NFLCC Nationals 2008, Part II

NFLCC Nationals, Part II

There is so much to see and do on the show floor that it is sometimes easy to forget the great educational displays that are put on. These displays are lugged across the country, in some cases, and require a tremendous amount of time and effort (and money) to put together--all at no benefit to their owners except the feeling that they have contributed to our greater knowledge. My hat is off to all exhibitors, one and all, for their contributions. Some of the displays were...well, mind-blowing.


Dave Erickson put this out on his table for our edification--a fake Chapman spinner. This one has the name etched on the blade, not stamped. Dave got this off eBay so beware!


Jeff Kieny's outstanding display of English hooks and hook mounts.

There were too many great displays to give them all justice, so I'll just concentrate on showing two of them in detail. One of the most amazing displays at nationals was Bob Guist's incredible collection of Phantom, McGinty, and Devon minnows. Bob's comprehensive collection is surreal it is so big; it coincided with the publication of his new book, The American Devon & McGinty, available by clicking here.







A second really amazing display was Gord Luckow's incredible Minnesota spearing decoy collection. Gordie gave me a personal tour, and I was astounded at the depth of his collection. It was really fun to learn more about spearing decoys, which is a subject of which I have very little knowledge.






There were numerous other great displays, a few photos of which will follow here.


The Best in Show was this incredible collection of Heddon Super Spooks. Pictures cannot do this justice, as it was awe-inspiring to look at.

A shot from the end gives some perspective on how big this display actually was. Simply awesome.

A nice case of made-in-Iowa baits.

Florida collectors were simply going gaga over this nifty display of Eger baits, including the coveted Victory box.

Displays need not be huge or on a large company to be comprehensive, educational, and downright neat, as this display of Johnson Automatic Strikers demonstrates beautifully.

My thanks one and all to everyone who took the time to display their collections! We are all richer for it.

Part III: My National Finds and Final Thoughts.

-- Dr. Todd