until the 1920s, even offering separate catalogs.


Thos. Chubb factory, as shown in numerous advertisements.
This museum web page is a model of how such a historical overview should be done. Attractive, informative, and showing off the museum's collection, it is a terrific addition to our body of knowledge on early rodmakers.

-- Dr. Todd

The First NFLCC Lure Auction by Dick Streater (1979)

Dick Streater writes in with a fascinating piece of lure collecting history...

The First NFLCC Lure Auction
by Dick Streater

In the interview we did for the Sept. Gazette, we did not cover the FIRST NFLCC lure auction by mail - sale.  It was held by me - Sept. 1979.The sale list was mailed only to NFLCC members that had previously ordered my "Bible" that came out in 1978.  I guess I figured that those folks were interested in the hobby, and would be likely potential buyers.The sale was 100% Heddon baits.
 
There were 66 different bidders - and 29 of them were buyers of one or more lures.
 
Here are some of the lures and their winning bids:
 
No.500  Multiple Metal Minnow - $105      
No. 900  Swimming Minnow - $151
 Solid Red Casting Plug w/Decal - $15      
No.51  Artistic Minnow w/Buoy - $87
 No.300 Surfusser (6 trebles)  -  $55         
No.40  Walton Feathertail  -  $36
 No.700 Muskollonge Minnow (3 Trebles) - $115    
No. 610  Coast Minnow (2.5") - $158

Wow! Pretty amazing prices. How times change. I sure would love a shot at that 700 minnow for $115...of the Surfusser for $55!

Thanks Dick for sending this in!

-- Dr. Todd

A Twenty-Pound Black Bass by T.B. Byrd (1893)

I ran across the following article in an 1893 edition of The American Angler. It features a massive Florida Largemouth Bass. How big? Well, William C. Harris--the editor of the journal, whose comments are at the end of the article--felt it was 20-22 pounds. Interestingly, he referenced two bass OVER 22 pounds, with one coming in at 30 pounds! Amazing.

A Twenty-Pound Black Bass
by
T. B. Byrd.

Being a regular subscriber to your most interesting magazine through our newsdealer here, I take the liberty of submitting to you a problem for which I have no rule, but feel certain that you have. A friend of mine who is a dear lover of the sport, and can number his large-mouth black bass by the thousand, was on a little exploring expedition, in company with anuther friend, and, after getting well down into the wilds, they came across a little lake that was a favorable place for campiug, and, while one was making camp and preparing for a night's lodging, the other went down to the margin of the lake to get a bass for supper. He had hardly made a complete sweep of the rod in passing his spinner over the surface, when a monarch of that secluded little lake was on to him, and a contest began for right of possession, and, as our friend expressed it, it was "nip and tuck." Finally, however, he succeeded in landing him, and was at once convinced that it was the largest specimen of the large-mouth black bass he had ever seen. They had no scales with which to weigh him, and it was considerable distance to any settlement, so they took their tape measure and found him to be thirty-two inches long, twenty-seven inches around belly, and spread of tail seven inches. Now the problem is, what did that fish weigh ?

[If you measured the fish from tip of snout to end of tail fin, we judge its weight to be from twenty to twenty-two pounds. This, however, does not beat the record of the "big-mouths," as one was taken some years ago that weighed twenty-three and three-quarter pounds. We do not doubt that there are black bass of this species in Florida waters that exceed thirty pounds in weight; in fact, we heard through pretty reliable authority that one was caught last season of thirty pounds.—Ed.]

So, what do you think this fish weighed?

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: 16 November 2009

One of the world's largest freshwater fish is almost extinct...first video of the giant stingray...Bernie Madoff's tackle box is auctioned off...the Sungai Skudai is still a dump...a Kayak Angler gets his own tv show...amberjack ban gets attacked...a Fisho ad man catches a monster...teenager better angler than you, catches huge fish...Diana Rudolph narrowly misses a world record...mahseer fishing in India...sturgeon fever...a truly enormous catfish...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: One of the world's largest freshwater fish teeters on the verge of extinction.


The first film of the Giant Stingray.

Would you bid on Bernie Madoff's...tackle box?

Fishing is (still) on the upswing.

In Malaysia, millions have been spent but the Sungai Skudai is still a dump.

Kayak Angler magazine writer lands his own TV show.


The skinny on my daughter's (ex) favorite kid's band: Trout Fishing in America.

An Amberjack ban is being attacked.


A Fisho Ad Man lands 800 pound monster.


Walleye Central gives lots of tips on catching the white eyes.


Products made in Northeaster Ohio: Chevy cars and reel grips.

Teen is better angler than you; catches 66 pound monster.


Famed female fly angler Diana Rudolph narrowly misses Permit record.


The Deseret News declares Indian jungle fishing is unforgettable.


In Kalomo, Zambia, a dispute over a fishing rod ends in tragedy.

Top anglers weigh in on the best fly rods.

Sturgeon Fever hits ESPN.



Finishing with a Flourish: UK's The Sun reports on one that didn't get away.



-- Dr. Todd

A Thousand Words

A Thousand Words

This is one of the best pictures we've posted in this feature to date! Thanks to Jim Schottenham.



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads with Bill Sonnett

It is not often that a manufacturer brags that their lure catches lots of small fish as well as the usually illustrated lunkers. These two ads are from October 1926 and April 1925 issues of Shakespeare Tackle Magazine which was sent to tackle dealers with promotional as well as informational writes ups as well as occasional personal advice from William Shakespeare Jr.


The T. Robb Bass Fly was named after Tildon Robb of Kalamazoo. He was an accomplished tournament caster as well as an early manufacturer of "Kalamazoo" short casting rods.

-- Dr. Todd

The Friday Funhouse

Video of the Week
In honor of all the veterans -- including my dad and other family veterans -- we give you a couple of videos of dogs greeting returning vets. And one of kids being surprised. If you aren't moved by these videos I am not sure I want to know you. Courtesy of Mental Floss.







Things I would Buy if Only I Could Afford Them
A nice Homer Jennings fly rod is a great fishing tool.


How about a classic Allcock Coxon Aerial?


A Heddon Light Six pack is the find of the week.


The Heddon 100 in Green Crackleback is an aesthetic bait.


A Jack Welch handmade bait caster? Holy moly rocky.


Sometimes a plain lure (like this Heddon 400) can still take your breath away.


Heddon week continues with this four point Spearing Decoy.


A Walter Dingley Nova #4 is a great reel.


The Eger in the Victory box is a great beat.



Check your closet to see if this Fenwick Lunkerstick is lurking in the back.


Flourescent Yellow on a CCBC Snook Pikie is a super rare bait.


Everyone likes a Chapman bait. We'd like it better with clearer photos, though.



A Thos. J. Conroy reel is a really great Victorian winch.


If Flourescent Yellow is tough on CCBC, so is Yellow Flash.


Spain made some great reels, including this Sagarra 47.


These Bingo Humps lure molds are as rare as they get.


A Falls City No. 1 minnow bucket is a terrific find.


Ah yes. The classic vintage boat seat!


A Spiral Wind in the box is one of the nicest obscure reels around.


How about this neat Kosmic fly rod?


This is the first Bill Burgess fly dope tin I've ever seen.


A Bronson Pal is a really rare reel that doesn't come to market often at all.



That's it for this week! I'll turn it over to the weekend crew. As always, have a great weekend and be good to each other, and yourself.

-- Dr. Todd

Thursday Review: ORCA Reel News (Nov. 2009)

Thursday Review: ORCA Reel News (Nov. 2009)

The always welcome Reel News, the official publication of The Old Reel Collector's Association, arrived and as always it was a great issue.

The cornerstone article of this issue is a piece by Graham Turner, the British collector who has published a revised edition of his Fishing Tackle: the Ultimate Collector's Guide. Entitled "Will this Multiplier Rewrite Reel History?" it posits a pretty bold claim that a newly found Ustonson reel will change the way we look at reel history. My personal take is that this is massively overstated, but I'll let others sort it out and I'm sure in future issues there will be much written in response to this article.

Steve Vernon returns to the pages with a great article on Sawitzke's Taffy reel in an article entitled "A Taste of Freshwater Taffy." It outlines perhaps the least aesthetic reel ever made, but one of the most interesting as well.

Bob Miller gives us another great "Pflueger Pfacts" article on the Oceanic surf reel. These work horse models were Pflueger's attempt to combat Penn, Ocean City, and Bronson in the inexpensive saltwater reel market.

My own contribution is an update to the first 25 episodes of "Reels of the Trade" and a new piece on Chicago's Mages sporting goods empire entitled "The Gift of the Mages." I've really enjoyed the five years I've spent writing these articles.

Ben Wright gives us "Another VERY Interesting Spinning Reel" in the form of the Mepps "Super Mecca." What a cool reel, and it was distributed not far from my cabin in Wisconsin by Todd Sheldon.

Stu Lawson gives us "Left Coast Tackle Shows" which cover the plethora of opportunities for those on the West Coast to get together and buy tackle.

Jim Madden's South Bend contribution this month is "The Best-O-Luck Reel" which details this mysterious South Bend trade reel. Kudos to Jim for uncovering this history.

Ed Slane returns with a profile of Ed Zorzi, Col. Milton Lorenz breaks down the South Bend 90 and 95, and Jim Schottenham gives us the always anticipated "Auction Report." A reprint of Mike Nogay's seminal article "So you want to Buy a Kentucky Reel?" fills out the issue.

If you are not an ORCA member--and why aren't you?--you can join in the fun byClicking Here. The Reel News is ably edited by Richard K. Lodge.

-- Dr. Todd

An 1880s German Split Bamboo Fly Rod!

Six months ago I wrote about the (possible) German origins of the split bamboo fly rod.

While I don't believe the split cane rod was first built in Deutschland, it is indisputable that Germany had some talented early rodsmiths. One of the rodmakers mentioned in Wilhelm Bischoff's Anleitung zur Argel-Fischerei, or Introduction to Rod Fishing (1882) was H. Hildebrand.

Now, thanks to our German friend Frank Luchsinger, we get the very rare treat of seeing a true 1880s German made split bamboo fly rod. It is a 3 piece, two tip rod and it is a real beauty. It is marked "H. Hildebrand, Muenchen" on the butt. Of course, that is the German spelling of Munich.

Frank writes:

I hope you enjoy these pictures. Any attempt to find more information on H. Hildebrand is difficult, it seems that you would have to visit Munich and physically go through Church, City, and regional records.

Indeed. Perhaps an enterprising German historian will undertake just such a project! In the meantime, enjoy a rare treat:


Full shot of the rod and its canvas sack.

Marked "H. Hildebrand, Muenchen" on the butt.

Close-up of the ferrules.

Close-up of the reel seat.

Close-up of the tips.
Thanks so much to Frank Luchsinger for sharing this with me and with all of us. What an amazing rod!

UPDATE: Frank writes: "Bottom 37", Mid 36", tip 35" Total put together 103" Weight is not stated but its heavy, probably a salmon rod."

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Connie Mack (1926)

This cool little blurb was published in the Wednesday, March 10, 1926 edition of the Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle. It combines two of my favorite things: baseball and angling. Featuring hall-of-fame manager Connie Mack in a fishing pose, it further illustrates the connection between fishing and baseball.


Connie Mack, one of the most famous baseball managers, who assembled the great Athletics, and who last season presented a new team that made a strong fight for the flag, and which will make a strong bid this season. Connie Mack takes his fishing rod for a session in between workouts of his team at Fort Myers, Fla.

Connie Mack was one of the greatest managers of all time--he was the Philadelphia Athletics skipper for 50 years--but was also an active angler and golfer. One fascinating fact about Mack was that, although he was a ten-year major league veteran, he always wore a suit in the dugout.



-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: 09 November 2009

Local students help improve local fishing...fishing attracts NASCAR drivers...Maine game wardens...Diana Rudolph...tackle boxes are not just for lures...follow birds to find fish...new angling game for Nintendo Wii...girls go nuts for salmon gear...the Orvis hydro...Goliath!...in Cornwall a new license tag on all rods...DNA test on potential record catch...the skinny on the new Hemingway movie...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: These students are working to improve local fishing.

Fishing tournament is luring NASCAR drivers.


Game Wardens in Maine have a tough job.


Diana Rudolph is following in her father's footsteps.


Deep blue anglers are having a good week.


In Jersey, the bass are biting on eels.

Heloise says tackle boxes are not just for lures.

Why you should follow the birds to find fish...

Fishing for Bluefin...from a kayak. Insane.


One man tries to catch 700 pounds in six hours.


Why boat shows are not just for boys looking for toys anymore.


A review of the Nintendo Wii's Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream game.


Kayak Angler magazine on striking redfish gold.


Britain's Daily Telegraph says that girls go for salmon tackle.


The Boy Scouts of America promote fishing to the masses.


Goliath!


Theater wizard Keith Oberfeld is a fly angler.


Sharks are in trouble so here's how you can help.

Virginia has a new record Tilefish.


The Orvis Hydros fly fishing rod.

Tie on a streamer because its Big Brown time.


Spey style fly lines.

China's Joong Ang Daily tells us that Chinese anglers are fishing for moments of peace.


In Cornwall, new fishing rods come with a new license tag.

Briton Donald Black passes away; was amateur rod maker and war hero.


This angler is awaiting a DNA test on his record catch.


Finishing with a Flourish: Anthony Hopkins to star in new Ernest Hemingway movie.



-- Dr. Todd

Dealer Display Cards, Part 17

Dealer Display Cards, Part 17

Here's a dealer display card I've never seen before--the Creek Duk, courtesy of Don Murray. Neat and very rare!



-- Dr. Todd

A Thousand Words

A Thousand Words

Another great image courtesy of Jim Schottenham.



-- Dr. Todd