Folk Art Month: Reader Favorites!

Today we turn folk art over to the readers! And let me tell you, I was blown away by the submissions.

We start with two of my favorite collectors, Sally & Dale Dalluhn:

SALLY & DALE DALLUHN

From the Sally and Dale Dalluhn collection, found in Antique store in Madison, Wisc. Maker from Madison and fished Hayward in the forties



Next we have some selections from Dave Hoover, who needs no introduction and shares some great folk art ducks:

Folk art month, I like that...My folk art collection is nearly intact…




Otto Bishop submits some incredible baits. Here are three from his great collection:

The fist is a photo of underwater minnow made by Frank Miller circa 1912. He was a sign painter from Ohio. It has everything going for it from wonderful patina, 4 lead belly weights, hand made front prop, large sweeping gill marks, wonderful wood tail, hook hangers are of Pflueger design.


The 2nd pic is a musky size wood mouse made by HERMAN FISCHER USA. The wood is butternut, and i have to say this mouse has testicular fortitude. Circa on this piece is 1930s.



The last pic is a grouping of ( KING ) lures made by Ed Slominski. Ed made many different styles and he fished only his creations exclusively. Ed's lures are simply fascinating, i never tire of looking at them, Circa on the King lures are 1935 - 1965.



Next we get a selection of great baits from Gary Henderson:

Here is a group of 6 crawdad lures made by kenneth trader in kansas city. a couple of these lures are in the dudley murphy/rick edmisten book "fishing lure collectables". he is credited with making lures from the 1930's untill he died in 1984. one of the lures i have in this group was probably the last one he made as he used the dog collar licence from his dog that died in 1984 for the diving bill and it has the date on it. these came from his tackle box when he died along with several other of his lures. very detailed carving work and the one has legs and feelers cut from rubber. one of the lures in dudleys book is the "ray scott" lure as mr. trader was friends with mr. scott when he started b.a.s.s. and carved the lure in 1965.


We follow this with a submission from Bruce Berry of Montana. Bruce had so many great baits I wanted to run a separate post about his collection a bit later, but for now we'll take a look at three of his selections:

I have been collecting tackle for about 30 yrs, and have always been most interested in the home made stuff. I am gathering up some of my collection for a display in our local museum, and I thought if you are interested I could photograph it while I have it all in one spot. I don’t know any other collectors, so I have never had a chance to show it off. The photos here are some I had sent to a guy a while back. The first two are of stuff my grandfather made in the 20s and 30s. The other is of some of the larger lures I’ve gathered up over the years. I have lots more lures and some other oddball stuff: a halibut rod and reel made from an old pool cue, or an ice fishing sled/seat made from an old Pepsi crate.





We follow this with an incredible selection of baits from the scholar and collector Doug Bucha. Here are his selections:

One of the best clothes pin lures I've ever had.


This frog came my way some thirty years ago. It was carved by a well known carver from South Bend in the 1920's.


Two nice folk art fly rod lures setting on top of a folk art line dryer carved by some fisherman from the top of a Heddon wood box. Different !!


Nice little fly rod lure that is based on a Heddon Crazy Crawler, only 1-1/2" long. This lure comes from Harold Dickert. Harold bought this at the Niles Riverfest a few years ago.


This one has a Heddon body and hardware but the head is made of "cork". Something different.


This is a picture of some of my other folk art lures. The best thing is the hand made canoe paddle carved by a divinity student at the University of Notre Dame in the 1930's. Note the carved design on
the side of the paddle.



Noted collector Mike Rolf gives us his selections and they do not disappoint!

this one is included in one of my favorites found here in ohio just a dandy of an early painted fly tackle box probebly dates 1930s


here is another favorite in the reel section just a wonderfully butter smooth all wood ( all ) reel fantastic patina dating 1900



straight from the ice, these wonderful early 1900s ice fishing tip ups from upstate NY in the arrow form retain most of the mustard yellow paint with the other one a more blue green . the fish tip up is from wisconsin and dates mid 50s.


here is my early musky bull frog , solid wood body with leather legs and bead eyes . this frog large from dates ealy 30s.




WOW! Thanks for all the submissions. It's been an amazing month so far!

-- Dr. Todd

Thursday Review: Jeff Kieny's Vintage Folk Art Fishing Lures & Tackle

This has been a very good year for fishing books, and it keeps getting better. The book we will look at today (as part of Folk Art Lure month here on Fishing for History) is Jeff Kieny's forthcoming work Vintage Folk Art Fishing Lures and Tackle, and it is a book I feel very close to as I both love folk art lures and I've known about this project from its earliest days.

Scheduled to be published at the end of the month by Schiffer Books, Kieny's work is one that has been noticeably absent from the collecting world for over two decades. Back in the late 1980s an author (a doctor who's name escapes me) wrote a nice article in the NFLCC Gazette lamenting the fact there had been no significant research on folk art lures, while folk art spearing decoys and duck decoys were thriving. Little was done to fix this glaring problem in the ensuing 25 years.


Our complaining can stop now, as Kieny has given us exactly what we have needed for decades: a comprehensive and attractive overview of all things related to folk art lures. Starting with a detailed definition of what exactly folk art is, he delves into the details necessary for this category to mature: identification, evaluation and pricing. Just because something is old and hand-made does not make it folk art, nor does it make it valuable.

Yet one of the things I admire most about this category of lures is that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Jeff shows off a veritable smorgasbord of wonderful lures, reproduced in full color and often to exact size. From tiny fly rod lures to massive musky baits, the ingenuity and originality of the artist are on display at all times. Anyone who's read his book Patented Hooks, Harnesses and Baitholders knows that Jeff is an excellent researcher, and this, too, is evident throughout the book.

I honestly believe that this book belongs on every tackle collector's book shelf, not just because I want the book to do well so Schiffer will publish other books on vintage tackle, and not just because Jeff is a friend. Every collector should get a copy because it will remind them that the items they own and covet in their collections were owned by honest-to-God unique individual human beings, who sometimes modified their lures (there's a whole chapter on fishermen modified baits), tried to make their own if they couldn't afford one or if they thought they could improve it, or just wanted to try something different.

I only have two small quibbles. First, there are a lot of lures shown from one particular folk artist, Burt Errett. I would have liked to have seen his lures (scattered throughout the book as they are) organized into a single chapter. Second, I wish there was a list of known fishing lure folk artists and their region or state of origin so we would have a starting point for trying to ID unknowns found in the wild. But these are tiny problems in the ocean of delight that is Jeff's book.

You see, fishermen in their own ways are all folk artists, to various degrees. Jeff Kieny's book reminds us of this, and implores us--for the first time--to appreciate and celebrate their art.

Vintage Folk Art Fishing Lures and Tackle is a full size, 240 page hard cover book containing over 700 full color photos.  Schiffer Books is projecting a late June release.  Signed copies of the book should be available at the NFLCC Nationals from Jeff, or you can contact Jeff at jeffsfishin AT sbcglobal DOT net. It may also be pre-ordered directly from the publisher by phone (610) 593-1777 or electronically via their website for $49.99 plus shipping.  

-- Dr. Todd

Folk Art Month: Jeff Kieny's Favorite Folk Art Lures, Part 2

June is Folk Art Lure Month Continues! Thanks to everyone who sent in folk art, we'll feature them in a couple of weeks….

In honor of Jeff Kieny's forthcoming Folk Art Lure book (look for a review in just one week right here), I asked Jeff if he would pick out some items from his book that he really loved.



Here is part two of his choices.

Hammered Musky Beaded Spoon: This great lure is ca. 1920’s – 3-1/4”x2” hand cut, formed and hammered metal alloy spoon with a series of precisely cut openings along its centerline to receive and ‘seat’ 5 fancy glass beads.  Attached wire leader and hand-tied, rear feathered treble hook. 


Triple Jointed Surface Darter: This 5” carved, painted and varnished wood ca. 1920’s – 1930’s lure has pearl eyes, screw eye hardware all around, and body side segments that are sandwiched around flexible canvas which does double duty as joint material.  A beautifully crafted and painted lure!



Celluloid Shrimp: This attractive beauty is 3-3/4”, hand-cut formed and sewn, multi-segment celluloid body, built around a fibrous wrapped, served wire single hook ca. 1920’s – 1930’s.


Pardee/Manco Type Underwater Minnow: Wow! It is 3-7/8” shaped, painted and varnished wood ca. 1900’s.  With string-tied side hooks and 3 horizontally-mounted belly weights, this early minnow may arguably be the finest ‘copycat’ bait out there.  The hand-made, hat-shaped aluminum front and rear props are cupped and bear stampings which, among other things, imply their origin as an Ohio-based, carriage manufacturing company.  Body is wedge shaped.  Both the cupping of the props and the side mounted belly weights require substantially greater build efforts than the factory examples.



Wow is right! Thanks, Jeff. We'll take a closer look at his book next week then have a folk art fiesta in a couple of weeks! Keep sending in your folk art photos!

-- Dr. Todd

Folk Art Month: Jeff Kieny's Favorite Folk Art Lures

Remember, June is Folk Art Lure Month!

In honor of Jeff Kieny's forthcoming Folk Art Lure book (look for a review in two weeks time right here), I asked Jeff if he would pick out some items from his book that he really loved.


That, of course, is sort of like picking your favorite paintings out of the Chicago Art Institute. But when pressed, I guess I could narrow it down to a handful (Hopper's Nighthawks and Wood's American Gothic being no-brainers).

Anyway, Jeff graciously agreed, and with the permission of his publisher Schiffer, he's sent us some of his favorite pieces to look at. Here they are in Jeff's own words:

The Big Bee

This 3” chip-carved, painted and varnished wood lure is ca. 1920s. It has adhered, turkey-beard ‘wings,’ glass pin eyes, wire line tie passes through main body where, upon exiting the back, it is exposed and twisted above the striped tail segment, then secured to the body by a nail.  Its originality, character and personality abound. 


The Turtle

The turtle is 2-3/4” x 2” hand carved, painted and varnished wood, and is ca. 1930s - 1940s.  It has an embedded wire line tie, screw attached metal diving bill, steel thumbtack applied, and cut rubber legs.  The rubber tail is secured by screw eye tail hook hanger.  It is only one of two authentic hand-made, vintage folk art turtle lures the author has ever seen.



Baby Duck Lure

This 2” carved, painted and varnished wood lure with glitter accents and adhered feathers as wings is ca. 1930s – 1940s.  It has a simple, interesting ‘hump-back’ form, fixed, through-body wire hook hangers, screw-eye line tie, lead belly weight, and painted eyes.



These are three of Jeff's favorite folk art baits. What are yours? Send me an email at whitefishpress AT yahoo DOT com with two or three of your favorites, descriptions of them, and an explanation of why you love them, and we'll feature them on the blog!

Next Week: More of Jeff's Favorites!

-- Dr. Todd

June is Folk Art Lure Month!

I'm a huge fan of Folk Art Fishing Lures -- in fact I have a small grouping of folk art baits that I consider one of my favorite side collections. It's not big, but it reflects what I think is neat and cool about this often overlooked genre.

I was fortunate enough to read early drafts of a really incredible new book by Jeff Kieny--author of the awesome Patented Hooks, Harnesses and Baitholders--on the very subject of Folk Art baits. Jeff has graciously agreed to give us some "sneak peaks" at his folk art collection over the next couple weeks.

As Jeff and I have discussed on numerous occasions, while Folk Art Duck Decoys and Ice Spearing Decoys have sometimes reached $1,000,000 or more for individual pieces (at least for duck decoys), Folk Art Fishing Lures have been virtually ignored by both tackle collectors and folk art collectors alike.

No more! For the first time we will have a bible for folk art baits. I've seen this book from its earliest stages and just last week a proof copy arrived--which I'll review in due time--and I can say it gives the reader a comprehensive overview on an individual folk art lure’s quality, condition, legitimacy and value. The book is published by Schiffer Publishing, who did a wonderful job with it.



So keep a look out over the next few weeks for our little Folk Art Lure festival here on the blog! I declare June to be Folk Art Lure Month!

-- Dr. Todd

The Kentucky Folk Art Fishing Lures of John A. McCollum Sr. (1892-1977)

The Kentucky Folk Art Fishing Lures of John A. McCollum Sr. (1892-1977)

One of my all-time favorite people is my Kentucky neighbor John Caldwell. John is always in a good mood and more than willing to share his extensive knowledge, so I was thrilled at the 2010 Knoxville Nationals when he took the time to tell me about the hand-made lures crafted by his grandfather John A. McCollum, Sr. I'm always fascinated by the subject of folk art baits, and these are some really, really neat ones. I'll let John explain the background to these great lures:


My grandfather John A. McCollum Sr. (1892-1977) was born in 1892 at Climax in Rockcastle County, Kentucky. He lived as a small boy at Redbird in Clay County, Kentucky where his father operated a general store. They moved to northern Georgia after his family supposedly became involved in one of the infamous Kentucky family feuds, the Baker-Howard Feud. I know he lived in Crandall, Georgia for a while as that was where my mother was born. I remember he told me he worked for the railroad while they lived in Crandall. While my mother was still a baby they moved to Conasauga, Tennessee just north of the Georgia state line where he worked for the Conasauga Lumber Company. A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit Conasauga as I was taking my mother to visit her older sister in northern Georgia. The house they lived in is still standing and the Conasauga Lumber company is still in business. My mother said she remembered my grandfather catching rattlesnakes and keeping them in cages hung from a tree in their yard. She thought he did it because he enjoyed watching them but my uncle tells me he sold them to carnivals when they came through town. She said he spend a great amount of time fishing the Conasauga and Jacks rivers in the Southern Tennessee and Northern Georgia Mountains.

In the mid '20s he moved his family to Berea, Kentucky where he was employed as a carpenter. He was one of the founding members of Local 1270 of the Carpenters Union. He and his wife Rossie Bates McCollum raised seven children, and two of them are still living, Lowell McCollum and Lois Ann Haddix. My uncle thinks he made the lures about the time he retired, approximately 1960. I got part of the lures when I bought his old tackle box at his estate sale. After acquiring the tackle box I remembered that he gave me some lures when I first started fishing. I went to my parents house and found my old tackle box and a number of these lures were in it.

After storing the lures and tackle box in a closet for a couple of years, I got them out to look at and this started me into collecting old fishing tackle. He was extremely accomplished at making things. I can remember a toy machine gun he made me that had a small crank on it and when you turned the crank it made the sounds of a machine gun. I also have a Chinese checker board he made along with a small stair step bookcase. I am sure there are other items he handmade that are still in the family. Unfortunately his skills in making things were not inherited by me. His oldest son John Jr. was a carpenter, my father was a carpenter and my Uncle Lowell is an accomplished wood worker. I cannot even drive a nail straight.

My grandfather died in 1977 in Berea, Kentucky. Several folk art collectors have wanted to buy these lures but I see them as part of my family's heritage. I will pass them on to someone in my family's next generation and hopefully they will feel the same way.

That's the thing about folk art bait--in many ways they are priceless. These are incredible lures with a wonderful story behind them, and I thank John for sharing them with all of us.


Three nifty lures, including one (center) patterned after an early Worden spinner.


I particularly like the scale patterns on these lures.


These are just classic folk art baits.


This is one of two mechanical baits, where you pull the line and the wings move.


This is the second mechanical bait. Awesome.


Another great mechanical lure.


The entire collection.

-- Dr. Todd