The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

Here's a video to remind you that the Northern Pike -- aka water wolf -- is one bad dude.



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This C.R. Klein big game cradle reel is just so rare!



A Holzman big game reel is a great go-with for the Klein.



A Bagley DB3 in Red Scale is truly breaking the bank.



What a great Buckeye Bug-n-Bass.



This Ocean City 4/0 Cradle Reel in the box is ohhhhh sooooo rare!



A Heddon Spotted #300 muskie minnow is a great find.



Man is this a tough color in Heddon Tadpollys.



CCBC Pickerel Pikies are super cool.



A Du Getum Outing lure in the box is pretty rare.



This Heddon 3-15 reel is very cool.



Someone wants this Cotton Cordell Red Fin .



A Puma Fisherman's Knife in the box is a neat find.



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

-- Dr. Todd

A Short Editorial

I try to keep the subject matter on the blog strictly to fishing and tackle history. After all, there are many, many places to go to discuss politics, or movies, or anything under the sun. We are serious here about chronicling our fishing history and heritage.

However, I am going to break with this tradition this once to address an issue that has recently been thrust into my life in a big way -- our neglect of returning war veterans.

Some of you know by day I teach history at the local university. I have had many students who have become combat veterans, and have had just as many who have returned from combat to take their place in my class among their fellow students. The juxtaposition of, for example, being in a firefight in Kandahar and studying for finals could not be more stark.

One of the problems facing so many returning veterans is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a bewildering complex thing that is not unique to returning veterans, but which afflicts many veterans who have seen combat.

The problem is that far too many returning veterans are not getting the medical and psychological help you need. Did you know that some studies suggest one out of ever four homeless person in this nation is a U.S. military veteran? It is believed that the number of homeless veterans has decreased by 1/3 in the past two years from 90,000 to 60,000.

THIS NUMBER IS STILL NOWHERE NEAR ACCEPTABLE.

It does not even take into account the huge number of veterans who badly need psychological services but have had to wait interminably long for the help they need. The Department of Veterans Affairs has admitted they are woefully understaffed for psychological services and have hired 1600 new staff. But in these days of looming budget cuts, it is always such things as the VA that seem to be on the chopping block.

So what can you do to help? Well, first of all you can write your Congressman and tell him that you think that our returning veterans deserve access to the best medical and psychological services available. Second, you can read up on the issue at places like Helping Our Veterans and other similar web sites. Third, you can do a lot by simply raising awareness of the fact that we are not doing enough for our returning veterans.

Watching a military veteran in the wake of a PTSD episode is a crushing thing; I know this personally. We ask our armed services to risk the ultimate sacrifice on a daily basis; we put them in harm's way; sometimes we send them home with deep physical and psychological wounds. And when they return, how can we deny them the services they so richly earned on the battlefield defending the freedoms most of us take for granted?

We can't. It's as simple as that. Do your part; it will make your day, and it might just help to change a life.

-- Dr. Todd

An Angling Miscellany with Gary L. Miller: Michigan Fish Law Digests

Many collectors may not realize that there was a time when an occasional Michigan Fish Law Digest featured photos of Michigan fishing lure manufacturers on their covers.  Two such digests are currently being offered on eBay.



The 1941 Digest features a photo of Traverse City brothers Bert (standing) and Art Winnie fishing for bass on Lake Leelanau using Bert's patented Stump Dodger lure.  Art was also famous in his own right as a fly tier, being credited with the origination of several well known flies, among them the Michigan Caddis and Winnie's Hopper (now popularly known as Joe's Hopper).  This particular photo was previously published in the March, 1935 issue of Sports Afield in an article by Ben East entitled, "Opening Day On Leelanau".  Also featured in the article was another Traverse City man, Walter Hastings, the uncredited author of the photo and a staff photographer for the Michigan Department of Conservation.  All four of these men, East, Hastings and the Winnie brothers were good friends.  It's my guess that Hastings in his capacity as Conservation Department photographer needed a generic fishing photo for the cover of the digest and slipped this one in as a personal tribute to his friend, Bert Winnie, who had recently passed away in July of 1940.

Once started down this road, it must have been difficult for Hastings to resist putting more of his pals on subsequent covers as the following year's 1942 digest featured two more friends fishing in a canoe, also apparently on Lake Leelanau.  The two men appear to be Earl and Dan Perrin, owners of the resort, Perrin's Landing, which was the setting for the Ben East article in 1935.  Earl Perrin was a well known local fisherman who invented and eventually patented a cowbells type trolling lure for Brown Trout known as "Earl's Pearls".

Perhaps Hastings was found out and chastised as subsequent Michigan Fish Law Digests for many years thereafter were devoid of actual photographs using artwork instead.  We don't see another Michigan fishing lure manufacturer on a digest again until many years later when the 1979 cover featured a photo of Homer LeBlanc, manufacturer of the Swim Zag and the Swim Whiz among other lures.

-- Gary Miller

Voices from the Past: Hendryx History

Some Snippets of Andrew B. Hendryx Co. History


One of my favorite reel companies is the A.B. Hendryx Co. of New Haven, Connecticut.

This nice excerpt is from the 1893 Sportsman's Directory and Year Book edited by C.P. Goldey and has a great little blurb about the Hendryx company:

The reels manufactured by the A. B. Hendryx Co., New Haven, Conn., have many valuable features, which have made for them a very large sale throughout the country; This Company are large manufacturers, having plenty of capital, and every facility for turning out reels of the finest quality. Their catalogue is very complete and should be in the hands of every sportsman.

The following snippet is from The New England States, an encyclopedia of manufacturing companies on the East Coast (dated 1897).

The Andrew B. Hendryx Co., manufacturers of metal goods, is one of the largest industries of its kind in the United States. Their factory plant is located at Nos. 18 to 20 Audubon Street, where nearly five hundred operatives find employment. The company was incorporated October 1, 1889, with a capital of $125,000. The firm manufacturers bird-cages, fishing reels, chains, and wire picture cord.

That's a lot of employees! And they weren't done expanding. As reprinted in The Foundry (1897):

The Andrew B. Hendryx Company, of New Haven, Ct., had added a complete bronze and brass foundry to its Audubon worked, and purchased the entire plant of Messrs. Henry E. Preiss and Son. The company is prepared to supply bronze, brass, aluminum, and white metal castings.

Earlier they had been a major exhibitor at the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. Here is a brief description of the exhibit:

The Andrew B. Hendryx Company, of New Haven, Conn., lent 211 reels, representing all grades of their workmanship, and mounted and labeled them in handsome cases at their own expense. This exhibit was so arranged as to show all parts of the reel from the outside, as well as the separate pieces used in reel construction.

And finally, the following blurb comes from Outing Magazine from July, 1890.

A good reel often prevents the loss of a good fish, hence fishermen are constantly on the lookout for a good article. Reels made by the Andrew B. Hendryx Company, New Haven, Conn., are well received and give great satisfaction. They are well made and reliable, as may be gleaned from the following letter, printed by the Andrew B. Hendryx Company:

Pertona, Pa., February 20. 1890. A. B. Hendryx Company:

Gentlemen—I received the reel ordered (No. 2906 P) on the 17th inst., and was well satisfied with my investment. I do not think that it would have been possible for me to have purchased a reel as good as the one you sent for less than $2. In the future, in ordering reels I shall always purchase from you.

Yours truly,

Charles H. Wright.

Lots more to learn about Hendryx history, and we'll return to that one day soon!

--Dr. Todd

The News of the Week: Dec. 17, 2012

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!

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

The Big LeadA new world-record Brown Trout gets landed by Eric Haataja.



A neat retrospective on Lee Wulff.

Losing ego and catching fish.



Hey, a little history of ice augers on Field & Stream!



The first pocket-sized guide to fishing is on display in Britain.



Former sporting goods merchant Jim Howard has passed.



Grimsby angler takes out invasive Pacu.



California man catches 445 pound tuna but loses record.



Terry Henson is an expert rodmaker.



Finishing with a Flourish: A reel tribute for Mr. Hardy.



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads: Some "Old Ads" Christmas Gift Ideas From Wild Bill

When looking through piles of really old outdoor magazines, I run into advertisements that remind me that the "gift giving season" is almost upon us. If you are like me and have a hard time knowing what is an appropriate gift, the following suggestions are presented here in an effort to help you out.

 
First from the April 1917 issue of Outdoor Life comes an idea for your handyman friends. It's a just little weekend project in the basement.



For those of you with friends who might be considered “dull” company, why not consider giving them a little help as offered in this ad from the January 1914 issue of Outer's Book?



It's always nice to put a big smile on the face of your obese friends! From the July 1917 Outer's Book.



It is kind of a touchy subject, but most of us know a person or two who are a bit “slow on the uptake”. Here is a great gift idea that they should find helpful in their self-improvement efforts from the July 1917 Outer's Book.



Nature is not always kind. I'm sure there are men and women you know who could benefit from a gift certificate for Dr W. Augustus Pratt's services....right? From The American Angler July 1919.



Back in 1948 my mother washed my mouth out with soap. I always thought that it was because I repeated some words I'd heard the man next door say. Maybe not. Is there anybody you know who could use a little "Dental Hygiene" upgrade? Here's the perfect gift straight from the pages of the February 1909 issue of Outdoor Life!



From the September 1911 issue of Outdoor Life comes a great gift idea for the “little woman”. I'm sure even female acquaintances at work would really appreciate finding this book with the course of instruction under the tree.



For your “frugal” fishermen friends who really don't like to buy two different products when one will suffice, here is a great idea from the July 1917 Outer's Book. When they are done oiling their casting reel, they can head right into the wash room and spruce up!



I have been thinking of fixing up the old "Man Cave" with some high quality art. So I ran this ad from the December 1911 Outdoor Life past my wife thinking she would appreciate a little “hint” as to what to get me this year. Some people just do not appreciate help when it is offered.



Always happy to be helpful.

-- Wild Bill Sonnett

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

The perils of tarpon fishing. Say what you will about freshwater, at least you don't lose your trophy to a fifteen foot hammerhead shark!



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

The CCBC Gar in Pike Scale is oh so scarce!



This lot of pre-1900 blind eye hooks will make some fly tier really happy.



Holy moly is this rack of Bagleys cool!



Oh Manitou, Oh Manitou, how lovely art thou wrench!



This is a really great Ambassadeur 2500.



This Frenchy Lamay musky lure is quite popular.



A Carlton fly reel in the box is a nifty find.



I like this Penn Bridge City #100 a lot!


A nice Shakespeare Revolution is a great find.


A CCBC fly rod lure in the square box is superb.



Big O! One of the great inventions of all time.



Clyde D. Hoage made some cool lures, including this Water Gremlin.



Have a safe and happy weekend, and be nice to each other -- and yourself!

-- Dr. Todd

Thursday Review: ORCA's Reel News (Nov-Dec 2012)

The latest issue of my favorite tackle publication -- The Reel News (Nov-Dec. 2012) -- has just hit the news stands! And it has a ton of great stuff in it.

We start with the dean of fishing historians, the incomparable Steve Vernon. Steve gives us the skinny on Fred Wilkie's patented clutch mechanism, which was used on some amazing nineteenth century New York style reels. It's another in a long line of groundbreaking pieces from Vernon, who (rumor states) is closing in on the final stages of his magnum opus.

Mike Cacioppo gives us another segment of Penn history with the Quick Apart reels. Quick Aparts were popular in the pre-war era, and Penn added its offerings to a very crowded market, and some of them can be tough to find.

Ben Wright gives us a ton of info on two-speed spinning reels. I have always wondered why this idea never got traction, and Ben does a good job explaining to us why.

Bob Miller gives us the 1950s in Pflueger reels. It's a great series he's undertaken, and I love reading about how Pflueger tried to keep up with the changing nature of the tackle industry.

Len Sawisch gives us a lighter piece, "Look What Carl Made Me Do," which is a story about a really neat Shakespeare reel.

My own offering this issue was a history of the trade reels of J.C. Penney. I grew up shopping Penney's and always have had a soft spot for these reels.

If you are not an ORCA member--and at this point I'm just going to roll my eyes if you aren't--you can join us by Clicking Here. The Reel News is lovingly edited by Richard K. Lodge.

-- Dr. Todd

A Really Great UNID Lure Story, Or Why I Love Collecting by Joe Van't Hof

A Really Great UNID Lure Story, Or Why I Love Collecting

by Joe Van't Hof

I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and have been collecting for around 25 years. I collect various Canadian tackle companies and Moonlight. About 20 years ago I purchased the pictured folk art homemade lure at a garage sale from the widow of the maker. It took some thought and I always wondered if the maker was just tinkering in the garage and wanted to come up with a new lure or was trying to build something that could really catch fish. By the looks of the thin metal wire he used to fasten the soldered ring he was trying to make the ring that held the hooks to slide freely up and down the shaft of the bait while allowing the bait to revolve with the attached aluminum wings. This all aluminum bait has always been in my unknown folk art pile and has had a soft spot in my heart for all of those 20 years.



After a 20 year wait to see another one, today, a friend of mine gave me this new and improved version that he purchased at a garage sale earlier this year. Apparently the inventor did improve on his initial design by using a stronger wire, separating the aluminum to make a revolving head and using thicker aluminum for the wings to drive the revolving ability.





The lures were hand made in a man’s garage, I surmise from the remnants of an old battery operated penlight, and some good old ingenuity I guess. I have a couple of other lures that I purchased from the same tackle box where the fisherman looked at a metal spoon, a 58 MYR (patent # 173409 made in Sweden with metal wings) and he probably thought I can make this and promptly set about to making the same lure himself. The attempt was very good but he clearly was mimicking the one in his own tackle box and thought I’m not going to pay a $1.00 for this when I can make it myself. I’ve added a couple of photos of this bait as well.  I’m sure others have similar stories but it really struck me today when my friend handed over the other revolving bait that what I suspected was true and that this fisherman/inventor was no doubt continuing to work on this unique creation of his. The search continues for others like it!  



I still have no idea who the maker was (didn't have the presence of mind to ask the widow at the time) but thought it would be neat to share how an inventor played with their design looking to make it better each time.

-- Joe Van't Hof