Ah yes, the flea market! With the snow finally melting everywhere but Duluth, Minnesota, we are entering that season -- that favorite season -- of the flea market.
Like this one in New York state, there are always interesting tackle finds to make at flea markets across the country. I got a call last year about a collector finding a tackle box with marked spinners and spoons that could not date newer than the 1860s; there were at least thirty of them, and they were bought for a rather small sum considering everything.
Not all fishing tackle is as easy to find as the vendor above, with the neat display of Tangos and Punkinseeds. No, flea markets are definitely hit or miss, but they reward the diligent. Take the last flea market I went to in the fall of 2013. It was spottily attended as it was late in the year and the weather was dodgy. However, I spent a good deal of time looking carefully through tables full of junk, until I found a box of beat up tackle underneath one of the vendor's tables. I ended up with five reels for a solid price, including the Julius vom Hofe first model B-Ocean below (still in need of cleaning) and the German Silver Thos. E. Wilson Shakespeare trade reel, which cleaned up beautifully, below that.
So now that flea market season is upon us, hit the road and get to a few! You never know what you might find. One day I'll relate my greatest field find, which took place at a flea market …
-- Dr. Todd
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