The Fishing Advertisement: British Travel (1948)

This April 12, 1948 Time Magazine full page advertisement is an interesting piece of travel history. Britain in 1948 was in now way, shape, or form recovered from World War II -- they did not even go off war rationing until the early 1950s. Yet here we see the British Travel Association (BTA) advocating for Americans to travel to Scotland to engage in salmon fishing, which was in the pre-war era a rather important part of the local economy. So the fact that the BTA was actively seeking to drum up tourism for a battered island nation is pretty cool.



-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: The Ocean City Casting Trophy (1921)

The following article came from the October 26, 1921 Jeweler’s Circular. It covers the creation of a new casting trophy for the Ocean City Fishing Club.

Ocean City Trophy Cup to Be Awarded at Annual Contest in Casting

THE Ocean City Cup, a perpetual trophy for annual competition in casting, which was presented by the citizens of Ocean City, N. J. to the Ocean City Fishing Club, is being displayed by J. E. Caldwell & Co., Juniper and Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, Pa.

The trophy, valued at $1,500, was made by the Caldwell firm to replace the original trophy which was lost in a fire at Ocean City during the past Summer. The new cup which was finished recently, is a replica of the original which was also designed and made by J. E. Caldwell & Co.



The Ocean City Cup is made of sterling silver. It is 37 inches high and fitted with a cover which is artistically chased with decorations of sea shells and sea weeds. Surrounding the cover is a fully modeled figure of a Mermaid who holds in her right hand a conch shell with which she is calling fish to the Ocean City waters, while she holds aloft in her left hand the emblem of the club enameled in proper colors.

The cup is fitted with two handles, one being formed by the fully modeled figure of a Mermaid and the other of a Triton. The Triton holds in his hand a fishing line, which extends to the lower part of the body of the cup where a fish is shown on the end of the line. The Mermaid on the other handle has her hand extended, protesting against the fish being taken from the sea.

Mounted on the upper part of obverse side of the cup is the seal of Ocean City, X. J., surrounded by sprays of laurel, crossed fishing rods and reels. Below the seal is the following title and inscription: "Ocean City Cup, a Perpetual Trophy for annual competition in casting. Presented by Ocean City, New Jersey, to the Ocean City Fishing Club."

On the lower part of the body of the cup is produced by fine chasing a suggestion of the waters of the ocean through which fish are seen swimming. The base is decorated with sea shells, sea weeds and crabs, suggesting the bottom of the ocean; and the four feet on which the cup rests are formed with an ornamentation of scrolls and conventionalized Dolphins' heads. The cup is mounted on an ebonized base.

-- Dr. Todd

In the News: The Salmon Cannon

The story of the Salmon Cannon has been making the rounds of late. For those who don’t know, scientists created a tube that shoots salmon 30 feet or more to help them on their spawning runs.

It’s an interesting (if surreal) story that’s been picked up by a lot of media, none as funny as the following clip from the great John Oliver:



It’s always interesting when fisheries biology makes national news!

— Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads: Pflueger Luminous Tandem Spinner -- Was I Ever Wrong (again)!

Pflueger Luminous Tandem Spinner -- Was I Ever Wrong (again)!




Counter display card of Pflueger Luminous Tandem Spinners as seen the the 1924 Pfluger dealers catalog.

At the 2013 ORCA National Meet in Frankfort Kentucky the vintage tackle fishing contest was held on nearby Elkhorn Creek. I was paired with ORCA’s genial Vice President Bill Muth. We started down 6 miles of river by canoe with high hopes. Bill was using a Pflueger Palomine and I was using a Clark’s Water Scout, a bait that had a good reputation for river smallmouth in days gone by. After 2 miles and no action whatsoever, we both started digging in our tackle boxes for some different lures. I was a bit surprised when Bill held up a Pflueger Luminous Tandem Spinner. I remembered them being in the Hardware store as a kid and I even bought one in 1956. Older tackle boxes I’ve looked through over the years as often as not contained one or two. I do not recall ever seeing anyone use one. I know I never used mine other than to make one or two short casts to see how it worked. It seemed too light to cast well and didn’t have the kind of wiggle that gives young boys confidence.

My remark when Bill held up the Tandem Spinner for my approval was, “that thing has desperation written all over it”. We both laughed, but two casts later Bill’s bait was nailed by a nice river Smallmouth. Needless to say, I was very surprised. A picture of Bill holding that bass appears below. Bill then proceeded to land five more bass winning the contest going away with five more bass landed. Just as we were about to finish the trip Bill lost the biggest bass of the day right beside the boat and all of this on the Pflueger Tandem Spinner. Dang! sure looks like I was wrong about that bait. I made a mental note to pick up a few Tandem Spinners at the next few NFLCC meets that winter.



After acquiring a half dozen of the baits for a dollar or two apiece at the Milwaukee Antique Lure show in January, I set them on my desk. Sometime during the winter I polished the blades after which they were completely forgotten. I happened to notice them the following June and threw them in my tackle box, meaning to give them a try. Fishing was great all during June and early July and I really never thought about the Tandem Spinners again until a very slow (no fish whatsoever) evening on the 22nd of July. What the heck, I’ve nothing to lose, I’ll give one a try. I knew they were light but I was using a 6ft soft action glass casting rod from the 1950’s and a narrow spool Coxe 25 with an 8lb braided nylon line. If that outfit would not cast them, I can’t think of a vintage (pre-spinning) outfit that would. I was pleased on the first cast to see it sale out there about 50 ft. With the rod tip held high it ran a foot or so below the surface. To my pleasant surprise I actually received good hits on the second and third casts! I inspected the lure and as usual on many old baits the hooks were very dull. I took out the file and sharpened each of the three points. I was somewhat flabbergasted to catch three bass on the next five cast! Wow, where has this bait been? I can’t cast it more that 50 feet and unless one drags one’s thumb on the spool a little during the cast the line tends to loop around the first spinner. I hope I’m never too old to say I can’t learn something new!

Thanks to Bill Muth this one stays in the tackle box!



Tight Lines,

Bill Sonnett

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

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

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

I’ve been spooled by a steelhead … I’ve been spooled by a northern pike … but spooled by a Eagle? Never!



12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This is a really neat display of Creek Chub lures.



A Flood Minnow in the box is superb.



This Swivalure is pretty spectacular.



This DAM EverReady reel in the box has the internet going bonkers.



Wow, this Moore’s Yellow Plug is really terrific!



A Heddon River Runt in Silver Herring does not come up every day.



An Ed. Vom Hofe 501 in 4/0 size is a cool classic reel.



Zinke Musky Lures from Wisconsin are nice looking lures.



The Heddon Near Surface Wiggler is a classic with the pig tail line tail.



The cover of the 1937 Heddon Catalog is one of my favorites.



The Hardy Norwegian Spoon in the box is a nice find.



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

— Dr. Todd

Happy Birthday Dad!

Pretty much the worst place to celebrate your birthday but glad you're doing OK! You'll be out soon ... miss you and love you old man. Glad you are still smiling! See you soon!



-- Dr. Todd

P.S. Thank you to everyone for the kind words and thoughts. I really appreciate it and so does my dad!

Get Better Dad!

Some of you know my dad (he's been collecting lures since 1982 and was a member of the NFLCC for many years). He was rushed into emergency surgery tonight. Think kind thoughts, if you would, about the Old Fisherman. He can use all the positivity he can get.

-- Dr. Todd

In the News: Lew's Fishing Tackle New Factory

Sometimes we have difficulty garnering good news these days, so when I found this article about Lew’s Fishing Tackle breaking ground on a new $3.5 million factory, it made my day. Turns out that building fishing reels in America might be … a good idea! At least it would appear that way, from the success that Lew’s is having now. Very cool story!

— Dr. Todd

1000 Words: Hollywood Goes Fishing

Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012) was a famous actor who is probably best known for his work as Quinton Hale (shown below in a publicity still from 1963) in the popular television show McHale’s Navy. A ten year veteran of the U.S. Navy, McHale’s navy made him a household name, but he had already won an Academy Award for Marty in 1955. A versatile actor, he attracted a new legion of fans by voicing the character Mermaid Man in the popular kid’s show Spongebob Squarepants from 1999 through 2012. Here he shows off one of his favorite pastimes on PT-73: fishing.



— Dr. Todd

The Friday Funhouse

Hey not only is that favorite time of year — Lang’s Auction Time — this Halloween weekend, we also get Crossroads Angling Auction as well. Whew. That’s a lot of auctioning! Crossroads has some great stuff, so we will jump in and do our top 12 items from this upcoming sale.

The Video of the Week

This is a cool video of fly fishing in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Super cool. Note the dropper fly used on the first fish …



12 Crossroads Items I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them

This awesome Julius vom Hofe Cosmic Reel is pretty cool!



I like this Stye B Yawman & Erbe Automatic Fly Reel!



Frederick vom Hofe is the best.



A Meek No. 10 is just oh so rare!



This casting trophy won by Art Neu is pretty great.



This broadside from the legendary John Krider’s Sportsman’s Depot in Philadelphia is just great.



The book Useppa Inn by the Isaac Walton Club is one of the rarest tarpon books out there.



This is a very early Edward vom Hofe catalog from 1896!



Love the old Knickerbocker tackle boxes.



This Pepper in the box is super nice.



You really don’t see these Wright & McGill 1930s flies very often.



The artistry of Earl Parker Gresh is terrific.

Ben Wright's Spinning Reel Report for October 2014

OCTOBER 2014

QUESTION -  IS A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE A GOOD THING ??

CHECK OUT SOME OF THESE PRICES PAID ------------------

ABU:
 Cardinal 3 first version exc- paint wear @ 401.91
Garcia Cardinal 55 nib @ 317.00
 cardinal 77 first version "RE-PAINT"  @ 177.08
225 nib @ 564.40

Dam Quick:
220 nib @ 200.00
5001 nib @ 218.50

French:
Baby Vamp second version ?  ewb @ 827.00
Centaure Pacific 5 with wrong handle and knob @ 162.50

Orvis 1-spin (Lews) nib @ 147.50

Zebco:
Cardinal 3 third version nib @ 415.00

MORE REELS:
ABU:
222 first version slight wear @ 350.00
222 second version exc+ @ 250.00
Cardinals:
 Garcia C3 black nib @ 139.99
66 first version exc w/early black box @ 300.00
77 3rd version ewb @ 217.05

AIREX:
Apache e-wb @ 20.00

MORE BRONSON: ALL CF all NIB
comet 907 @ 19.99
Dart 905 @ 15.99
Keystone 88 @ 34.99
Pilot 925 @ 77.00
Regent 990 @ 54.99
Spin King @ 20.00
T/T 902 @ 39.99

Italian:
Cargem Mignon UL ewb @ 148.45
Zangi--
  Pelican 50 exc- @ 156.16

Japan:
Atlas by Compac exc+ @ 39.99
Three-eyes paint wear @ 18.50

Mitchell:
400G s/n 169 nib started @ 750.00 best offer was accepted but we do not
know what it was ??? good old ebay sure wish they would change that ??!!!
400DL nib @ 775.00
Dual 500,508 &540 all exc starting @ 1,500.00 NO BIDS

Swiss:
Recordette 21 black ewb @ 40.00
Record 700 SCF nib @ 82.03
Staro 47-58p D2 nib @ 118.61

Zebco Cardinals:
3 second version ewb @ 195.00
6X nib @ 113.50

Other Reels:
Andrika (Denmark) exc- @ 109.50
Ocean City 350 yellow ewb @ 61.01
St Croix 1600 cf  by Tamco edge wear @ 53.99
Tamco La Salle SCF exc @ 150.00

Reel Deals:
Abu Sportex Record 400 slight wear @ 229.15
French:
 GMS Morfaux w/MPU exc @ only 11.00
 Mepps super meca orange e+wb @ 72.00
Shakespeare 2070 exc+ @ 19.50
Wright and McGill Cent. red white and blue 225c some wear @ 38.00

BOXES ONLY;
TW 1V exc @ 5.99
Zebco cardinal 3 exc @ 39.99
   "            "         "  "   @ 47.00

Winter is around the corner. what will ebay have to offer ??
Ben

The Art of the Lure with Elissa Ruddick: Ketchum’s Frog Casting Frame Gang

On the opposite side of this wonderfully graphical box, there is a poem that reads, “A FISHERMAN MAY FISH AND A FISHERMAN MAY LIE. WHAT A FISHERMAN CAN’T KETCH A FISHERMAN MAY BUY. MORAL - NO NEED TO LIE OR BUY IF YOU USE KETCHUM’S PATENT FRAME GANG.”



Now that’s a cute little jingle, don’t you think? Unless of course you happen to be the live frog that is stretched out and hooked on to the steel frame! Patented on Oct. 18, 1904 by Portage, Wisconsin inventor William R. Ketchum, a frog’s only hope if he was unlucky enough to be the one who fell victim to being a live injured fish lure, was that he would quickly be chomped in half by a hungry fish with sharp teeth, to hurry and put him out of his misery.

Now, if I can just find a frog to Ketch ... and I really think Ketchum should have invented a frog Ketcher first!

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

This brief 1920s film clip from Hardy’s is beyond awesome.



Well, it’s that time again — Lang’s time! Oh that joyous semi-annual time when collectors rejoice, for treasures await to be delivered by the USPS. And our semi-annual tradition of picking 10 unbelievable items that we cannot afford but want with the burning desire of a dying sun is upon us again. It’s the hardest thing, picking just ten items … but here we go.

12 Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them — Lang’s Edition

GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL! Oh. My. God. This is what fishing history looks like, folks. A George Snyder Kentucky reel.. The place where it all began. Best reel ever, or BEST REEL EVER???



This is one of the most beautiful reels ever made, the Meek #10 Saltwater. Just everything you’d ever want in a fishing reel. So pretty …



Can’t love this Henshall Van Antwerp reel enough. So pretty!



A J.B. Crook pre-Civil War ball handled reel is always awesome.



This is an incredibly rare Philbrook & Payne (not Paine) marbleized fly reel.



A Hardy “Club” Fly Box just screams class.



This Bimini King is all the proof you need of why people go insane for Tycoon rods.



Nothing to see here — just a Creek Chub prototype Shrimp.



A Shakespeare Rhodes Wooden Minnow is a great piece.



As this Bateman Frog came to light on Joe’s Board, I’m fascinated to see what it brings.



A Heddon Florida Special is super rare.



A Thoren Minnow Chaser is a great find, especially in the box.



Talk about your Gopher problems!



You can view the Lang’s on-line catalog yourself and pick your own Top 10 by Clicking Here
.
— Dr. Todd

The Fishing Advertisement: Pabst Blue Ribbon (1950)

This is one of my favorite fishing advertisements. It features famed actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. fishing for marlin and tuna off the legendary Catalina Island with a huge Penn Senator (14/0 or 16/0) reel. It's got everything you would want in a neat ad, especially a celebrity angler like Fairbanks. The son of his legendary namesake father, he was in over fifty films and was a decorated veteran of World War II. He loved to fish off California's waters, and was a frequent visitor to The Tuna Club. This 1950 advertisement for Pabst was run in both color and black-and-white.



-- Dr. Todd