Voices from the Past: Dixie Carroll on Lowe Spoons (1919)

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 Pflueger Lowe Star Spoon, one of the iconic metal baits.\


LOWE-STAR SPOON.- Made by the Enterprise Manufacturing Company, Akron, Ohio. This spoon is so swell looking that, honestly, fellows, you hate to throw it into the water, but, say, when those gold and silver sides start ·flashing down in the watery recesses it takes a mighty tame game fish to lie still and let it go revolving past without said game fish taking a walloping crack at it. And, believe me, the way the musky go for that shining- spoon makes your teeth rattle to think of it. I have one Lowe-Star Spoon, a No. 1-o, that is completely bent double from the hammering crack of a big old musky; he sure must have been most highly in- terested in that little old spoon to smash it like that. This spoon was a silver and gold on one side, and red enameled concave side with a feathered trebled hook trailing along behind, partly red and white feathers with a dash of peacock. It just made the pike and musky stand right up on their toes to get a chance at it, and this size and style is worth a place in any tackle-box. For bass-casting the silver and gold spoon of smaller size made an attractive lure used with minnows and pork-rind. These spoons are made strong and of good material, and they stand the rough work of trolling in snaggy and weedy waters. For the pike family- the musky, pike, and pickerel- they stand right out like a house afire and they get the fish.



— Dr. Todd

In the News: George Leonard Herter

I’m on record as saying how much I have been influenced by Herter’s of Waseca, Minnesota, the erstwhile catalog company that went out of business in 1981. Which is why this excellent article by Doug Smith brought back so much nostalgia that I started writing an article on Herter I have meant to pen for some time. George Leonard Herter was not always the crackpot he’s made out to be today, and was a very well read and surprisingly accurate historian of fishing for much of his life. For those who don’t know about him, or want to bring back some fond memories, this is a fine article to read.



— Dr. Todd

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

Well that is a huge lake trout through the ice … I absolutely love the commentary. This may be my favorite ice fishing video ever.



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This Jamison 50 in the box is a strange and rare trade reel.



Wow! This Pepper New Century spinner is cool.



A Strawberry Kingfish Creek Chub is a nice find.



Well, you’re never going to find a minter Hardy fly rod than this!


Not an old rod, but a great glass fly rod like this Chris Barclay is always a good buy.


Love this Chapman & Son 1000 Islands spinner.



A Horton Meek #4 in this condition is wonderful.



A Jitterbug in Water Wave? Oh my.



Like this L&S Jumbo in the box.



A clean frog Heddon 150 in the box will do the trick.



This wide spool Shakespeare 1743 is beyond cool.



These cute Montague fly reels have been catching fire lately.



Not too many Wright & McGill reels get this kind of love.



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

— Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Dixie Carroll on the Pflueger All-in-One

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.\

PFLUEGER ALL-IN-ONE MINNOW - Made by the Enterprise Mfg. Co., Akron, Ohio. This new bait of the P8uegers is a very good one and will no doubt be as popular as their P8ueger-Surprise Minnow which is sure a dinger in the plug line. The AU-in- one bait is a combination 8oater and underwater affair and is made of selected red cedar. The enameling is of water-proof porcelain and is practically indestructible. Continued casting among the shore rocks, windfalls and logs failed to more than nick it on the sharp edges- no cracks or chips were noted. This hammering of a plug among rocks, however, is treatment no angler gives his artificials, but it shows that the stuff stands up under exceptional hard usage. The minnow is mounted with two hand-forged treble hooks with patented fasteners which allow hooks to be removed and attached quickly. There are four metal planes with each minnow, one to give it a rotary motion; one keeping the minnow well on the surface and throwing a natural ripple similar to live surface-swimming baits; one to make it dive shallow with a wiggle like a crippled minnow, and the other diving deep with the same darting minnow-like motion. These planes can be changed instantly to meet all conditions of water. Made in the killing colors and luminous for night- fishing. This lure proved attractive to bass, pike, musky, and the green and white to wall-eye pike. The new four-hundred-page catalog of the Enterprise Mfg. Co. is one of the most comprehensive books on fishing tackle issued for some time and deserves a place in the library of every fisherman where it can be used for reference. The original leaping-bass design on the cover is a corker and will make you pant for the call of lake and stream. The "Pflueger Guarantee" of workmanship and material is behind this new bait, and it will live up to that guarantee.

— Dr. Todd

In the News: Mustad of Norway

Last year I was able to procure a copy of Mustad’s official history, and it was enlightening to read about the background of this iconic tackle company. It’s a really great book and I wish it was widely available (I had to use Norwegian connections to obtain a copy directly from the firm). This article on Mustad hit the Miami Herald, it reminded me just how huge this firm it is. It’s a good read.

— Dr. Todd

1000 Words: Baseball's Famous Anglers

Baseball produced a lot of interesting connections to fishing and tackle (just type the word "baseball" into the search function to the right to get several dozens articles on the subject we've published). Here we see Yankee legend Lou Gehrig fly fishing in this excellent photos ca. 1930. Gehrig liked fishing and there are a number of photos of him angling.



-- Dr. Todd

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

Here is a nice video on how a modern Hardy reel is made.



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This Geo. W. Gayle & Sons #3 is incredible.



This Wheeler & Mcgregor is super rare.



This Willam H. Talbot #2 is incredible.



This Bing’s Nemahbin Minnow is the BEST.



I like this Heddon 1300 Black Sucker.



Man, this Rhodes Wooden Minnow is amazing.



Bass O Grams are pretty cool.



A Heddon Dowagiac 00 in the box is a great find.



This early intro CCBC Wiggler is just so sweet.



An Outing Getum in the box will make some collector happy.



A Heddon #45 is a superb reel, finding one in the box is amazing.



A Bud Stewart dealer display card is a tough find.



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

— Dr. Todd

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? A Short Discourse on Penn Reels During World War II

What did you do doing the war, Daddy?

The phrase “what did you do during the war” was a popular one in the late 1940s and 1950s. Indeed, with so many millions of men and women mobilized for the war effort both at home and abroad, there were no Americans whose lives were not impacted by World War II. The millions of children born in the wake of the war were naturally curious as to what role their parents played in the greatest conflict in the history of mankind.

Fishing tackle makers and the Second World War have been written about often. It’s not a mystery what most of these companies were doing. Tycoon Tackle in Miami, Florida was expanding from a dozen employees to over 400 in the war years, making struts for F4U Corsair and F6F Hellcat fighters. Montague City Rod & Reel Co. made bamboo ski poles for mountain troops. Shakespeare made machine gun parts, among many other things, and of course Heddon made parts for the Norden bomb sight. Currey Gayle of the Gayle Reel Co. made parts for the Atomic Bomb, although he did not find out what he was making until years later.

When Mike Cacioppo started working on his final manuscript for his book The Chronological History of Penn Reels, 1932-1957 several years ago, I began to do serious Penn research to help fill in any gaps in the history of this company. It was a fun project that took many hours, but there was one mystery I was never able to crack:

What the hell was Penn doing during World War II?

We know a lot about Penn during these years; they advertised heavily, for example, declaring their support for the war effort, and sent out a lot of free lube to American anglers using their Penn reels to supplement their rationed foods. We know they also changed factories, moving to Hunting Park Avenue during these years. But what I was never able to find out was, what exactly were they making during the war?

When I ran across this want ad recently published in the Philadelphia Enquirer for April 18, 1943 showing that Penn was hiring, it reminded me of how frustrating this search has been. Note that the ad calls for women, and declares it was "light machine work in defense plant." Note also the old Lehigh Avenue address.



Penn followed this with another ad on October 16, 1944. Not only was Penn hiring, they were promising post-war employment to any new hires. This implies strongly they had a fast growing concern and more work than they knew what to do with. And of course, they had so much work they had to leave their old factory for the new one on Hunting Park Avenue (only about a mile from their old digs).



Penn had a world class machine shop, and some outstanding machinists working for them. They were certainly involved in war work, to the point they needed to hire more bodies.

But what they heck were the making? Anyone have any clues? Drop me a note if you do. I’d love to strike this mystery from my list of nagging questions.

— Dr. Todd

The Spinning Reel Report with Ben Wright: January 2015

              JANUARY 2015

A NEW YEAR WITH A NEW SPIN !!!

MOST REELS LISTED IN THIS REPORT INCLUDE THE BOX

DO BOXES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE PRICES PAID ?

CHECK IT OUT----------

ABU:
222 second version green nib @ 216.45
222 second version gray nib @ 154.45
rare Record 500 exc w/deluxe fitted box w/mpu kit @559.27
Record 600 second version e+wb @ 366.71 wow

Airex:
Astra cf nib @ 36.05
Impala cf ewb @ 24.88
two Mastereel's no2/no3 both ewb @ 46.00

Dam Quick:
110 nib @ 145.99
110 nib @ 206.66
220N e+wb @ 77.00
330N ewb @ 60.00
440N nib @ 67.63
Herters 109A nib @81.00

French:
Mepps Super Meca orange e+wb @ 183.50
Trident tr-10 nib @ 35.06

Heddon:
220R nib @ 49.99

Italian:
Alcedo Micron curved leg e+wb @ 137.50
Cargem Falcon 22 nib @ 119.00
Zangi--
Ted Williams 350 ewb @ 83.51
Orvis 50A fb nib @238.45 "RNM"
Orvis 100A nib @ only 51.00

Japanese:
Berkley 455 ewb @ 25.05
Osman 23 cf nib @ only 1.11
Taico Blue Streak #51 e+wb @ 9.99
tiny Thunderbird Mite nib @ 41.00 wow
Ted Williams 460 e+wb @ 11.60

Mitchell:
300 Century anniv. nib @ 243.61
300S nib @ 97.00
308 pro nib @ 182.71
330 otomatic nib @ 240.61
409 nib @ 172.50

Penn:
705 second version ewb @ 87.00
710 green nib @ 89.00
710 green nib @ 105.49
360 slammer nib @ 157.50

Pflueger:
Pelican 1020 ewb @ 44.58
Pelican 1020 nib @ 123.50 wow

Shakespeare:
2062 first version nib @ 60.00
2062 second version nib @ 94.00
2450 japan nib @ 117.50

Swiss:
Thommen Record 400 nib @ 52.95

Zebco Cardinals:
7 first version e+wb @ 149.55
7X nib @ 179.99
7X nib @ 445.86 WHY ?
two boxes only for 3 one @ 37.50 other @ 55.00

A FEW REELS OF INTEREST WITH NO BOX !
Abu Record 450 exc- @ 613.19
French Doperr first version exc- @ 299.00
Higgins 535-39520 cf exc- @24.00
Mitchell 400G s/n 257 exc+ @ 405.00
German Walter Schulz Selekta 1949 exc @257.00

Books- Wright Price Guide third edition 2002 relisted starting @399.99
NO BIDS
another same as above used sold @ 24.99

One would think that there would be less reels listed with the box
"WRONG"
Ben

Voices from the Past: Dixie Carroll on the Pflueger Surprise Minnow (1919)

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.\


PFLUEGER-SURPRISE MINNOW.- Made by the Enterprise Mfg. Co., Akron, 0 . Here is an excel- lent artificial minnow, and it is a natural fellow at the same time, it does not need a bunch of metal adornments to make it do a wiggling darting dive and the swim of a live minnow. It is of red cedar, the best all-round wood for making an artificial and it is finished in all the popular color designs with a crackerjack waterproof porcelain enamel that stands up under any kind of casting without -cracking or chipping. It is of minnow shape and what makes it do the wonderful lively swim under the water is the mouth-shaped cut or groove on the front under- side, and right where the mouth ought to be anyway. It is a very effective lure, of the semi-surface class, riding about ten to fifteen inches under water when reeled in at the ordinary fishing speed and it goes deeper if speeded up, floating when you happen to stop to untangle a backlash. A few seasons.ago I had one of these minnows along up north for a workout, it was cold and snow flurries made casting a bit of rough work. For two days the game ones had been off the strike, the pal and I had thrown them everything in the outfit without much success. I had loaned my pal the one Pflueger-Surprise minnow, a perch colored affair and that afternoon he landed a five pound fifteen ounce small-mouth bass and five others that just tipped the scale a tremble below fifteen pounds, all with this Surprise Minnow. It seemed the big ones could not keep away from it. My own string was not large enough or heavy enough· to mention that day. After a lot of coaxing, and then actually stealing this plug away from the pal, I had quite a nice bit of sport with it. It is still in my outfit a trifle battered and dinted from two years' use, but it still gets the fish when it is hard to interest them in hitting the lure. For its natural minnow-like movement in the water, the fine finish and good workmanship I commend it to the bait- caster as a rattling good lure.

In the News: A Self-Propelled Ice House

This week in the news, we get a super charming video of a Wisconsin ice shack to envy. Good old American ingenuity at work here, folks! This is really worth checking out (thanks John Kring for the heads up).



— Dr. Todd

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

Two of our friends — Joe Cermele and Michael Hackney — team up to test Michael's first ever #D printed fly reel. You go guys!



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

Love this A.L. Walker fly reel.



A Heddon Dowagiac Underwater Minnow is pretty cool.



Hrddon Black Sucker #1300 is a great find.



An Orvis fly reel in the wood box is attracting a lot of interest.



I like this CCBC 5830 in the box.



Never seen a 12-pack of Montague bobbers.



Instant Collection Alert: Philip Geen spoons!



A dealer display of bobbers is awesome.



Woah. This Meek #3 tournament is the absolute best.



South Bend Fish-Orenos in the box has a lot of appeal.



This Chippewa is a great lure!



This is a really rare Meisselbach 1st Model Take Apart.



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

— Dr. Todd

The Fishing Advertisement

This 1956 Miller High Life advertisement depicts a neat fishing scene. Above all other beer companies, Miller always sought to portray the "High Life" as integrally connected to the outdoors. Trolling for fish and having a beer ... life is good.



-- Dr. Todd