A Review of Phil Kiefer's L & S Web Site

A Review of Phil Kiefer's L & S Web Site

When I was a kid, my father's favorite walleye lure was a yellow shore L&S bassmaster, the older style with the yellow eye and red pupil. Back in the late 1940s, many lakes in Northern Wisconsin were stocked with walleyes, and some of the lakes produced mammoth fish within five years. Soon, walleyes over 10 pounds were take regularly, and some weighed in at over 15 pounds (my father mounted one just north of that weight). These fish were usually taken late at night in the hot summer months trolling a husky cisco kid, a river runt spook, or an L&S bassmaster. For years these lures took walleyes, even after the initial rush of monsters abated and a more steady (and smaller) crop of fish replaced them.


A picture of the exact lure my father has fished with for the past 50 years, from Kiefer's web site.
There are few more successful lures in American history than the L&S line of fishing plugs, and Phil Kiefer has put up a nifty web site that profiles many of the lures the firm sold over the years. Among the most popular were the aforementioned Bassmaster, made in a bewildering number of colors and styles, the Jumbo Shiner, Muskiemasters, Pikemasters, Troutmasters, the Miralure family, and others.

Kiefer does a fine job breaking down the site into the various families, and showing a wide variety of models and colors. From the earliest wooden lures to the latest plastic ones, you will find just about any variety of L&S lure to fit your fancy. This is the kind of web site one wishes was available for dozens of other tackle companies of this size and scope. It is well worth visiting and familiarizing yourself (if you aren't already) with this true American classic.

-- Dr. Todd

An Epistle on Experts

An Epistle on Experts

An interesting thread on Joe's Board on what and who is an expert on fishing tackle got me thinking. As I am sometimes asked for my opinion on fishing tackle by the media and other collectors, I would assume others feel I have some expertise in the field. After all, other than Mary Kefover Kelly, I am probably one of the few people who has taken the time to read Spirit of the Times, Forest & Stream, The American Angler, Field & Stream, and a host of other magazines in their entirety. I literally spent three years reading this material.

But I am here to say that, while I may know some things, the more I learn the more I realize I don't know jack. It is literally impossible to know even a small percentage of what is currently available on fishing tackle--just page through a Luckey or Murphy & Edmisten book and ask yourself what you really know about the many lures pictured. I can flat out guarantee you that Bill Sonnett has forgotten more about fishing lures than I will ever know, and there are dozens more out there just like him. But as Bill or Joe Stag or anyone who is really knowledgable will admit, they don't know everything.

Here is a case in point. I know a good bit about fish hooks, having spent a lot of time and effort researching and writing about them. But my knowledge is limited largely to the general history of hooks and specifically to American hooks. I would never consider myself an expert on English hooks, like Ronn Lucass, or on hooks and harnesses, like Jeff Kieny. When I have questions on this and many other subjects, I will start by trying to find the answer out myself, and when I am stumped, asking (politely) of people who are more knowledgable than myself.

My point in all this is to remind you that the two more overused words in the English language are Expert and Genius. James Gleick once penned the best definition of genius I have ever read. In his book Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman he declared that genius is defined by those rare instances when we come across something and say to ourselves, "in a million lifetimes I could never have done that." Thus, your geniuses are limited to people like Einstein, Beethoven, Shakespeare, etc., and come around very rarely.

On the other hand experts, both real and purported, are around us every day. How much expertise any individual may actually possess is a question I will leave others to decide. One would think it would be impossible to call yourself an expert without at least having expended some effort at learning your trade. Many collectors have expertise in one or more fields, no one has expertise in all of them. And just because someone has written on the subject doesn't always make them an expert (or even right in some cases). So pick and choose your experts very carefully.

Regardless of this, I will say the best definition of Expert I have ever come across is from my friend's father, a man who left home at age eleven to work in the cotton fields, fought in Burma in WWII, and who eventually became a master carpenter--the kind who can mitre by sight and build a roll-top desk from scrap wood in the basement. "An expert?" he once declared, "I know what an expert is. Its some sonofabitch in a suit from the head office."

So here's to all the true experts out there in the fishing tackle world. May they continue to share their expertise, with no hope of reward, with the rest of us neophytes.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Isaac McLelan

Isaac McLelan was a popular poet in the 1880s who wrote many fishing-themed poems. Here is one from an 1882 The American Angler that I particularly liked.

Salmon of Labrador
By Isaac McLelan

By the wild Canadian shore,
By the sandy Labrador,
By the rocky Mingan Isles,
And where Anticosti smiles,
Numberless the salmon shoals,
Gather where the salt tide rolls.

Rivers, streams of crystal clearness,
Pour through that far-reaching strand,
From the river-mouth, St. Lawrence
To the coast of Newfoundland
Far as where the Belle-Isle strait
Opens to the seas its gate.

Cold, these rivers, as the fountains,
From the wilderness that flow,
Cold as waters of the mountain
Gelid with the ice and snow,
There amid the salt abysses,
Of the river's spring-frest tide,
Gleaming, flashing, leaping, diving,
Shoals of lordly salmon glide.

Where the river of St. John,
Mingles with the ocean surf,
Brown with weedly rocks and sanddrifts,
Green with bordering velvet turf,
There the angler with his tackle,
When the July sun rids high,
from the dawning of the sunset,
Goes to angle with the fly.

Near thy alder-skirted border,
Where the Rattling Run doth twine,
He erects his hut of branches,
Branch of hemlock and of pine,
Floors it with the cedar saplings,
Fragrant, soft as couch of kings,
There enjoys the forest pleasures
And the sleep that labor brings.

Morning with its dewy freshness,
With its rosy, smiling skies,
Calls him to the brimming river,
River of trasnparent crystal,
There is ripple and in eddy,
Or in pool, to cast his flies.

-- Dr. Todd in Baltimore, MD

The News of the Week: 17 March 2008

The state of Georgia has declared war on the mom-and-pop bait shop...custom bamboo rod makers won't bamboozle you...rapala's annual report is out...British fishing writer Hugh Falkus really loved women...Dick's loves Chick's...a giant Bronze Whaler shark...the joys of paddlefishing...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: The Detroit Free Press reports that custom bamboo rod makers are not out to bamboozle you.


Daiwa opens fishing tackle store in Beijing.

Rapala's annual report is published.

The Sioux City Journal informs us that Lake of the Woods is where ice fishing is king.


The Gainesville Sun reports that the sea bass is the piranha of the ocean.


The Statesmen tells us to donate our trophy largemouth...


The Washington Post reports that even the lowly perch is worthy of restoration in the Chesapeake.


From Britain comes the startling report that ladies love coarse angling.

A new biography of Hugh Falkus--Spitfire pilot, film director, fishing writer, and world class womanizer--is now out.

The Bloomington Normal Pantagraph reports on a former resident who finds big largemouth in Florida.

Britain's Salisbury Journal informs us that the Barbel world record awaits confirmation.

Dick's acquires Chick's, sporting goods that is.

The Salisbury (Md.) Daily Times reports that having too much tackle is a true rarity.

Bob "Mr. Muskie" Mehsikomer is profiled in the Appleton Post Gazette.

New Zealand's Northern Advocate details the one that got away.



OZark Outdoors reeports that the paddlefish is difficult to capture.

The Melbourne Sun regales us of a tale of a 10 foot bronze whaler shark.


The London Free Press profiles Stew Jeffries and his custom tied flies.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette details the life of Mike DelVisco, professional angler.

Finishing with a Flourish: Georgia declares war on small bait shops.


Rep. Barbara Massey passes the buck to the Governor.

-- Dr. Todd from Washington, D.C.

Friday Funhouse

The Friday Funhouse
Video of the Week
This video absolutely cracks me up. God, I know what this feels like, even without the video evidence. Fish everywhere but nothing biting. Amazing.



Things I Would Buy If I Could Afford Them
Many know that I love fish hooks; well, here is one you don't see every day: a rare Howell Texas spring hook.


Instant Collection: Here is a lot of 78 Arbogast jitterbugs.


An awesome Milam #3 Kentucky reel.


Your Heddon of the Week is this gorgeous 150 in the always popular Bar Perch.


This Wright & McGill Granger Aristocrat fly rod is a great rod to collect and fish with.


This 14/0 Ocean City is about as large of a reel as you're going to find.



This Penn 706 spinning reel in the box is as nice as they come.


The Experts are a complicated and engaging family of lures; this Clark Expert underwater minnow is a great one.



Ackerman Minnows don't come up for sale very often. This is a very rare lure.



Who doesn't love a Staley-Johnson Twin-Minn?



A Blue Head/White jitterbug is one of the toughest colors.



The Creek Chub Jigger is one of the most original lure designs around. I often wonder what kind of action they have in the water.



Barber Pole baits like this one are always a nice addition to any collection.


This Puls & Wencka take on a rotary head bait is a strange and intriguing one.


Is there a prettier color than Allen Stripey?


Wooden L&S minnows don't show up nearly as often as people think, even in rough condition.



That's it! Have a great weekend and as always, be good to each other, and yourself.

-- Dr. Todd

BREAKING NEWS: A VIntage Bait Tackle Shop in Milwaukee

A Vintage Bait Tackle Shop in Milwaukee

Dan Basore emailed me and said that they had recreated an old tackle shop at the Milwaukee Sports Show on the State Fairgrounds. As Dan noted, "Hundreds of lures, reels etc. mint in their original boxes are on display in a one and only exhibit through Sunday."

I wish I wasn't 500 miles away, or I would go just to see this! How neat. I hope some of you in the Chicago/Milwaukee/Madison area will get over to see it.

Dan sent the following images:




Looks awesome!

-- Dr. Todd

Review of Spring 2008 NFLCC Gazette

The March issue of The NFLCC Gazette is out (Vol. 31, No. 115) and is chock full of articles and information on fishing history.

There were four major articles in this issue. Leading off was Bob Klapoetke who details the history of D&R LUres of Neshkboro, Wisconsin. This is a relatively recent company and so it was nice that someone took the time to chronicle its history now rather than later. The Rev. Bob Dennis, NFLCC chaplain, penned a nifty article entitled "I Love Spoonplugs, about the omnipresent Buck Perry creation.

The lengthiest article came from Gary Peck of Canada, who contributed a neat and extremely detailed piece entitled "Northern Tackle Company" that documents this Sudbury, Ontario firm. I love Canadian fishing history so this was a welcome and fascinating piece. Colby Sorrels is always a welcome contributor and he doesn't disappoint with a nice article "Three to Fish With" about the joys of fishing antique tackle. More people should do this, as it is a blast.

The previously mentioned articles were longer pieces, but the issue also contained a few shorter ones. Bob Guist reproduced an article from a 1966 Canadian centennial history book on the background to AL&W. Marc Dixon also contributed two articles, "The Case of the Mystery Minnow," and "Hurd Mentality."

Overall, it was a good issue of broad interest to collectors. The NFLCC Gazette is edited by Jim Fleming.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Ozark Ripley

Ozark Ripley was one of the best outdoor writers from the golden age of sportswriting: the 1910s and 1920s. A dedicated angler, he penned numerous articles and books on the subject, and was widely respected for his conservationism. Here is one of the best articles he ever wrote, published in 1925.

My Greatest Thrill in Sport
By OZARK RIPLEY
For many years I have hunted and killed all kinds of big game on the American continent, except polar bear, and I have taken most kinds of fresh and saltwater game fish.

Bu the greatest thrill ever experienced during my 50 years devotion to outdoor sports came to me this summer in July, on the Nipigon River, in the rapids just below the Canadian Pacific Railway bridge, at Nipigon, Ontario.

It all happened late in the evening. The trout at this point are the most famed and largest brook trout in the world. But just at
that time they were not striking as usual on account of the exceedingly cold nights. However, I decided to go to the river to try out a little split bamboo bait casting rod, two and three-quarters ounces, that I had made for casting very light lures. It would be a revelation to myself and other anglers to take trout in this manner, when fly casting is the vogue.

The water under the Canadian Pacific bridge, and below for a quarter of a mile at least, flows like a mill race. I attached to my line a small weighted feather casting minnow, just to see if the little rod would shoot it. At the first try I shot the lure at least 135 feet across the water toward the west bank, and in the opposite edge of fast water.

The very instant that the tiny lure struck the water the second of the only two large rainbow trout that up to then had rose and seized my lure. It was a monster. It seemed an impossible accomplishment even to land that fish with the little rod and the fine nine-pound test casting line. The thrill that came in that approaching darkness was incredible. The killing of moose and grizzly bear was tame in comparison.

I worked in a bad light nearly an hour, and in danger of falling into that deep, swift reach, trying hard to lead that fish out of the fast water where the current could not aid it into the long upstream swirl on my side. The only thing that helped me in that fight was the generous supply of filled line I had in store on my reel to help perfect thumbing of it.

I worked up and down those rapids in despair and hope, as the whims of the strong leaping fish directed. Yet the thrill of trying to land the whopper leaping rainbow with that tiny rod was something I had never conceived possible.

It began to grow darker. Suddenly on the left bank I saw a big black bear take to the water and swim deliberately toward my fish, despite the terrific current. Evidently he took it for a cripple. Right off that rainbow sensed his presence, and darter for the east bank as fast as I could reel in slack, and the bear kept his course direct for him.

The rainbow, heading straight for the upstream water, with occasional leaps from it, finally gained the stretch of upstream current with the bear only a few yards behind him. That bear did not become appraised of my presence unitl he made a lunge for the fish, missed it as it leaped out of the water, and then scrambled for the bank to get a better survey of his expected prey. That very moment he got a whiff of the man scent, wheeled and scrambled as fast as he could for the thicket of spruce along the sheer hillside.

And then the thrills of the thrills occurred in the darkness as I roughed that spent rainbow and brought him along the coarse narrow sand bank, where, as he was far too large for my landing net, I fell on top of him and help him captive with my hands and knees until his strength was completely exhausted.

-- Dr. Todd

Memories of R. Palmer Baker, by Richard K. Lodge

Memories of R. Palmer Baker
by Richard K. Lodge
R. Palmer Baker, a great old guy and an incredible philanthropist - and an avid fly fisher - died in New York City this week. I met Palmer by chance when I was fishing the upper Beaverkill River in the Catskills 3 or 4 years ago. He was ancient then, and had been fishing by himself for an hour or two when my fishing buddy and I ran into him walking back to his car.

We had a wonderful conversation and it wasn't until I got home a couple days later I realized the name Palmer Baker was very familiar. He was author of the fly fishing book The Sweet of the Year which has a certain fame in the annals of angling books. Palmer and I corresponded for a year or two but never met again on the banks of any Catskill rivers. I have a great photo of the two of us talking, taken by my fishing buddy He was an interesting character; a classic old angler with his fly rod and Hardy reel.

This photo of R. Palmer Baker Jr. (left) and me was taken by my friend Jeffrey Hill in early June 2005 along the road next to the upper Beaverkill River outside Roscoe, N.Y. Jeff and I had just parked and were stringing up our fly rods when Palmer came out of a field along the river. It wasn't until several days later that I realized this was the man who wrote and published The Sweet of the Year in 1965, a book about his love of fly fishing, mainly in the Catskills.


I found it interesting that the New York Times obituary recorded the many, many professional accomplishments of this man but didn't mention that he was the author of a fishing book.

Here's his obit it in the New York Times:
 
R. P. Baker, Lawyer and Humanitarian, Dies at 89
By DENNIS HEVESI
Published: March 9, 2008
R. Palmer Baker Jr., a lawyer who was instrumental in the creation of a leading cancer research institution as well as organizations involved in criminal justice issues and the treatment of addiction, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 89 and lived in Manhattan.

Mr. Baker’s daughter, Mary Baker Eaton, said her father died moments after walking into his doctor’s office on the day before his 90th birthday. No cause was given.

From 1995 to 2005, Mr. Baker was chairman of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, a Manhattan-based organization with nine research centers in seven countries. It has spent $1.2 billion on research since its founding in 1971 by Daniel K. Ludwig, a billionaire who made his fortune in shipping and real estate. He died in 1992. Mr. Baker, who worked for the law firm of Lord, Day & Lord, had been Mr. Ludwig’s lawyer.

“Palmer was the legal architect for the institute,” Dr. Lloyd J. Old, the organization’s current chairman and its former director, said on Thursday. “He played an essential role in guiding the development of the institute’s unique structure of branches and affiliates around the world.”

Mr. Baker was also involved in the creation of the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit research and policy organization that looks at issues like prison violence and parole policies. Michael Jacobson, its director, said Mr. Baker drew on his expertise as a tax lawyer to help incorporate the institute, which is also based in Manhattan.

Mr. Baker also helped create and then served as chairman for the first of Vera’s 17 spinoff corporations, Manhattan Bowery, which addresses problems like addiction, Mr. Jacobson said. The corporation, now called Project Renewal, successfully lobbied for the decriminalization of public drunkenness, calling for medical detoxification as a substitute for incarceration.

In his 70s and 80s, Mr. Baker was chairman of the Argus Community, a South Bronx nonprofit group that serves people who are mentally ill, addicted or homeless. He was also a trustee of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Ray Palmer Baker was born in Troy, N.Y., on March 4, 1918, one of three children of Ray and Mary Messinger Baker. His father was vice president of Rensselaer Polytechnic.

Mr. Baker received his bachelor’s and law degrees at Harvard and served in the Navy during World War II, rising to lieutenant commander.

Mr. Baker’s wife of 50 years, the former Alma Nicoll, died in 1992. Besides his daughter, of Newburyport, Mass., he is survived by a grandson.

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week, 10 March 2008

Jackie Chan's father is buried with his favorite fishing rod...stories of fishing in Iraq abound...the man behind Shimano speaks...how to get yourself a yellowtail...the beauty and grace of worming for trout...the Joe Mauer fishing lure...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: Movie star Jackie Chan buries his father Charlie in Australia with a single white rose....and his fishing rod.

NFLCC members pen the early history of the Pflueger Surprise Minnow.

NFLCC member Kyle Kuba gets profiled by The Rochester Democrat.


The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame adds four anglers.

More stories on G.I.'s fishing in Iraq. First the UPI writes it up, then Stars & Stripes.


The San Francisco Chronicle tells us its a good time to take inventory--of ourselves and our tackle.

Lafayette man invents new hook that leads to Falcon Lure Company.

Avid sea angler catches flounder at age 100 before passing to the great fishing boat in the sky.


Fishing with friends, Malaysian style.


Aussie boats 33kg blue groper. Good day, mate!


How to get your very own yellowtail.


The Detroit Free Press tells us what it takes to invent the next big fishing lure.

An interview with Kozo Shimano, namesake of the tackle firm.


Tedd Lee breaks Florida state record Peacock Bass.

Tarpon fishing is still the tops at Cape Coral, Florida.

The Mother Earth News tell us of the grace and artistry of...worming for trout?

Tony Zappia--outdoor columnist for the Watertown Daily Times for the past 19 years--has retired.

Tom Meade profiles a new program teaching Richmond Chariho Middle School kids how to tie flies.


From The Hindu in India comes a tale of angling, written for kids.


I'm still trying to figure out what this fishing-related story is all about...

The current state of politics is lampooned in this parody on "Teach a man to fish..."

Finishing with a Flourish: Home Run Derby, a cool baseball site, profiles the top 10 Baseball promotions of the upcoming year. At the top of the list is the Joe Mauer Fishing Lure giveaway. And yes, as a Twins fan I have to have one of these things!



-- Dr. Todd

The Friday Funhouse

The Friday Funhouse
Video of the Week

Why you shouldn't let a northern in your trout pond



Things I Would Buy If I Could Afford Them
This Vom Hofe Restigouche leads off the reels of the week.


A nice Horton Meek #3 would make any reel collector happy.


Here's your opportunity to buy 1000 lures for one bid...


Your Heddon of the Week is this Yellow Killer Minnow.


This Johnson Automatic Striker in the box has attracted A LOT of attention.


Here's a nifty Keeling in a HICO box.


This Spinno Minno in the box has sent bidding through the roof.


This is a very rare Wiliam Stuart "Congress" Minnow in a wood slide top box.


A Russ Peak fiberglass fly rod shows that not all rods need be bamboo to attract attention and bids.


An H.C. Brush spoon and catalog make a nice pair.


This A&I Bucktail Killer in the Box is a very rare South Bend combo.



Have a great weekend! Be nice to each other, and yourself.

-- Dr. Todd