In the News: Fishing in Kyrgszstan

I am not a man who enjoys reading modern travelogues. Maybe this is because I read over 1500 travel accounts while writing my dissertation on British travelers in the Ottoman Empire, but it probably has more to do with the fact that the entire travelogue industry is one big ego-stroking “look where I’ve been” bore fest.

There are exceptions.

This nifty monologue on fishing in Kyrgszstan is both interesting and engaging. It also has a fascinating video that shows the countryside well.



It’s not overly long, is on a subject few have written about, and is engaging and interesting. A rarity in this day and age!

— Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads with Bill Sonnett: Dill's Duck (1904)

Several years ago I was sitting in a hotel room at a National Fishing Lure Collectors Club meet when I mentioned to my roommate Dave Budd that He might want to look through an August 1904 issue of National Sportsman magazine that I had picked up. Dave is a long time collector of tackle made in Indiana. His sharp eye soon picked up an ad that I had overlooked as it did not seem to be related to fishing tackle. It was for a duck decoy made in Auburn, Indiana. It was only after it was pointed out to me that I understood its significance as related to fishing tackle.



The inventor was H. S. Dills who was only 29 years old when he filed for a patent on this decoy in 1902. 14 years later he would become one of three men who founded the Creek Chub Bait Company, which would become one of the largest manufacturers of artificials lures in the world. It is also one of the most sought after companies when it comes to today’s collector of old lures.



Sometime later while Dave was appraising lures in Garrett, Indiana a gentleman walked in with an example of this decoy. It took a couple of years but Dave was ultimately able to purchase the decoy. It represents a Mallard. Since that time three more Dills decoys that were meant to represent Bluebill ducks were found in a barn near Garrett.





Reading the patent papers for this decoy is interesting in that they stress the light weight and compact nature of the decoys as well as ease of set up. The folding, hinged lead weight on the decoy is meant to steady it in the water as well as keep it upright. Staples along the front and sides of the base are there as tie points for the anchor cords. Shown here are two view of an actual Dills Decoy as well as the original 1902 patent drawings.

Tight Lines,

Bill Sonnett

===========================================

BUY THE DECONSTRUCTING OLD ADS (VOLUME 1) BOOK BY CLICKING HERE!

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

This is a great 1950s video of J.C. “Kid” Nichols big game angling in Mexico.



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

OK this pre-Rapala Storm Wiggle Wart has gone BA-NA-NAS.



This Meek Reel Oil Bottle is really cool.



This is a really great Ed. vom Hofe salmon reel.



Always gotta love the Chippewa in the box.



This Heddon Vamp has attracted a lot of interest.



A Meek & Milam #3 is as good as it gets.



This Alcedo Oceanic kicks butt.



This Heddon River Runt in clear is a great find.



This is a pretty nice CCBC Sarasota.



This is a pretty sweet 1914 California license.



Love this Robinson Bait Co. lure in the box.



This is a heck of a nice old Bagley.



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

— Dr. Todd

The Fishing Advertisement: Kool Cigarettes (1935)

A friend of mine chided me recently about why I never run any ice fishing ads in my semi-regular Fishing Themed Advertisement series. Well, I’ll rectify that here.

We met Kool’s fishing penguin back here. I stand by everything I wrote. You may think you’re cool, but you’ll never be “Penguin Ice Fishing in a Jaunty Scarf and Matching Mittens while Smoking a Cigarette” cool.



Like the other ad this dates from 1935 and it is pretty damn cool, if you ask me.

— Dr. Todd

An Angler's Miscellany with Gary L. Miller

A while back (June 17, 2014) in Dr. Todd’s "Voices from The Past” column he commented about how in the early days of bait casting lures were considered a “novelty”. The following item illustrates that point in spades. I especially love the “done things to the bass” remark, as though there were some sort of witchcraft involved.

An article from the July 3rd, 1903 (Traverse City, Michigan) Evening Record, is very revealing of the fever that gripped the local fishing fraternity. The headline read, “CRAZE OVER BAIT CASTING – WAS INTRODUCED IN THE CITY BY F. W. CARVER. Now Everybody is After a Short Rod, an Easy Running Reel and a ‘Spinnerino.’ Traverse City fishermen have certainly got the bait casting craze, and F. W. Carver, more than any other is to blame for it. The thing that did it more than anything else was the first real killing that Mr. Carver made after his arrival here. He had been up during the summer before this year, and had ‘done things’ to the bass, but there were not so many people who knew it. But one day he did a little trick that set the people crazy. He went to a certain lake where once in a long while a black bass is caught. But the generally accepted idea has been that there were no bass in that lake, or at any rate but very few. Early in the week, shortly after the opening of the season for bass, F. W. Carver and brother, O. P., went to this lake. O. P. caught a few bass. But most of the time he was taking them off the hook for the Hoosier from Angola. They put back the little ones. In fact, they kept nothing under 12 inches long. But just the same, they brought back 30 fine black bass, and had the fish to show for it when they got to town. Then Bert Winnie heard about it. And Bert had to learn bait casting. Of course it did not take him long. And now Bert goes everywhere, up and down stream, pulling out from under the bush on the opposite side of the stream a big pickeral, and from underneath the log in the center of the stream a fine bass. It’s lots of fun for Bert, and amusement for the people who see how he does it, but cannot do it themselves. Even the little boys are taking it up. It is no rare thing now to see a boy trying the fancy shoots, and getting his line tangled just as nicely as the grown-ups. Meanwhile the sale of reels and short rods and long lines and phantom and North Channel minnows, Shakespeares, ‘spinnerinos’ of every description, in fact, goes merrily on. The dealers in fishing tackle are enjoying it, and the bass and pike do not seem to mind it much.”

— Gary L. Miller

Voices from the Past: Dixie Carroll on the Jamison Fly Rod Wiggler

Over the next several months, I’m going to feature the fishing tackle writing of one of my all-time favorite writers, Dixie Carroll (Carroll Blaine Cook). These famed pieces of tackle were featured in his great book Fishing Tackle and Kits. They are fascinating write-ups of the tackle from a contemporary perspective. Below is Dixie’s write up on the Jamison Fly Rod Wiggler, one of the earliest true fly rod lures.

Fly Rod Wiggler.— Made by the W. J. Jamison Co. 736 So. California Ave., Chicago, 111. Along comes Jamison with the very, very latest, the Fly Rod Wiggler, a nice little minnow shaped wooden bait that looks so nice that you feel like wearing it for a watch charm. A little fellow 13/4 to 2 1/8 inches long that don't even press down a pair of postage scales enough to hardly pull the indicator down below the starting line. And say the way the two advance models of this bait made the small-mouth bass fighting mad to get to them last Fall was a caution; large trout are also very partial to it. With a fly rod just a bit stiffer than the very light trout rods say a five to six or seven ounce rod, they cast free and easy with just a trifle more pull than a fly, in fact they cast and lift easier than a large bass fly or a small spinner. They come in varied colors and are fitted with one double hook. When you use it in the weeds, turn the hook points up and let 'em stay down when casting clean water. It wiggles along twelve to fifteen inches below the surface but it is a floater and can be used for surface fishing by retrieving it slower. Now that bass and pickerel fishing with the fly rod is developing more and more each season, this lure should be a mighty popular bait as it is undoubtedly an interest creator among the bass and picks. It looks and acts like a minnow and with a small weight ahead of it works fine on the ordinary bait-casting rod. Also great for deep trolling for wall-eyed pike, land locked salmon, etc. It is made just as strong and perfect as any of the rest of Jamison's goods and more you could not say for a lure.



Courtesy of Lang’s Auctions.



Ad from the May 1921 Forest & Stream

— Dr. Todd

In the News: Can a New “Acoustic” Rod Grip Help You Catch Fish?

Inventor Robert Bebout has developed a new fishing idea. Not your regular tackle idea, but one that ties the angler to the fish by a musical note … wait, what? An 81-year old former veteran, Bebout developed the acoustic rod grip despite not being a rod builder himself.

The idea is that the fishing line can transfer energy from the end where the fish bites to the end where the angler holds the rod. The Acoustic Rod Grip allows the angler, according to Bebout, to feel the fish. He got the idea from a guitar playing friend of his, and uses graphite as the acoustic medium for his grips.

It’s an interesting idea and I would imagine that for live bait fishermen it would have great utility. Plus, it’s interesting to think of your rod as a musical instrument!

— Dr. Todd

1000 Words

This week in Hollywood Goes Fishing we get a candid photo of actor Bob Crane (1928-1978), the star of the legendary series Hogan's Heroes, and his 15-year old son Bobby, fishing off a pier in 1967. Twice nominated for an Emmy award for his work as Col. Robert E. Hogan, Crane's show was a big hit and ran for six years. Sadly, he was murdered in 1978, a crime that has remained unsolved. It's nice to see him in lighter days in this photo.



-- Dr. Todd

The Art of the Lure with Elissa Ruddick: The K. & K. Animated Minnow

Although little is known about the K. & K. Animated Minnow, “The Minnow That Swims” is thought to be the first jointed, articulated “swim bait” commercially produced. The K. & K. Animated Minnow was granted patent number 857,883 on June 25, 1907, to inventor John D. Kreisser of Cincinnati, Ohio. He began making the lures in 1905, and applied for a patent on January 8, 1906. Although the original patent drawing shows three sections hinged together, the production minnows were only made with two sections. Mr. Kreisser was very confident in his invention, as he so stated in his patent application, “By the use of my animated minnow, the alluring devices, spinning and rotating spoons and other artificial bait now used in game fishing and the live minnow itself are all dispensed with as my animated minnow combines the advantages of them all in a perfect bait.”



The lures were produced by the K. & K. Manufacturing Company in Toledo, Ohio, beginning in 1907, and at some point in time were produced in Boston, Massachusetts by William Read & Sons, until about 1916. They had two wooden body sections hinged together in the center by opposite facing eyelets, with a metal tail inserted into a slot cut into the wooden tail section. They were made in a variety of sizes for all types of game fish, ranging from the slender bodied 3” “Minnoette”, as shown in the photo here, to various 3-1/2”, 4” and 4-1/2” models, ranging from surface lures to deep sinking trolling lures. They were available in various color patterns such as golden shiner, silver shiner, black and silver, green and silver, black and red, rainbow, solid white and solid red. Note the beautiful “cross hatch” design etched into the paint on the back and sides of the “Minnoette” in the photo, giving it a realistic scale pattern which also resembles the box label drawing. They all had over-sized yellow “egg yolk” glass eyes with big black pupils and double hooks that were held in place close to the lure body with pins, until a fish struck. A few old catalogs list a 5-1/2” Musky size, but I am not sure if any have ever been found.

“Swim baits” are still very popular today, but they are merely new twists to an old idea.

If you have any questions/comments, Elissa Ruddick can be reached at elissaruddick AT aol DOT com.

— Elissa Ruddick

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

The perils of shark fishing.



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

Got to love this Ed. vom Hofe salmon reel.



This is the third Shakespeare “Pig” glass minnow trap to hit the market in six weeks, and collectors aren’t slowing down.



Don’t know much about this Tom Reich-made Fin Nor fly reel, but it looks great.



A Heddon 100 in the wood box is pretty great.



Red and White Luny Frogs are always fun.



Gregory Lures like this Paragon Minnow are always my favorites.



The Bronson Invader is one of the neatest post-war reels.



A Miller's Reversible Spinner is a neat piece of New York metal.



A Shakespeare Revolution is a classic bait.



A Shakespeare made with the Vom Hofe patent is a wonderful find.



A Chapman is always a welcome find.



This Carlton reel is just a beautiful example.



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

— Dr. Todd

Is This the Rarest Fishing Tackle Display Item Ever or just the Coolest?

Is this the rarest dealer display in history? From the March 30, 1930 Sporting Goods Dealer comes this moving display for Shakespeare Marhoff reels. I would ask if anyone has seen this before, but I imagine that no one has. I hope I’m wrong, as it’s the absolute coolest thing ever!

Shakespeare Provided Unique Tackle Display





The Shakespeare Company reports that it is offering to dealers a window display that is decidedly different in the new Shakespeare “Marhoff” reel display.

“Anglers who see it stop, look, and rub their eyes, for here is a mechanical display that reproduces most realistically all the thrill of plating a real fish in the open,” says the company. “Actually, the fish struggles and the miniature effectively renew the old itch to go fishin’.” One naturally split bamboo rod bends, as the excited angler plays the fish at the end of a piece of real ‘Super-Silk” Line. All the excitement, all the thrill of hooking onto a big one are there. It would be difficult to imagine a window true that would more effectively … It is a sales quickener, not only for fishing tackle but for other departments.”

The Marhoff reel display, states the company, may be obtained free of charge with an order for six Marhoff reels. Separately, it may be ordered for $2, which will later be refunded when the dealer’s orders for Marhoff reels increase to six. As the company expects that the display will sell at least six reels for each dealer, it recommends obtaining the display free of charge at the outset. The motive power for the display is furnished by any electric fan that a dealer happens to have on hand.

— Dr. Todd

Ben Wright's Spinning Reel Report for November 2014

NOVEMBER 2014

RECORD SNOW STORM HITS GOOD OLD WESTERN NEW YORK WITH OVER 7 FT OF SNOW IN SOME AREAS IN LESS THAN TWO DAYS !!!!

WAS THERE A NEW RECORD SET FOR THE SELLING PRICE OF A SPINNING REEL ????

FEATURED REEL:
Was a SEAMASTER listed as the rarest ever prototype with a skirted spool !!
exc- starting price $ 14,500.00 and with a buy-it-now @ $20,000.00
BUT was the modification done by Bob McChristian (Capt Mac) who was the
original maker of these reels ???
 
ORCA member and Seamaster expert Ed Pritchard and I agree that we do
not think that it was modified by Captain Mac but we Don't think any one knows for sure. if
the seller could only prove it !!! time will tell we hope !! THERE WERE "NO" BIDS

Abu:
Record 450 exc- missing the handle knob @ 554.72
 Cardinals-
33X nib @ 399.21
44X RE-PAINT @ 159.02 (dark brown)
52 nib @ 180.01
77 early first series s/n 110500 with rare black box e+wb @ 499.99
355 non skirted spool exc @ 246.29

Dam-Quick:
110N nib @ 127.50
330N nib @ 73.00
Junior 240 maroon e-wb @ 51.00
5001 nib @ 218.50

English:
The Bantam exc @ 79.51
J W Young The Ambidex FB e+wb @ 81.00

French:
Crack Contact bronze color like new @ 209.50
Crack 400 black exc+ @ 91.00
Rapt by LaSoie exc @ 75.00

German:
Atlantis sold by Garcia e+wb @ 125.00
Preciosa D G M A exc @ 168.51
Regina nib @ 72.66

Italian:
Alcedo micron BOX, pouch and spool only exc+ @ 53.52
   "           "   parts 1-spool, 1 bail, 11 bail springs, 4 bail stops
@ 177.51 why ??
Zangi---
mascotte exc- @174.15
Orvis 75A nib @ 310.00
pelican 50 dark brown exc @ 365.99 WOW
    "         "   gray/blue cup exc @ 455.99 another WOW

Japan:
Arnold Palmer e-wb @ 38.50
Golden Gate nib @ 50.00
Orco featherlight exc- @ 42.77
spin lite nib @ 62.99

Mitchell:
300 11th version nib @ 144.50
350 prince exc- @ 88.00
358 prince ewb @ 121.65
510 exc @ only 46.00 why?
524 nib @ 87.00

Penn:
Custom 714 painted red @ 82.00
716 some wear @ 157.50
  "     exc @ 132.50

Zebco:
Cardinal 4 4th version nib @ 257.00

Other reels:
Ashaway slip cast nib B/N @ 275.00 NO BIDS YET !!!!
Johnson pink Princess 100AP with matching Rod nib @ 300.00
Sofi-R exc @ only 40.90
Spin Caster/ Art Fargo exc @ 106.99 WOW

LAST---- Langs Auction Nov 1st
Abu Cardinal 33CDL S/N GC00086 nib @ only 250.00 (GC=gold collection)
Mitchell 300DL e+wb @ 325.00
Mitchell 410 DL Global nib @ 5,750.00
note above prices DO NOT include any premiums or shipping costs

TO ALL HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON !!!!
Ben

Voices from the Past: Dixie Carroll on the Pflueger Redifor Baitcaster (1919)

Starting this week and continuing for the next several months, I’m going to feature the fishing tackle writing of one of my all-time favorite writers, Dixie Carroll (Carroll Blaine Cook). These famed pieces of tackle were featured in his great book Fishing Tackle and Kits. They are fascinating write-ups of the tackle from a contemporary perspective. Below is Dixie’s write up on the Pflueger Redifor baitcaster, a reel so nice it was made by two companies.

PFLUEGER-REDIFOR ANTI-BACKLASH REEL



Pflueger-redifor Anti-backlash Reel.— Made by the Enterprise Mfg. Co. Akron, Ohio. Well, fellows, you lads who have a hankering to get into that great little old sport of tossing the plug, spinner and pork-rind, minnow or frog to the big chief of the weed beds, via the short casting rod and haven't the time to learn the art of thumbing the line, Cheer up 1 You can do it with the PfluegerRedifor A-B-L. reel and in a half an hour or so. Of course, it takes a little more time than that to get accuracy and distance, but you can make a mighty big start without any trouble in a half an hour anyway. Just f'rinstance. Two seasons ago I took a youngster up north to learn the game, gave him my Pflueger-Redifor A-B-L., told him about it and in an hour he had three bass, by evening he was quite good at casting and two days later after fishing all day with him, my old guide thought he had been casting for two or three years. It does the work. It makes backlashes a darned hard thing to produce with it and it is a boon to the fellow who wishes to learn, but figures that he hasn't got the time to dope out the thumbing control and the mystery of backlashes. It is a wonder worker, automatic in action without anything to get out of order, all you have to do is cast. The anti-back-lash end is controlled by centrifugal thumbers on the left flange of the spool. The generated spiral toothed gears with which this reel is fitted run longer and smoother than the ordinary spur toothed gear. The hardened steel pinions run in phosphor bronze bushed bearings and ride on agate jeweled cups. End play in the spool is controlled by adjustable tension oil cups and the reel is fitted with a click and drag. The dull satin finish of the German silver is a winner and the low spool, long barrel design is ideal. It is a thoroughbred. The cast is not retarded by the thumbers, they do not act on the end plate until the lure slows up the pull on the line and that is when you want them to work. For night-fishing it is a dandy tool. It certainly is death on backlashes. Material and workmanship are of the best right through the entire reel and it is a fine high class tool at a moderate price.





Early Pflueger Redifors had the 1914 patent date.

— Dr. Todd

In the News: A Local Fly Shop Celebrates 20 Years

It’s always nice when a local tackle shop celebrates an anniversary. Here in Cincinnati, Delamere & Hopkins just celebrated its 20th anniversary as a high end fly shop — no small feat in this day and age.

Founded in 1994 in the wave following the movie A River Runs Through It, the company has grown slowly over the years and now employs 13 people. It’s a nice success story and I’m very happy for them, as I well remember when they opened (I was living in Cincinnati for two years before moving aways for the Ph.D. program and moving back after it was over). So I’ve been with them from the very beginning.



It’s a short interview but telling. Congrats to Delamere and Hopkins!

— Dr. Todd