The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

A video of a kayak angler being towed 11 miles by a big sailfish. Prety cool stuff!



12 Things I Would Buy If Only i Could Afford Them

A WInchester Vacation line spool is a nice find.



This 1920 Outdoor Life magazine is terrific.



This 1915-1916 Heddon Baitcasting rod is a nifty find.



A Julius vom Hofe A&I baitcaster is a great reel.



Wow! This Ed vom Hofe Tobique is AMAZING.



This is a pretty incredible collection of Heddon bass bugs.



A neat Creek Chub Baby Injured Minnow in a rare color has attracted much attention.



A Shakespeare glass minnow trap is superb.



A J.T. Buel arrowhead spinner with early patent is a great iconic classic.



A Charmer "Barber Pole" minnow is another cool lure ca. 1910.



A Husky Musky Wiggler in Chub is a nifty bait.



I never knew the great Fred Young carved sunfish style baits!



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

-- Dr. Todd

Announcing: FISHING FOR HISTORY the Magazine

Well…After a ton of work I am proud to announce that we are launching the first edition of THE FISHING FOR HISTORY MAGAZINE! Yes, your favorite blog is now available in a lovely convenient PDF format -- and best of all, IT'S FREE!



Yes, we plan on having the only free monthly fishing history magazine, containing much of the material from the previous month, along with a lot of additional content, and new articles to boot! It's a great permanent record of the blog, and it allows us to create a more aesthetic presentation of the material that can be more readily accessed and distributed than the blog itself.

Did I mention IT'S FREE?

All of the things you've enjoyed about the blog will be there. A recap of the News of the Month (with clickable links!), the Voices from the Past, 1000 Words, and of course, all the regular columnists including Bill Sonnett's brilliant Deconstructing Old Ads, Gary L. Miller's Angling Miscellany, Ben Wright's Spinning Reel Report, Big Nemo's Tackle Tips, Finn Featherfurd's Snarls and Backlashes, and my occasional ramblings on various subject matters. Plus, the Friday Funhouse with all of its final values as a valuable record on tackle pricing!

We'll also be starting some new features exclusive to the magazine over the coming months. The edition will be available for a month, until the new edition comes along and replaces it.

We are actively looking for contributors, so if you've got an article or essay or poem or whatever, drop us a note! We'd love for you to join us.

Did I mention IT'S FREE? And that includes advertising?

Yes, if you've created something (if you're an author, a rodmaker, reelmaker, lure maker, etc.) drop me a note, you'll likely qualify for free advertising! Show hosts? Free advertising. If you sell a lot of tackle and want to advertise, contact me directly.

So spread the word, share the link with everyone you know, and tell 'em about the Fishing for History Magazine!

So…many thanks to Marc Hanger and the tech team for working out all the myriad problems in getting this thing launched. We are proud and excited about it, and hope you'll enjoy it!

To access the first issue CLICK HERE!

-- Dr. Todd

34 Minutes and the Nature of the Web: My Thoughts on Lang's

It's been an interesting few weeks around here, but last night was surreal. Of course, it was Lang's Store night, and like so many others, I anticipated it all day long. Then, at 9:00 pm EST, I went to Lang's Store and attempted to access the listings. No luck. Nothing. I waited a minute or two, thinking it was overloaded from so many people trying to access it. No luck again.

That's when I started getting texts and emails from others about the fact that they could not get in either. I went to Joe's Board where earlier, at exactly 9:03, the first person posted that they were having the same problem. Then another. Then a third, and finally a whole litany of people posting about the frustration.

Like some, I kept trying, and even thought that I might not have a proper login so I created a new login identity. Finally (we are told at 9:34) the listings went up. Bingo! I cruised through the reel section and ended up buying two of the three items I most wanted -- by the way, whomever bought the Thos. E. Wilson reel in the box, drop me a note! Then I checked out and all was well in the world.

Except I kept getting emails and calls and seeing posts about how angry people were. My first thought was, yes, I understand your frustration. But then my second thought was…

Really???

The more I thought about the more silly it all seemed. Are we so impatient as a society that 34 minutes is the end of the world? Are we so unforgiving as a group that we can't accept the fact that, despite everyone's best efforts, sometimes things don't go to plan?

Case in point. I've been trying to make a huge launch myself (hinted at here) but guess what? The technology I have tried to use has broken THREE TIMES. I hope the fourth time is a charm.

And you know what? As frustrating as it is, it is a fact of life -- like traffic jams and illness, you can't predict what will put a monkey wrench into your plans.

And guess what? It happens ALL THE TIME on the internet. Take this past weekend, where a fledgling mixed martial arts organization named Invicta FC (specializing in female MMA fighters) launched their first Pay-Per-View on-line streaming card. Now keep in mind this organization had presented THREE major fight cards for free leading up to this. They are run by incredibly smart people and used a highly reputable company to host their internet streaming and PPV purchases.

Then just as the card launched Saturday night, the servers crashed. People paid and could not view the fights. Mass chaos ensued, and the president of Invicta stepped in after about 30 minutes and removed the paywall, allowing everyone to view the fights for free.

My point is that this happens all the time, and we need to be more forgiving and understanding, ESPECIALLY when people step up and do the right things to correct the technology failures.

In this message from Lang's posted to Joe's Board, John and Debbie Ganung explained what went wrong. I quote:

The issue started on the Friday before the listing when the Store site experienced server hardware failure. Our server provider, Verio/ITS, completely replaced the server by Saturday night and assured us the site would be able to handle any amount of traffic. They were obviously wrong.

Considering what was necessary to get the site working properly, we should all be amazed it only delayed the launch for 34 minutes.

The sign of a successful company is learning from mistakes. What did Lang's learn from this? I quote again:

Due to this and previous server/site failures, we have decided to completely scrap the site, leave our current server provider, and start from scratch. We will start building a new Lang's Store in February. Technology has come a long way since the first listing in 2008 - it is long past time to find a better way to offer this type of online listing. We still steadfastly believe in the concept of a "virtual show". From customer feedback, this is a buying venue most enjoy very much, especially our newest collectors - so we will try again, hopefully with success.

Note the important words--TRY and HOPE. That's really all we can expect in this world, is it not?

There was a recent post, again on Joe's Board, from user Todd Marquart I wish everyone would read.

In it, he states:

We all collect relics from a bygone era...a time when our forebears swept their boats forward with oars and not motors...when a backlash was a mainstay and when time was, well, slower. Tea kettles whistled when they were ready, motor cars didn't need sensors to need if the sensors were sensing and kettles brewed up wonderful meals fit for a king...Time and again I see needless posts on this board pertaining to impatience.

Patience. Yes, yes, and more yes -- it's something we ALL could use more of. If 34 minutes is too long for you to wait, then I'm not sure anything I say will be able to get through to you. We live in such a "now now now" society, that I guess the idea of patience is itself slowly dying, even among folks who should know better.

My old man has always had great pithy quotes -- some original, some widely used -- which I've basically used to guide my life. Perhaps the best one is among the shortest, and I'm sure it was learned while he served in the U.S. Army.

Shit happens -- deal with it.

I am nowhere near as brilliantly succinct as my father. So I would add the following twist to his words of wisdom, even at the risk of becoming overly verbose (which I suspect is exactly what my father thinks I have a tendency to be):

Shit happens -- deal with it (patiently and with understanding and forgiveness).

Even if you have to endure an interminable 34 minutes.

-- Dr. Todd

Collection of the Month: Randy McCurdy's Demon Sail Sharks

I have always been fascinated by Texas fishing tackle, and perhaps the most distinctive of all Lone Star baits is the classic Sail Shark, first introduced in the immediate post-World War II era. A product of the San Antonio based Demon Lure Company, it was a little 3/8 oz. 1 1/2" weighted lure billed as "super for all game fish; smallmouth and largemouth bass, large panfish, pike, crappie, and trout." They have many merits as a collectible, as they are abundant, colorful, and make wonderful displays.

Iowa collector Randy McCurdy had a great collection of these little baits which are pictured here. It's a wonderful display and a great collection that was certainly a lot of fun putting together. Many thanks to Randy for sharing his collection with us!



If you have a small collection you would like to see profiled in the blog and Fishing for History Magazine, send me an email!

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Night Casting Tackle by Dixie Carroll (1918)

Wild Bill Sonnett and myself share a lot of things in common. Among other things, we both like fishing vintage gear, we like to fish that gear topwater, and we like Dixie Carroll, the great outdoor writer. So when I ran across this column from the La Cross Tribune and Leader-Press dated June 02, 1918, Wild Bill was the first person I thought of. Dixie's article is entitled "Night Casting Tackle" and he relates a story of how a bass leaped out of the water to hit a lure dangling from a tree. I have a similar story; one night several years back I was casting over a brush pile from my dock in Northern Wisconsin on a nearly full moon night. I decided to take a break and laid the rod in the back of the boat tethered to the dock, with the jitterbug dangling a foot above the water. Imagine my surprise when less than a minute after doing so, a twelve inch bass leaped out of the water and hooked itself on the back treble of the hanging lure!

Night Casting Tackle

by Dixie Carroll

There are two kinds of night-casting, either of which are sure-fire winners. Moonlight night and the simon-pure black night, both good fishing-time with a winning kick to the inky black affair as the real thrill producer. For moonlight-casting you can let your canoe slide along the outer edges of most any bay or cove and cast into the shore and cover considerable water, but for the black night, with just the stars burning out here and there, you must select your fishing waters during the day and study them well, because your casting is going to be a bit of judgment in your part without any helpers along the side lines to give you distance and locations.
For night-casting a great deal depends upon the tackle, and it would be simply playing tag with fate to use a nifty bamboo for the sport: at times you must give the butt and do a bit of pumping, and who wants to subject a pet split-bamboo to such rough usage? Make the rod a steel one that has plenty of backbone and stiffness. Long casts are not at all necessary, and a good stiff steel rod will tickle a fighting bass behind the gills with more success than any other kind, and do the job without suffering any during the operation. Should you by any species of luck hook a pike, or, great guns!—a musky, there is quite a bit of satisfaction out there in the black darkness to have your paws wrapped around a good stiff old steel rod, and get the lay right, old-timer, you'll need all the help a good strong rod can give you to bring a life-sized roughneck to gaff when you cannot tell whether he's coming to you or making a drive for the far end of the lake.

In the matter of reels it is a choice between the anti-back-lash or the level winders, unless, of course, you feel like doing a bit of knitting and cussing in the great old handicap of backlashes. Between the self-thumbing reel and the level-winder there is not much choice, as they both are the real stuff for the night game. The ideal reel, however, for night-casting is the tool that combines both of these features, and two reels in this class that stand out like "four of a kind" are the Beetzel and the Pflueger Supreme. Either of these reels makes night-casting a pleasant occupation. The South Bend Anti-back-lash and the Pflueger Redifor Anti-back-lash are good workers in the self-thumbing line and the Shakespeare levelwinder is an excellent tool for night use.

The fifteen-pound test line is plenty strong enough and the soft-braided No. 6 silk casting-line used for general casting is about right, although a line testing at twenty to twenty-five pounds is not amiss if you are fishing in waters inhabited by the big fellows. And just chalk this up on the scoreboard, the big fellows are great night feeders. This is especially so in the warm summer nights, at which time some of the largest fish are brought to gaff.

As to the plugs for this end of the game, your selection should be entirely of the surface and semi-surface variety, as the underwater lures are taboo, they have too much of an inclination to slip down to the bottom and lovingly cling to any old thing they can hook onto. And then, again, why use an under-water plug when the fish are all flopping around on the surface? For the real dark nights, the all-white lures are the best, and particularly those coated with the luminous enamel which glows like the dampened head of an old-style parlor match. Let a couple of these luminous plugs lie out in the sunlight for a short time, or expose them to the glow of your camp light before paddling out to your fishing-waters, and the plow they shoot off in the darkness will make any bass curious enough to give them a wallop. Not only do they help the bass to become interested but you can see them yourself at considerable distance and keep in touch with your lure as it wobbles in through the black.

That these luminous plugs are the real stuff was shown to me quite vividly last season when on a little night-casting jaunt, I threw a walloping cast over towards a fairly loud splash and succeeded in twining my line around the limb of a windfall that stuck up out of the water, the plug dancing in the air about six inches from the surface of the water. This wiggling plug was too much for an overzealous bass; it sort of got his scales all ruffled up, and he up and strikes that plug in the air, succeeding in hooking himself. He sure cut up a bunch of tricks, half in the water and the rest up in the air. He kicked up such a rough-house that another bass joined him in the fight for the shining plug. I find, also, in the plug line, that the surface bait which kicks up a little riffle as it reels in makes an added attraction, although most of the strikes are made by the fish as the plug hits the water, or vary soon after the splash.

In fact, a good-sized splash when the lure strikes the water helps show 'em the way, and how easy it is to locate the bait. A mighty good plan is to either use all weedless hooks on your plugs or to substitute the trebled books with the twin hooks which ride points up. In this way you will avoid a lot of trouble, especially if the waters you fish are weedy or full of snags. Of course you may not hook all your fish, but you will not haul in a mess of weeds every shot, and who ever had a fish strike a lure when it was burled in a litter of straggling weeds?

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: January 7, 2013

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

The Big Lead: The Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan purchases Plano tackle box company.

Antique tackle clinic will be held in Dayton, OH from Jan. 16-20.

Brent Chapman is living the dream.



Okuma is one of Taiwan's "hidden champions."



Another man turns fly fishing into a business.



A huge brown is pulled from Lake Tahoe.



A computerized fishing rod?



What's the world's best fly?



Uncle Jim's Tackle Box -- A Story of a New Year's Resolution.



Finishing with a Flourish: An interview with Jeremy Wade.



-- Dr. Todd

REMINDER: Lang's Store Sale This Tuesday Night!

Don't forget, the much-anticipated Lang's Store sale is this Tuesday evening at 9:00 EST! Check out the massive listing by clicking here.



-- Dr. Todd

Harold Dickert's 3rd Annual Joe's Old Lures Photo Contest!

Here are the rules for the much-anticipated Harold Dickert 3rd Annual Photo Contest!



To view last year's amazing winners, CLICK HERE!

Take your best shot! And remember, we'll host the winning photos here on the blog!

-- Dr. Todd

1000 Words

This weekend in 1000 Words we have a nifty ca. 1920 image of a guy fishing from a row boat. The thing I like the best about this is that the unknown gentleman looks very much like a young George Herman "Babe" Ruth. Babe was a well known angler and perhaps this is a lost photo of him while he was still a Red Sox pitcher!



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads: The Musky Oriental Wiggler (1935)

The following ad is from the August 1935 issue of Field & Stream.



By reading this ad carefully we not only learn that the pictured Al Foss Oriental Wiggler has taken over 50 Muskies, but toward the end of the ad we see that the Oriental Wiggler is offered in a “Bass” size for $.90 and a “Musky” size for $1.00. Many new collectors are unaware that there is a “Musky size” Oriental Wiggler. One would naturally expect it to be an over-sized duplicate of the standard sizes. Surprise, surprise --- it turns out that the “musky size” is exactly the same size as the standard #3 Oriental Wiggler.

There are some differences which may not be apparent at first glance. There is an additional wire that is molded into the body which wraps around the hook, presumably to give it extra strength. Also the shaft on which the spinner turns at the front of the lure is not the usual fixed shaft that is molded into the celluloid body. Instead it is a separate, free-swinging shaft that is attached to a strong molded-in line tie at the front of the body. One has to assume that this is designed to add flexibility to the lure to withstand the violent thrashing of a strong fish.
 




The Musky Oriental Wiggler is shown in both these photos beneath an older standard # 3 bass size Oriental Wiggler. Notice the free-swinging spinner shaft on the Musky model and from below one can easily see the molded wire reinforcement which wraps over the hook.

As I was pondering this ad what should arrive in the mail but a package of miscellaneous box papers, one of which proved to be for the Musky Oriental Wiggler. It is reproduced here.



From this paper I take the following: The Musky Oriental was in production before True Temper bought out Al Foss in October 1929. The price for the bait was higher then, than in 1935. The shaft on which the spinner was mounted was listed as being made of Phosphor Bronze, a very hard and expensive alloy. My example must be one produced later as the shaft is flexible and is attracted by a magnet, both properties that are not associated with Phosphor Bronze. Perhaps this was an economy instituted by American Fork & Hoe (True Temper) who had the misfortune of purchasing the lure business from Al Foss just days before the stock market crash in October of 1929. Finally, I learned that Al Foss produced a “Musky Pork Rind Strip” something I don't ever remember seeing.

Though the Al Foss Shimmy Wiggler seemed to be a favorite of many early fishing authors, they usually had only good things to say about the Al Foss Oriental Wiggler. I tried an Oriental Wiggler this past summer and I was very impressed. It really made that pork rind strip wiggle.

Tight Lines,

Bill Sonnett

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week
A great video showing a large female musky mating with a smaller male.



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This Winston bamboo fly rod is amazing.



Hungry, Hungry Jack! Gobble 'em up and they always come back for more…



Winchester Multi-Wobblers are very popular, especially in the box.



A Nick Mousel creel has attracted a bit of attention.



I like this Bite-Em-Bate Indiana wood minnow!



A Heddon Lucky 13 in clear is very cool.



Underwater Minnows are a real bargain these days, and this Heddon 150 in Green Crackleback is superb.



A classic South Bend Underwater Minnow is a nice find.



A Ken Hedmark musky oil painting would lake great in a den.



It takes a lot for me to say I have never seen a reel before, but I have never seen this Black River 500 before.



This is an ultra cool Mitchell 308 in the box.



A Pezon et Michel Luxor spinning reel is an early example of a game-changing design.



As always, have a great weekend -- and be nice to each other, and yourself!

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: The Case of the Killer Fishing Rod (1902)

Growing up, my father constantly harangued me about properly stowing my fishing rod. "If you leave just laying out there on the dock, one day you'll trip and kill yourself," he would tell me a hundred times over. Well, as it turns out, as reported in The Syracuse Sunday Herald for December 21, 1902, if you leave a fishing rod just lying around, it may actually kill you. Behold the tragic story of Edna Whiting, cut down in the prime of life by a misplaced fishing rod.

DEATH FROM A FALL

Received by Stepping on a Fishing Rod.

WHICH HAD BEEN LEFT ON LEFT ON THE CELLAR FLOOR IN MISS EDNA WHITING'S HOME.

It Rolled Under the Young Woman's Feet, Throwing Her Down -- In Attempting to Save Herself She Fractured an Arm--The Shock Proved Fatal.

Ithaca, Dec. 20.--At the Ithaca City hospital Thursday morning, occurred the death of Miss Edna Whiting of No. 103 Auburn street. Two weeks ago, while down cellar at her home, she stepped on a fish pole which rolled mo and threw her down. She put out her arm to save herself and the fall fractured the bone just below the elbow.

The fracture was a very painful one and difficult to treat. It was examined with the aid of the X-ray and the physicians decided that an operation, was necessary and that in order to properly set the joint, the bones must be wired together.

The patient was taken to the City hospital and the operation was successfully performed by Dr. H. B. Besemer. After the operation Miss Whiting was taken to the home of he brother, but as she still suffered much pain and found it almost impossible to sleep, she was on Wednesday afternoon again taken to the City hospital.

Although suffering considerable exhaustion and very nervous, it was not thought that her condition was critical or serious. A half hour before her death her pulse and temperature were taken and both were found to be normal. At 6 o'clock Thursday morning the nurse left Miss Whiting's room for a few minutes and when she returned the girl was dead. A post-mortem examination as held and at its close the announcement was made that death was due to an acute dilation in the right lobe of the heart.

Miss Whiting was only 18 years old. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Whiting and had lived in the city since she was five years old. She leaves eight brothers and one sister, besides her father and mother.

-- Dr. Todd

Shhh....Big Announcement Coming

Ben Wright's Spinning Reel Report: December 2012

DECEMBER 2012

HO HO HO AND ANOTHER YEAR COMES TO AN END !!!

HAPPY SELLERS (FEATURED REELS)  AND CHECK OUT SOME OF THESE PRICES PAID !!       

Cedar Seamartin exc+ @ 1,687.04

Penn 704 second version NIB @ 459.00

Penn 722 first version NIB @ 295.00

Penn 720 first version NIB @ 157.50

Alvey sidecaster model? w/wood spool exc @ 503.87

Uslan 500 model 1 ewb @ 255.00

Shakespeare 2200 japan NIB @ 129.84

Abu Garcia Abumatic 41 CF exc- @ 151.51

Abu Abumatic 152 CF must be rare ? exc- @ 636.00 wow

Johnson Sure Spin 640 exc- @ 73.99

Whats up with all the French Centaure reels ?

  Pacific exc- @ 202.50

  Pacific exc w/case @ 142.50

  Pacific exc- @ 200.00

  Black Centaure ewb @ 152.50

  River ewb @ 106.49

  Green Caribie exc @ 107.59

last was a Garcia Mitchell 300 RED-WHITE-BLUE like new with wood box that was for a 300DL @ 2,025.00

HAPPY BUYERS (REEL DEALS) A random list

Feurer Bro's Flip Reel 202 some finish wear but has sticker decal @23.49

same as above but missing sticker decal @ 19.99

French Corsair Sea-River @ 34.99

Mitchell 330 Arca exc- @ 59.85

Mitchell Albatros 304 exc @ 40.44

Shakespeare 1790 SCF e+wb @ 13.50

Taggart model 10 like new w/case @45.02

Heddon 233 ewb @ 15.95

Coptes Gemini 1 rare exc+ @ 66.00

Dam Quick 440ewb @ 29.00

Dam Quick 2S-275 two speed exc @ 63.00

Heddon 282 exc @ .99

Heddon 284 exc+ @ 9.99

Usland 500 model 1 exc @61.00

Pflueger 1000 NIB @ 12.51

Spanish Sagarra Super exc @ 25.84

Last was the best deal of the year------------------

It was a very rare Swedish Victory model 400 exc @ 135.50

ABU:

Record 1000 exc @ 152.53

Cardinal 44X dark brown exc @ 195.05

C4 Special edition green NIB @ 156.25

Garcia Cardinal 52 NIB @ 394.26

Dam Quick:

110N NIB @ 120.83

Daiwa:

500C exc @ 59.00

English:

S. Allcock Oto Duplex exc- @ 543.62

The Duplex w/double line pick-up exc- @ 241.56

Hardy Exalta Mk11 e+wb @ 314.15

Palace Superb exc but missing decal @ 167.55

and a Illingworth no 1 parts reel missing parts @ 826.96

French:

Croizix exc @ 84.94

Italian:

    Alcedo-

    Micron Deluxe exc @ 300.00

    Omnia Minor exc @ 141.39

    2C/S NIB wrong box ! @ 103.50

    Micron curved leg ewb @ 163.50

Zangi--

    3V second version ewb @ 212.50

     Mascotte bronze exc+ @ 218.58

     Atom matte black NIB @ 197.05

      Holliday 40 second version e+wb @ 204.50

Ofmer 212/LB ewb @ 124.40

Mitchell:

508 nib @ 405.00

300 Century nib @ 325.00

407 nib @ 128.02

300DL w/box finish wear on gold parts @ 413.88

300DL same as above @ 410.00

300 Pro ewb @ 139.00

400 G NIB S/N 067 buy-now @ 5,000.00 NO BIDS

Shakespeare:

Pres 11 2910 ewb @ 134.01

1780 CF exc+ @ 56.99

Zebco:

rare 1970 exc @ 200.00

Cardinal 4 4th version NIB @ 232.50

last was what I would call CRAZY MONEY it was a Cardinal

4 4th version? rod and reel combo NIP that seller said would never be offered again if it did not sell !! must have worked because it sold @ 500.00 CRAZY !!

Other Reels:

American Classic 1V exc+w/cloth bag @ 260.00

Fin Nor no 4 like new @ 299.00

  "    "    "   " NIB @ 280.75

Arnold Palmer NIB @ 19.50

U S Line Co Explorer USL1 NIB @ 71.00

Dragon Japan Zangi copy exc- @ 61.99

NOTE- coming soon my new book that is being published and printed by the Whitefishpress. it will be approx the last

Ten (10) years of my spinning reel ebay reports.

Ben