Voices from the Past: Dixie Carroll

Those who have read this blog for awhile know that one of my favorite writers is Dixie Carroll. This article is enjoyable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it helps explain why half the lures in any vintage tackle box are red head/white body models. This is one of his early syndicated columns dating from July 1916.


Wobblers, Wigglers and Such
My Dear Buck: They are with us by. the hundreds, and even thousands, the various-shaped wooden plugs, painted in every color in the deck and then a few extra cubist daubs thrown in for luck. And here's the funny part, old chap, they all seem to get the fish, more or less, according to the expertness of the manipulator of the rod.

Although the majority of the artificial baits do not resemble any natural bait, that is, not that you could notice without first having read their pedigrees, through some inexplainable reason the fish strike them, and as they generally have hooks galore, even the beginner has no difficulty in hooking his fish; fact is, many times the fish hooks itself. Of course you'll have to jot this down in your dream-book, "Hookin' 'em doesn't always mean landin' 'em."

What Makes 'Em Do It
Probably when a highly cultured bass sees one of these gloriously decorated affairs splash in his home grounds he up and makes a dash at it in anger at the rough-neck intrusion of the queer-looking object, or perhaps strikes it in pure cussedness ; egged on by the wonderful movements of the little demon in its wobble back home to the caster.

How they ever dug the big bunch out of the woodpile and got away it is the eighth wonder of the world. More power to ‘em. What would a fellow do if he couldn’t browse around among a bunch of new ones and select a few to take along on each trip and try them out on the unsuspecting fish. Every time you get a new selection you have a sneaking idea that you have perhaps al last found the “killer” you are always on the lookout for.

You can get them shaped like a minnow or fashioned after a chunk of pork and they are sometimes armed with a spinner fore and aft, while in the last few years plugs resembling nothing in particular have been put temptingly before the eyes of the fishermen and touted as one of the best of the season. Some of them don’t look like fish feed, but they have a little groove, flute or curve that makes them fo a Turkish dance through the water that even an oldtime “he bass” falls for.

You Never Can Tell
You never know what you can do with one of these dippy, diving, wobbling wonders ‘till you try it and then all the advance dope and traditions of that particular bait may go to smash in one afternoon’s fishing and new victories in an entirely different line of fishing be pegged up to its credit.

To illustrate the point, old man, at the opening of the season I took a flyer at bass. It had been cold and rainy, with high waters, and the bass were quiet an far-offish. My tackle box was decked out with a collection of lures guaranteed to make any bass nervous, jealous, or fighting mad. The bass sure were off their feed, both in color and shape. Nothing seemed to coax them out of the wet. I snapped on a South Bend Bass-oreno bait, all white with a red head, and tried that as an enticer. Nothing doing with the bass, but I had as nice a piece of wall-eyed pike fishing as a fellow could find anywhere. Almost every cast brought a strike, and in the afternoon’s casting this little old bass lure hooked 32 wall-eyed pike, all of which were thrown back in the drink except the larger ones and that left a stringer with the limit and none below two pounds, topped with a six and a half pounder. My fishing pal and guide had the same luck with a white Wilson Wobbler with red flutes, by which he swears like a pagan. They were sure off the bass but on the pike.

The Colors They Like
As to colors, the prefernce seems to be with the white body and red head, followed by all red, all yellow, green back with white belly and rainbow, but what they take one day may be passed without a squint the next. However, with the above colors in your tackle outfit you probably can please them any day.

The luminous-painted plug, which if exposed to daylight or artificial light, glows like the dampened head of a match, makes an excellent bait for after sundown or moonlight casting. The fact that these baits float when in the water and not in motion makes then an idea lure for the beginner, especially when he puts in a session with a little old backlash. He knows his bait is floating instead of snagging, which was the habit of the “daddy” of this kind of plug, the old underwater sinker that found more snags and hook holds than a fellow thought could exist in well-regulated fishing waters.

Lures That Make ‘Em Strike
For a selection of lively artificials, the Jamison Coaxer, which is a cross between a chunk of pork and a humming bird, makes a good one to start with; the Heddon's Baby Crab Wigler gives all the moves of a crawfish going home to its mother and that sure is pie for the bass. The Wilson Fluted Wobbler, South Bend Bass-oreno and Rush Tango Minnow, all with white body and red heads, give you a bunch or dives, dips and and crawls that is hard, to beat. The Pfluegcr-Surprise minnow, Apex Bull-nose and the Jim Dandy plug have the motion of a crippled minnow, easy feed for a hungry fish.

With these baits in your tackle box, and any others that tickle your fancy, you ought to be able to slip one over on the unsuspecting fish, and at the same time have a lot of fun watching them do their dance in the water.

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: 09 June 2008

Striper fishing is addictive...how one man turned the Tackle Tube into a career...the joys of sight casting...the IGFA releases its new world records...the 18-inch fluke limit has surfcasters up in arms...the Teton Fly Reel Co. spearheads an effort to arm our soldiers with rods and reels...why polarized glasses are the most important piece of tackle in an angler's kit...Joe Sayers has invented a new bass lure...the Ultimate Fishing Watch is a dud...deliberating whether to ditch that old rod and reel...California bucks the national fishing trend...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: This Pinconning resident turned his passion for fishing into a lucrative business.


A father-son team who gets caught up in the magic of fishing.

Lures, tackle and tales in Idaho. Complete with world's creepiest fishing photo.
The addiction of striper fishing is one you won't want to kick.

Sight casting can bring some very big fish.


The IGFA has released its list of the world record catches for the month of May.

This Ohio Musky angler lands a 46 pounder.

The new 18-inch limit on fluke has surfcasters seeing red.

The Teton Fly Reel Company has close ties to Iraqi soldiers.


Nick Simonson argues that the most valuable tool in the angler's arsenal are polarized sunglasses.

Robert Spurlock of Duluth, MN catches fish every day....from his wheelchair.


Scented lures smell just like a dispute.

Announcing: Bass--the Movie.

The Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks now houses the state record catfish, in addition to the Karl White collection of Fishing Tackle.

Joe Sayers of Battle Creek, Michigan has invented a new bass lure.


The Austin Daily Herald profiles the NFLCC's Larry Sundall.

The truth on why lady bass are better fighters.

This unique fishing event is designed for disabled children.


Bob Philips is following his dream, hoping to make a living hand-crafting fishing lures.

The Watertown Daily Times recalls fondly the late Rod & Reel television show hosted by Don Meissner.

Why planing boards are good for walleye fishing.


The Miami Herald pronounces the Ultimate Fishing Watch an ultimately difficult gizmo to get working.

From the Thoughtful Files: One man finds it hard to discard an old rod and reel.

Finishing with a Flourish: A surge in interest in fishing and hunting in California is bucking the national trend.

-- Dr. Todd

6 Continents in 6 Hours

Just had to post this...within the past six hours, Fishing for History had visitors from six different continents: North America, South America (Brazil), Europe, Asia (Japan), Africa (Tanzania), and Australia. We even had visitors from sub-regions like Eastern Europe (Bulgaria) and the Middle East (United Arab Emirates).



My only question is: what's up with YOU, Antarctica? You spoiled my whole global map. So if any of you know any scientists on the frozen continent, tell them to visit my blog ASAP so I can claim all of the continents in a 24 hour period.

Just goes to show you the global reach of fishing.

-- Dr. Todd (who apparently has too much time on his hands)

Friday Funhouse

The Friday Funhouse
Video of the Week

Apparently, the fishing is pretty good near Aransas Pass, Texas.



Things I Would Buy If I Could Afford Them

The owner may be a bit testy but there is no denying this Penn 16/0 Senator is a sweetheart of a reel.


213 Rapalas, all new and all for one bid.


Heddon's Giant Runt doesn't come to market very often at all.


Instant Collection Alert: 23 River Runt Spooks, all for one bid.


The only thing you can say about this Heddon Slope Nose in the box is: WOW!


This Arjon Fighter in green has attracted tremendous interest.


This Heddon Lucky 13 spook in blue scale is a rare bird indeed.


This Bear Creek spearing decoy is one of the neatest of the factory-made models.


The Texas lure of the week is this Bingo Winged lure in a cool transparent color.


One of the really neat finds of late is this Yawman & Erbe fly reel in the box with literature.


This Jamison Struggling Mouse has tremendous eye appeal.


I love this Eger Frogskin bait with the original hang tag!


Heddon Kingfish Vamps are definitely a flashy bait.


This Vom Hofe 1941 catalog came at the very end of the firm's independence...


This is a pretty rare 1960s frog lure from Kentucky.



-- Dr. Todd

Thursday Review: Wayne Real's Ambassadeur Site

The first casting reel I ever owned was an original Ambassadeur 5000 my father bought not long after he returned from Korea. He had always been a Shakespeare fan--he had owned a number of Marhoffs which he still feels is a superior reel to the Pflueger Supreme. But the second he casted with an Ambassadeur, that was it. I don't think he has used another brand of casting reel since. He has, of course, continually upgraded the Ambassadeurs but the 6000C he has used for decades is still as serviceable of a reel as it was when he first bought it, and it still gets used every year too.


It is this kind of devout loyalty that helps us understand why there are so many people who collect Ambassadeur reels. Of all the many web sites out there, perhaps the most detailed and impressive is Australian Wayne Real's "Real's Reels" site, devoted to the world of the Ambassadeur Reel.

Wayne--the Ambassadeur of Abu--has fished these reels for over three decades and has put together an unbelievable wealth of information on all aspects of ABU, from the great reels to the history to the lures to the obscure. Pretty much everything you'd ever want to know about ABU and Ambassadeur can be found in its myriad of pages.

I have been visiting the site for a couple of years, and among my favorite things are the ABU advertising. The catalog inserts are also very cool (and rare) and offer a great glimpse at the history of this firm.

Rare ABU sign from Wayne's web site
If you are interested in ABU's this is a must have, and if you aren't than you will find out quickly why there are so many ABUholics out there. Stop in and spend an hour; you won't regret it.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Edward C. Vom Hofe on Shark Fishing

As there has been renewed interest in Ed. C. vom Hofe of late, I thought I'd contribute a bit to a better understanding of vom Hofe the angler. The following article, reprinted from a 1906 Oelwein Daily Register newspaper, gives some rather interesting insight into vom Hofe the shark angler. The author is unknown, but the source for the material in the article is given as vom Hofe himself. As an aside, of course Hammerheads are not mammals, and the devil fish is another name for the Sting Ray.

The Best of Sports
Greatest Charm for the Angler is Freak Fishing
Varies the Monotony of Ordinary Pursuit of the Finny Tribe—Taking Small Sharks with Rod and Reel
The Florida fishing season is now in full swing, and the disciples of Izaak Walton are pulling in tarpon, kingfish and jewfish in the regulation manner, but for many amateurs freak fishing has the greatest charm—to pursue devil fish with sail or motor boat or bait sharks and gaff them is much sport.

To say the least such freak work varies the monotony of tarpon or kingfish angling, affords greater danger and excitement, and occasionally leads up to that champion of sea demons—a 14-foot sawfish, which will wreck a boat if it can. Some of the carnivorous fish weigh up to 5,000 pounds, or more than two tons, at least. So says Edward Vom Hofe, of New York, an expert in such pursuits. Mr. Vom Hofe captures devil fish at Punta Rossa and southward, his largest weighing over 1,000 pounds.

He says he finds them in groups of from three to ten, floating on the surface with the tide, feeding on fish for which they seem to fly under the water with a vampire-like motion of their huge wings.
Mr. Vom Hofe's views on the hammerhead shark would indicate that it is a mammal, like the whale, rather than a fish. A female which weighed upward of 1,500 pounds, he says, when
cut open was found to have 25 young shark within weighing from three to four pounds each. The hammerheads are found on the bottom. They are baited for with fish heads, the hooks and lines being cast overboard in a churn of blood.

Mr. Vom Hofe used a small stout rope for his fish line when angling for all kinds of sharks. Attached is a brake made of rounded wood, split in twain, which prevents the rapid running of the rope from burning the hands. The rope is coiled on the bottom of the boat. When the hammerhead is hooked the boat is beached as soon as possible, and the shark is worked toward the shore.

As soon as the hammerhead approaches within distance he is gaffed and dispatched. There is no finer sport than to angle for small sharks with rod and reel and hook specimens weighing under 300 pounds. One is fairly safe in handling small sharks if armed with a good stout fish knife having six inches of blade or even a strong gaff. The main thing is to get knife or gaff home through the throat, the vital spot, before taking the fish into a boat or on a wharf, otherwise they will fiercely attack the angler and may snap off a hand or foot.

Fish bites are somewhat poisonous, and a shark bite is dangerously so. A fish in snapping the hand will often leave a tooth point under the skin causing a serious sore. Immediate cauterization is necessary for such wounds. No person should go fishing for sharks without a stick of caustic (nitrate of silver) in his pocket.

In fishing for large sharks the harpoon becomes man's good friend, and must be hurled with deadly accuracy before tbe great fish is taken aboard. In Florida the rope is passed ashore if possible, and the shark dragged to the beach, where there is room to kill him or let him die naturally. At sea the tackle is rigged to the boom and the shark hauled up to it, where his throat is
cut. The wise angler who hooks a big shark from a rowboat, with no weapon but oars, discreetly cuts the line if he cannot get his tackle ashore. A large shark will, when maddened, attack a rowboat and smash it.

Such a shark, weighing nearly 1000 pounds, would readily make kindling wood of a rowboat with his tail and jaws.

-- Dr. Todd

The History of the Finnish Minnow by Henrik Londen

My friend Henrik Londen posted this over on Joe's Board and he kindly assented to let me edit it slightly, play with the images, and post it here so that it can be visited and revisited for all time. This is an important and interesting piece, and Henrik should be thanked profusely for putting it together.

The History of the Finnish Minnow
by Henrik Londen

It started in the early 1930s when Lauri Rapala was a commercial fisherman trying to feed his growing family, Toivo Pylvalainen was a hermit who lived in an abandoned hut on an island in the middle of the lake, where he caught his fish and then went into town and sold them, often ending up consuming all the proceeds in the local tavern.

He knew his lures caught fish and sold some to the local cottagers and city folk who came to the lake in the summer. He also tested the lures in the shallow waters to see that they swam correctly, and the ones that were not good in his opinion he sold to people he disliked.

In a 1937 entry from a local fishing club, there is mention of Pylvalainen lures and how they catch fish.

Toivo Pylvalainen was the inspiration for the Rapala. He gave two of his lures to Lauri when the two met on the lake, they were both commercial fishermen and when rowing between their traps they would troll. Just a twig and line and when a fish hit they would throw it over board and retrieve it later when the fish was tired.

The story is that Lauri Rapala caught 40 kg of salmon the following day and then started making his own lures, inspired by these Pylvalainen lures.

Initially it was Lauri's cousins who made the lures, but unfortunately both of them were killed in the second world war, which forced Lauri to start making lures himself. The war lasted until 1945, so not much happened on the lure front during those years.

It was the success the summer guests were having that spread the word to the local tackle shops and one guest was Fritz Schroder, the store owner from Helsinki that also sold Creek Chub and Heddon lures. In 1950, he caught a large trout on a Rapala, and immediately ordered 500 lures. The was the first large order for Rapala.



Early Rapalas were made out of pine bark which is very unstable, hence the sway back and rough edges.The supply of Balsa wood and cork was very tight at this time in Finland, so some lure makers took cork out of the life jackets from the local cruise ship. Luckily these life jackets were never needed for their intended purpose.



The 1952 Olympics were in Helsinki and as it happened some of the US atheletes bought some lures and brought them home with them. It created some interest, but the sales were slow. In 1952, there were also a few lures sold in Duluth, Minnesota by the Finnish Consul who owned a fabric store. One customer, Ron Weber, saw an opportunity and applied for the rights to be the North American Agent. It took some time, though, for the lures to catch on. It was only in 1959 that the first order for 500 lures came to Rapala. It was translated for Lauri Rapala by the local school teacher. (For a little article and information on how Rapala's first became popular in America, click here).

One early customer, was the editor of Life Magazine. He was so impressed that he sent a field reporter to Finland to write a story about the miracle lure. This story was published in the same issue that covered the death of Marilyn Monroe in 1962.

After the article the lures sold out everywhere, and the demand was such that they were rented for $5.00 a day, and if you lost it, the cost was $20.00.

The Tulos Minnow, this one covered in fish skin, and the Creek Chub Pikie were the lures that Pylvalainen copied or used as inspiration.



Word spread quickly, and cottagers bought lures and caught fish both with Rapala and Pylvalainen models, which caused others around the lake to begin manufacturing their own. All lures were hand tested, a tradition started by Pylvalainen himself. It is said that he believed the optimal lure would be one that could suddenly dash to the side like a fleeing minnow. It was only when quite drunk that he claimed to have developed such a lure.

Unto Saarinen was one of these men who made lures with remarkable detail on the scales. He later sold his lures to ABU.





Finlandia Lures only made these copies for a few years and then switched their name to Nils Master and began making different lures.







Pyhajarvi and box.

If you have anything like this or want to learn more, just let me know, I am happy to share what I know and always love talking lures. You can contact Henrik at lurerin@aol.com.

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: 02 June 2008

Ray Scott profiles Dan Basore...the glory of the Shellcracker...wounded soldiers get a free fishing trip to Alaska...the old Penn Reels factory has a new tenant...why there is beauty in an Ugly Stick...Jack Lloyd fishing lures are still being made 70 years later...a 700 pound tuna...a record halibut...Cleveland's John Gierach comes home, sort of...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: Ray Scott of B.A.S.S. fame writes up one of our own--Chicago's Dan Basore.


These wounded soldiers get a fishing trip courtesy of Alaskan guides.

The Louisville Courier-Journal tells us why the shellcracker is an overlooked sportfish.


The Lexington Herald-Leader reports on the inspirational story of one angler's battle with cancer.

From the Sad Files: The former home of Penn Reels, a 46,000 square foot building, is now home to a thriving tech company.

An Island Lake, MN resident boats a 51-inch Musky.

One of the best outdoor writers in America, Ray Sasser, finds the beauty in the Ugly Stick.

The famous Jack Lloyd fishing lures are still being hand made in California.


The Chico Enterprise-Record tells us that young angler's can get hooked on fishing. Trite phrase of the week award winner.

Nick Honachefsky informs us that now is the time for big bass.

This Bahamas boat builder and guide has a few fish stories to tell.


Efforts are underway to save Tonie Sap in Cambodia, one of the largest reservoirs in the world.

One sticky-fingered felon gets caught on camera boosting fishing tackle.

Russia Today tells the sad tale of illegal caviar harvesting that further endangers the Beluga Sturgeon.


Noted American artist and fly fisher Ogden M. Pleissner has an exhibition opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC that will eventually display at the AMFF.

Mike Leggett shows us why Lizard Lures are deadly fish catchers.


Why The Chum Bucket is not your ordinary bait and tackle shop.



The Kids Fishing Tackle Library is off to a roaring start.

Captain Mike Rowell gives a blow-by-blow account of landing a 700 pound tuna.


This fishing lure inventor is just getting started.


Walleye Central informs us of the hot blades for summer walleye fishing.


Oklahoma's Lake Overholser yields a pair of giant flathead cats.

Tips for female fly fishers.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer profiles home-grown author John Gierach.

The Malaysia Star reports on the Mighty Mahseer of India, the fabled fish of rajahs and British army officers alike.


London's Daily Mail tells of a record breaking halibut.


Finishing With a Flourish: Illinois teen much better angler than you; catches a massive 4 pound 8.2 ounce crappie.


-- Dr. Todd