Fishing for History: The History of Fishing and Fishing Tackle

Teal

The Video of the Week

This video featuring the "Moron Brothers" was featured on Moldy Chum and Joe Cermele's Field & Stream blog, and I liked it enough to use it here!

12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

The Heddon P51 in the box with all the fixings is a tasty treat!

Next time someone says Bronson didn't make decent reels, point them at this X-Pert 20.

This Ed Payne pack rod is just the best.

A Kovalovsky hand-made reel is always an incredible find.

This Bagley Divin' B is super rare.

A Robichaud fly reel is a beautiful fishing tool.

Who wouldn't like this Heddon Favorite Outfit kit?

Who wouldn't like this Shakespeare Glass Minnow Trap?

Metalheads are in love with these Pepper Bat Wings .

Orchard Industries Action rods are hot…but I never knew they were THIS hot.

This South Bend #2500 in the leather case is really cranking up.

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

-- Dr. Todd

Teal

Well, the mail certainly brought an outstanding surprise -- the NFLCC Magazine for June 2012! Although it comes out every six months, it is my most anticipated publication as I am always in awe of the way that editor Dudley Murphy (with help from assistant editor Gary Smith) put this together. It's always a beautiful magazine.

This issue, I began a series on the history of fishing ephemera, concentrating on the collecting of fishing tackle related letterheads. This field of collecting has exploded and it was a blast putting this together.

Terry McBurney gives us the first part of a two-part history of Charles Helin. "Charles Helin's Extraordinary Flatfish" is a detailed and fascinating study of this titan of American fishing tackle. It includes some photos of the rarest of all Helins, the hand made models from 1934. It's an amazing piece of research.

Speaking of awesome articles, combining Jerry R. Martin and Jim Dorr. "Heddon Fly Rod Lures: Part I -- Morphing Patterns, Specials and Experimental Activities (An Archaeological 'Dig' Into the Past) is as fine of an article of this kind as has been published. Incredibly detailed, well written, and meticulously researched, it is a real delight.

As the magazine was going to press I got a call from Dudley Murphy asking if I had an article ready to go, as one that was promised at the deadline did not appear (these things happen all the time). I was in the midst of researching and writing on the subject of Dr. Arthur Howald, the inventor of the fiberglass fly rod, so I hurriedly finished the draft and sent it in. "Dr. Arthur Howald's Marvelous Invetion" hopefully offers some new insight into the origins of the glass fly rod, as well as fiberglass fishing rods in general.

As I mentioned many times, my favorite thing is the back page article by Gary Smith--it's a fabulous one again on the Keen Kicker frog.

All in all, this is a fantastic issue filled with great research.

-- Dr. Todd

Teal

The worst depiction of fishing in the history of cinema?

Anyone who's followed 1000 Words every Sunday knows that I am fascinated by Hollywood's portrayal of fishing. I am sometimes asked what the worst portrayal of fishing I've ever seen on TV or film.

I offer for evidence Roger Moore as The Saint in the 1963 episode "The Effete Angler." The plot is secondary to the actual action, but it revolves around Moore's character Simon Templar solving a crime in Miami by…fishing.

The Saint goes fishing with grizzled Miami captain O'Kevin.

Here he is soaking in the local angling lore...

Here the ship's mate hands the Saint a rig. Oh oh...

He's got a hook up! Fish on, Saint!

The Penn is burning line...

One thing about Roger Moore. Like Johnny Weismuller, you can always count on him being upstaged by stock footage.

Ah, Roger, I think you're holding the rod wrong...

Nope. Still upside down...

C'mon man! That fish will get away!

Stock footage alert! Real angler onto a fish...

And stock footage of a reel being used correctly...

Oh Roger…still with the reel?

Told you that you'd lose that fish…

So ends the worst fishing scene in the history of cinema. But fish still play an important role. No joke--this is where the criminals hide the stolen jewels.

Ah yes. The native salmonids of Miami, Florida.

Don't believe me? Check it out yourself:

So…anyone think of a WORSE depiction than this?

-- Dr. Todd

Teal

The following article appeared in the 17 August 1953 edition of The Humboldt Standard. It was written by syndicated columnist Pinkney Gage, who rarely delved into fishing matters, but when he did he produced little gems like this piece. I think it is one of the most poignant and moving pieces about a final fishing trip I've read.

"Buried Treasure"

by PINKNEY GAGE

Have you ever heard of a "retired" fishing rod suddenly getting the red carpet treatment because it was found valuable? Here's how my friend tells about his fishing rod.

"It was towards the close of the season and this old fishing partner of mine who had been crippled up something fierce with arthritis asked me: 'Say, Walt, how's for the two of us making a last fishing trip before the season closes?' Frankly, I knew that it would be a pretty punk trip -- what with a man putting in his last trip -- but I said 'Last trip, you're plumb crazy. But anyway let's go.'

"Then the 2 of us sat down and we went over some of the finest water we had ever fished. Both of us knew that this was his last trip -- and with that In mind, we wanted not only to warm up memories, but also to carry away a last beautiful experience. And more, I was determined that he should latch on to a good fish. And so we picked Hidden Lake. You can drive fairly close to it, which had to be considered.

"We got there In the late afternoon and as I pumped up the war surplus rubber raft he set up his rod. You could see he loved It. We pushed off. A breeze riffled the water and made the beautiful reflection of snow-capped Mt. Hood shake into the water. A trout dimpled a protected spot under some over-hanglng branches. Then another. He cast to a feeding trout within easy range. As he cast, I noticed that he, poor guy, could not prevent wincing. His arm must have killed him. But finally a trout swirled under his fly, he struck, and was fast to a good fish.

"The should he let go must still be ringing in that tall timber. He fought the fish well, brought it in, released it. And then, looking up at me -- with a grin on the lower part of his face and his eyes wet -- he said: 'Walt, this Is exactly the way I wanted my trout fishing to end. I'm lucky. Mind rowing me back to the shore, now.'

"When we got back and packed, It was evening. The calls of the birds had vanished. All was quiet. Without a word we walked to the water's edge. In the darkness there was only the faint sound of water slapping against the shore. Then the splash of a feeding fish, perhaps. Turning his back to it, he said slowly: 'Walt, as a favor, will you accept my tackle?' I wanted to remonstrate but couldn't. All I could get out of my tight throat was: 'Thanks, I'll put them to good use….'

"But as you know, Gage, as one gets older, and the work piles up a little higher, and living costs keep climbing, you don't always get to go fishing like you'd like to.

"But finally, I got a wonderful Invitation to go fishing which I just naturally couldn't turn down.

"First I had to fix up that rod he gave me. I took it to a repair man. He looked at the German silver ferrules and the rod windings and set it up and worked it for action. 'Man, do you know you have one of the few Hiram Hawes rods left in this country?'

"'No, what does that mean?"

"'Well, whenever you get ready to sell it, I know just the man who will give you a hundred bucks for it.'"

-- Dr. Todd

Teal

Don't have time to read 50+ fishing and tackle collecting blogs and web sites? Well, let us do it for you! Follow all of the latest news, articles, and stories on our Whitefishpress Twitter account! Hint: You don't need to be a member...just bookmark the Twitter Feed Page or click on latest links to the right!

Remembering the Proctor fly...a new 'Bama rig hits the streets...Brits are excited about opening day...students wrangle big catfish...father faces jail time for pretending to catch frozen fish...help Sam Drukman, noted rodmaker, in his time of need...a new book by Richard Stoll...the more lures change, the more they stay the same....is this the greatest fish tale of all time?...it must be the NEWS OF THE WEEK!

THE MONDAY 10: The Ten Fishing Stories of the Week You Need to Know

The Big Lead: Remembering the Proctor, an old brook trout fly.

Another 'bama rig clone is about to hit the market…

The British are itching for opening day.

Students wrangle big catfish from river.

Father faces jail time for pretending to catch frozen fish.

Help rodmaker Sam Drukman in his hour of need.

A lesson in lures.

Richard Stoll's new book gets profiled.

The more lures change, the more they stay the same.

Finishing with a Flourish: Is this the most incredible fishing tale of all time?

-- Dr. Todd

Teal

1000 Words

Jack Sharkey was a former professional boxer and heavyweight champion of the world. He was active during the "Golden Age of Boxing" and is the only person who ever fought both Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, losing to the former when he turned his head to complain to the ref about a low blow and got knocked out and getting demolished by Louis in his final fight in 1934, which saw him get knocked out in the 3rd round. In between he fought and lost the title to both the German Max Schmelling and the Italian Primo Carnera. His record of 38-14-3 is a bit deceptive; he fought in a hugely competitive era and in addition to victories over Schmelling and Carnera, counted wins over legendary fighters Harry Wills, Tommy Loughran, and Jack Delaney (all champions in their day), as well as draws with former champions Mickey Walker and Tom Heeney.

Unlike so many professional boxers, Sharkey saved his money and invested well, and spent the majority of his retirement fishing. He often appeared at sportsman's shows, where he would give demonstrations on fly casting. Here is a press photo from the late 1930s showing Sharkey after some saltwater fish.

-- Dr. Todd

Teal

Walter Willman and the P-41

Walter Willman was a very successful Tournament caster with both the fly rod and the bait casting rod. Between 1922 and 1938 Walter won nine national championships in Dry fly accuracy, 5/8 oz accuracy, 5/8 oz distance and 3/8 oz distance. Walter had a reputation for being able to build and tune bait casting reels for tournament use. After World War II, he became a consultant for the Heddon Company and designed a light weight bait casting reel for them known as the “Pal P-41." It was produced for Heddon by the Bronson Reel Company and featured a removable head ring that screwed off for easy lubrication on the gears and bearings. The first of these reels were produced in 1947 and were aluminum in color. They had the usual screws that held the head plate on when the head ring was removed.

The reel was popular among tournament casters. Somewhere along the way it was discovered that if one removed all the screws in the head plate and left the head ring in place, the reel stayed assembled and functioned normally. By 1950 several changes were made eliminating the head plate screws and giving the reel an attractive dark maroon (always listed as black) anodized finish. In addition, a lighter narrow-spool version of the reel designated the P-41N was introduced. According to Tournament Casting historian Cliff Netherton:

"The narrow spool version was outstanding for accuracy casting and the wide spool P-41 was the most popular reel for Skish Bait casting. It was the reel used to set the Skish Bait Distance records in the 1950's”

The ad featured here is from the June 1951 issue of Sports Afield and touts the P-41's recent records at casting tournaments.

The 1950 Heddon Catalog also featured a seldom seen version of the P-41 identified as the P-41S. It is a saltwater or heavy service version that is made from chrome plated brass and is definitely much heavier in the hand. In 1952 there was a short-lived economy version introduced, the P-51, that was green in color. It was more cheaply made and did not have the same anti-backlash feature as the standard P-41's. In 1954 the two standard P-41's were offered along with a hand tuned, extra light version known as the P-41L. It cost twice the price of the standard P-41's and featured gold anodized trim and extra light, hollowed out gears. The catalog cautioned that the reel “should not be used for heavy fishing” and said it was excellent for tournament accuracy and distance casting. By 1957 an additional narrow spool version of this deluxe lightweight reel was also offered designated the P-41NL. 1959 was the last year that Heddon cataloged the P-41's. There are no bait casting reels in the 1960 catalog.

Gold trimmed P-41L on the left and standard P-41N on the right
My personal experience with the P-41's can be summed up as follows. They are fun to cast, especially the P-41N which, on a long soft action rod, will handle 1/5 ounce with little difficulty. I have not had good experiences with either the standard width or the narrow spool reels when attempting to fish with them. Both reels have "locked up" while playing large fish. I recently acquired the two deluxe lightweight P-41L's but after having the afore mentioned problems with the standard weight reels, I believe I'll just follow the Heddon catalog's advice and not take them fishing!

-- Bill Sonnett

Teal

Video of the Week

Montauk guide Bill Wetzel describes the mother of all striper schools.

12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This 1950s Staro Swiss spinning reel is pretty darn neat looking.