A Little NFLCC History

A Little NFLCC History

Dick Streater recently shared with me a few pieces of early NFLCC history. The following letter dated June 27, 1976 and authored by co-founder Dudley Murphy gives us a great look at the earliest days of the NFLCC. It was written directly following the first NFLCC Nationals held at the School of the Ozarks. As a club, the NFLCC has progressed a long ways, but at its core its clear that from the beginning what matters is getting together, sharing your passion, and having fun. Perhaps we need to be reminded about this.

Note also it was called a "Swap Meet."

Dick also sent the original drawing of the NFLCC Regions as he envisioned them in the beginning. It was a great idea then and a great idea now. Note that originally there were four regions.

Thanks to Dick for sending this and reminding us what this hobby is about, even from its inception. The full text of the letter is here:

Dear NFLCC Member:

The first national club swap fest is now history and those of you who were able to attend were delighted with the quality of lures on display and for trade. The trading took place primarily on Saturday and must have lasted for 14 - 15 hours with time out only for lunch and supper at the School of the Ozarks cafeteria. The facilities were outstanding . . . tight security, plenty of display space, and a beautiful new building to meet in. I would like to thank John Goodwin for arranging our meeting place, motel rooms, and cafeteria. As a member of the S of 0 faculty John was able to secure our meeting area free of charge and offered us the same deal the next time we wish to hold a swap fest . . . the members in attendance unanimously agreed to hold a regional fall or late summer fest at S of 0 so it look(s) like more good-trading coming up.

A suggestion has been made by R. L. Streater to hold our next national swap fest in Dowagiac, Michigan, with possibly a tour of the Heddon factory and the opportunity of locating old plugs in the area. The suggestion was met with approval but will need to be put to a vote as next summer draws near. The fall swap fest mentioned previously will be a regional fest for those interested in attending but will not take the place of our national meeting. Members from all regions will be invited to attend, if they wish however. It will be interesting to see how much new stuff turns up by the fall and to see how many fests each year will be feasible.

By now you may be wondering if we just traded or if we discussed any club business. . . we did hold an election of officers and also broke the United States into 4 regions with a regional Vice President to each region (see enclosed map). This regional approach will help in contacting members and will facilitate club business. The following is a list of the officers elected at the April swap fest:

President - Dudley Murphy - Springfield, Missouri
Vice 'Pres. Region 1 - R.L. Streater Mercer Island, Washington
Vice Pres. Region 2 - Kermit Mosier Leadwood, Missouri
Vice Pres. Region 3 - Carl White - Edmond, Oklahoma
Vice Pres. Region 4 - Seth Rosenbaum - 7 Whitestone, New York
Secretary-Treasurer - John Goodwiin, Point Lookout, Missouri
Board of Directors - Jerry Routh Springfield, Missouri
- Clyde Harbin Memphis, Tennessee
- Dudley Murphy Springfield, Missouri

We feel that we now have a strong organization of collectors and with the country being broken into regions the opportunities for regional meetings and swap fests as well as for membership recruitment should be greatly increased. Hopefully through our association with the NFLCC each of our collections will also increase.

The business of dues was brought up and $3.00/year was agreed upon. To the present time all expenses have been the responsibility of the three founders. It is felt that $3.00/year will cover all mailing and printing costs and so it is hereby announced that dues are now payable to Sec.-Treas. John Goodwin.

As a club we are growing fast and the old lures are starting to show up in members' collections instead of wasting away in some attic. I think this is what our club is all about . . . so, let's keep at it!

Well, that about says it for now . . . good luck collecting . . . take care.

Sincerely,

Dudley




-- Dr. Todd

The First NFLCC Lure Auction by Dick Streater (1979)

Dick Streater writes in with a fascinating piece of lure collecting history...

The First NFLCC Lure Auction
by Dick Streater

In the interview we did for the Sept. Gazette, we did not cover the FIRST NFLCC lure auction by mail - sale.  It was held by me - Sept. 1979.The sale list was mailed only to NFLCC members that had previously ordered my "Bible" that came out in 1978.  I guess I figured that those folks were interested in the hobby, and would be likely potential buyers.The sale was 100% Heddon baits.
 
There were 66 different bidders - and 29 of them were buyers of one or more lures.
 
Here are some of the lures and their winning bids:
 
No.500  Multiple Metal Minnow - $105      
No. 900  Swimming Minnow - $151
 Solid Red Casting Plug w/Decal - $15      
No.51  Artistic Minnow w/Buoy - $87
 No.300 Surfusser (6 trebles)  -  $55         
No.40  Walton Feathertail  -  $36
 No.700 Muskollonge Minnow (3 Trebles) - $115    
No. 610  Coast Minnow (2.5") - $158

Wow! Pretty amazing prices. How times change. I sure would love a shot at that 700 minnow for $115...of the Surfusser for $55!

Thanks Dick for sending this in!

-- Dr. Todd

A Review of the NFLCC's New Web Site

Review: The NFLCC Web Site


The National Fishing Lure Collector's Club has worked very hard to revamp its web site, so I thought I would take a closer look at some of these changes. Primarily, the NFLCC has maintained a web site as a way of promoting information about the club. In this, it has always been a functional site--you still have your club information, show calendar, club shop, periodical information, etc.

But the NFLCC web site is not just about renewing your membership anymore. Two new areas are the message board and the gallery. The message board has been changed/updated a number of times, as it has been devastated by spam over the past year. One can hope the problems are fixed as there are currently only about five messages in total on the board, and that's a shame.

The most interesting addition is the gallery. I have always felt the NFLCC should make a place where donated research material is available to the membership, and they have created one. Hundreds of pages of great material are available in the gallery ranging from old catalogs to photos of rare spearing decoys. This promises to be one of the most important research tools on the entire web for fishing history.

All in all, the NFLCC has inaugurated some necessary and exciting changes on its web site. Now, all that's necessary is for members to start utilizing it on a regular basis. I know I'll be checking in to see if the gallery and message board are getting much use.

-- Dr. Todd

NFLCC Nationals 2007 Show Report, Part IV

NFLCC Nationals was all it was advertised and more. Over the next four days I will be posting pictures of the people, displays, and tackle I ran across in my three days in Louisville.

National Show Report, Part IV:
How to Add to your Collection on Less than $50 a Day
NFLCC Nationals, Louisville, Kentucky (July 11-14, 2007)
I have a lot of collector friends, some with very deep pockets and some with, how shall we say, less deep pockets. Few have shallower pockets than myself. Actually, I'm not really sure that shallower is a word--maybe more shallow is apropos. Anyway, I have never let a lack of liquid assets ever get in the way of building a collection. While the days of picking up Heddon 150s for $10 at a flea market are almost over, there are plenty of creative ways to collect for even those of the most modest means.

NFLCC Nationals is not just about $1000 lures and reels. I think one of the misconceptions is that you have to be ultra wealthy to enjoy the show or that only high-end items exchange hands. Room trading and table displays were full of reasonably priced tackle, and a number of dealers had enormous boards filled with $5 and $3 lures by the thousands. With some dilligence, a collector could add ten nice reels and fifteen decent lures for $250, an average of $10 each. All you have to do is be knowledgeable enough to sift through the bins and boards to find the very real bargains available on (and under) almost every table.

For example, I have been slowly but surely building a collection of snelled hook packets. My interest in the fish hook and its history is no secret, and since the third volume in my three book History of the Fish Hook in America is on the snelled hook, it is natural for me to seek these out. I found some really tough snells and some pretty common ones I had yet to add to my collection, and the best part is that they cost very little coin.


L to R: Bobby Pin, Pflueger 1/A, Supplee-Biddle Congress, Edward Vom Hofe, South Bend, W. Bingham XLCR

Pointer, AL&W Beaver, Tryon Kingfisher Standard, Sears Best, Sears Philby, N. Shure Standard, Frankfurth Neptune

More expensive but still within the realm of reasonable are the following two snelled hook dealer boxes. The first is a really tough 4 Brothers 1/A Snelled Hook maroon dealer box; these would have contained the yellow Pflueger snelled packet shown in the above image.


Maroon Pflueger 4 Brothers Dealer Box
A reasonable--and very, very rare--addition to the collection is the following Abbey & Imbrie Snelled Hook dealer box. This dates from the 1890s and is in nice shape considering the age. This would contain, as the side label noted in pencil, a half gross of A&I Snell packets with the same logo.


Abbey & Imbrie Hollow Point Snelled Hook Dealer Box
Hooks in general are always of great interest to me. The following is a montage of reasonably priced hook items, including a very large Pflueger saltwater hook marked "Pflueger, Akron, O.", a rare Horrocks-Ibbotson picture box, a Horrocks-Ibbotson box of German-made hooks, a scarce Belknap Hardware Company hook box, and a colorful Minnesota Tackle Co. hook packet.


Some hooks from Nationals
Sample hook packets can be tough to find, which was why I was happy to add the following set of salesman samples from Pflueger and O. Mustad. These were given out as freebies to promote new hooks.


Sample hooks from Nationals
I have concentrated of late on collecting trade reels, and was able to add some neat ones to my collection for reasonable prices. The first reel was a real find, even if it isn't a trade reel. This hard rubber model is a rare 60-yard model made by Cozzone, a maker most noted for large saltwater models.


This Cozzone reel is difficult to distinguish from Montague and Pflueger models
The second is a nifty Pennell model made by Montague and marketed by Edward K. Tryon of Philadelphia.


Tryon Pennell reel with logo
The third is a nice Congress Quad model marketed by Supplee-Biddle Hardware, also of Philadelphia, and made by Union Hardware of Torrington, Connecticut. I wish I would have had a chance to add this model to my article on Supplee-Biddle in the December 2006 NFLCC Magazine.


Supplee-Biddle Congress Quad made by Union Hardware
Speaking of which, my recent article on The Vim Company in the May 2007 The Reel News could really have used a photo of the following item, a rare 1929 Vim Co. line spool in a Vim marked box with the 2222 Diversey Street address. My thanks to Don "The Lure Guru" Ludy for adding this tough piece to my meager collection of line spools--trust me, I't will never rival my friend John Etchieson's collection!


Vim insured silk line
I did not find as many lures to my collection as I would have liked. But I did add a new fluted spinner to my collection for the first time in almost a year--a Henzel Fluted Spinner on the card. Henzel was best known for the "Henzel Booster Bait" and this is the first of these I have ever seen on the card. This also came from Don Ludy, who has another one if anyone is interested in adding a super tough piece of metal to their collection.


A really neat Chicago fluted spinner from an old company
Not all of my collection is antique. I added an Arbogast AC Plug in Rainbow in the largest size to complete the color set.


12 inch long AC Plugs are popular with musky fishermen
My final piece from the Louisville Nationals is special in every way. It is not the kind of thing that I usually buy, or can afford to buy for that matter. A friend of mine (who shall remain anonymous so as not to arouse any hard feelings) came up to me and told me I had to see an item that he had, and set down a briefcase.



The leather briefcase had a metal plate marked "VL&A." I took a deep breath. Then he opened the case. My mouth fell open when I saw what was inside. Two VL&A tournament casting reels, one in the box and the other in a correct marked "VL&A" leather case. A 1927 VL&A catalog. And 10 mint South Bend Callmac Bugs on mint VL&A cards. An absolutely amazing find and I was lucky enough to add it to my collection.


Cool VL&A Salesman’s Case

It was a serendipitous find, as I had earlier that day told Dudley Murphy I would be writing on VL&A for the next issue of the NFLCC Magazine (after he had—and rightly so--rejected my proposal of an article on sex and fishing tackle advertising). You will assuredly see pics of this in the VL&A article!

There were a few other pieces I added, including a number of books such as Albert J. Munger's Fishing and Collecting Old Reels & Tackle & History, Dean Murphy's Made in Missouri, 2nd Edition, a 1964 Herter's Catalog, a 1925 Elmira Arms Catalog, and some other assorted materials.

So the NFLCC Nationals was a huge success both personally and from the standpoint of the club. My thanks go out to my friends old and new for all the fun.

Only 360 days until Peoria!

--Dr. Todd

NFLCC Nationals 2007 Show Report, Part III

NFLCC Nationals was all it was advertised and more. Over the next four days I will be posting pictures of the people, displays, and tackle I ran across in my three days in Louisville.

National Show Report, Part III:
The Incredible Displays
NFLCC Nationals, Louisville, Kentucky (July 11-14, 2007)
There are many, many reasons to attend NFLCC Nationals--the comraderie, the fellowship, the downright fun you see all around you. Trust me, I didn't see very many unhappy faces. But there is also the fishing tackle that literally surrounds you on all sides, setting you adrift in an ocean of delights.

Of all the people I know in the hobby of collecting, there are few I respect more than those who take the time and effort to put together educational displays that benefit all of us. Some of these stalwarts put together a display and show it once or twice in their lives, making their displays like those rare museum exhibits that command headlines in the mainstream media. Others are so adept at these educational displays that they show their works every year, or in the case of someone like Dan Basore, set up a traveling display to educate the masses far and wide.

The NFLCC Nationals has a display competition that is, in reality, not really a competition at all. I dare anyone to explain to me how any of these wonderful displays, lovingly put together over years of collecting and arranged in aesthetically pleasing arrangements for all to enjoy, have lost at anything. I am not sure about much in life, but one thing I am positive about is that all of these displays are winners in every sense of the word.

So for the nominal price of registration, we fortunate members of the NFLCC are privy to walk the halls of fishing history in the form of rows of displays of every conceivable shape and form. These "competition displays"--a term I use to differentiate from the often awe-inspiring displays set up on almost every table--run the gamut from modern (e.g. Bagley) to antique (e.g. Chapman). Every single one I looked at, and I studied them all, had a host of merits and contributed to my knowledge of the history of fishing.

I truly wish I could explore in depth each of the exhibits at the show, but unfortunately I can only survey a sampling of them. Many of them touched on subjects of which I am a veritable neophyte. Take for example the Bagley display. I have fished with Bagleys, have owned a number of them, but have only a superficial knowledge of them. But the following display showed just how much I have to learn about Bagley lures.


Bob Lane's neat color collection of Bagley baits
As a Minnesota boy who spent his summers in the backwoods of Northern Wisconsin, I have always found Florida lures to be a universe of their own. There are so many permutations and nuances to collecting Florida tackle that I am in awe of those who can keep it all straight. One of the best at this art is Ron Gast, whose Florida display was a thing of absolute beauty. I was particularly taken by the display of Earl Parker Gresh, the master woodsmith and lure maker.


A great exhibit of Florida lures
Big-time metal lure collectors are sometimes referred to as collecting "heavy metal." As a collector of old metal baits myself, I am probably best referred to as the "medium metal" guy. In the world of metal there is none heavier than Chapman. The following display of Chapman metal is so good and comprehensive that it is amazing.


Joe Stag's awe-inspiring collection of Chapman baits
Jerry Soete brought an example of just what is so great about NFLCC Nationals. His display of Kentucky-made lures and tackle, with an emphasis on the Falls City Bait Company, was very educational as many people have this tackle in their collections but know next to nothing about them.


Nice color display of Kentucky lures

Great display of Kentucky tackle including items from Belknap Hardware and two side-hook CCBC Sarasotas sold by Sutcliffe out of Louisville
Another such example was the display of Gateway fishing tackle. Gateway was a distributor out of St. Louis, Missouri that trafficked in a huge number of tackle through their mail order business. They are probably best known to Creek Chub collectors for their line of Shur Strike baits.


Nice example of CCBC Gateway lures
The following are Carl Schaum's displays of Strikemaster and Sure Catch lures and they further illustrate how these displays can educate us on tackle that is not uncommon but that most collectors are ill informed.


A great display of Strikemaster baits

Sure Catch Bait Company Lures of Union City, Ohio
Creek Chub Bait Company was well represented at the show, and the following two displays would make even the most grizzled old timer smile.


CCBC Beetles in pretty much every known color

Giant Pikies always make for a nice display
In any competition, someone must come away as a winner. The show judges had a difficult task, as they had to judge not only the breadth and comprehensiveness of the displays, but also their educational component and aesthetic qualities. When all was said and done, the display of Wisconsin fishing tackle put together by Chris Slusar won best in show.


Banner for Chris Slusar’s Display
It is very, very difficult to argue with this decision. Knowing a bit about Wisconsin tackle myself, I feel confident in declaring that this is the single greatest display of Badger State Tackle ever put together under one roof. The comprehensiveness of Slusar's exhibit is what impressed me the most. Whether it was the Wisconsin trade tackle from John Pritzlaff or William Frankfurth, tackle from the big merchants like Carrie Frost and Marathon, or musky lures from Tony Burmek and James A. Lind, very little was missing. I even saw a K-B Box that I hadn't seen before, and that is quite a feat as my family has been collecting K-B for twenty years and my brother knows the former owners of the Superior Door Catch Company. You simply could not spend just five or ten minutes looking over the display--you could look at it for hours. The best part was the overwhelming attention to detail, whether it was the chronologically correct display of Burmek boxes or the photo of former striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, famous for her Wisconsin musky fishing trips. It was an astounding display worthy of the highest praise.


Awesome collection of Chippewa lures

Great display of Tony Burmek musky lures

Wisconsin trade tackle, including Pritzlaff and Frankfurth

Nifty display of Superior Door Catch Co. K-B Tackle

Wisconsin fly tier Lew Morrison with stripper-turned-musky-fisher Gypsy Rose Lee

All of these amazing exhibits got me thinking (a dangerous thing, I admit). What I think we ought to do is to reconsider the meaning of the NFLCC Nationals. It is not just the single best place to meet old and make new collecting friends, it isn't only the best place (by far) to buy and sell old fishing tackle, it is something far more grand. NFLCC Nationals is the greatest museum display of the history of fishing and fishing tackle ever brought together under one roof. And the best part is that it changes from year to year, adding to our knowledge by leaps and bounds.

If that isn't a reason to attend NFLCC Nationals, I don't know what is.

--Dr. Todd

Coming Tuesday: How to Add to your Collection on Less than $50 a Day

NFLCC Nationals 2007 Show Report, Part II

NFLCC Nationals was all it was advertised and more. Over the next four days I will be posting pictures of the people, displays, and tackle I ran across in my three days in Louisville.

National Show Report, Part II:
Great Tackle Seen at the Show
NFLCC Nationals, Louisville, Kentucky (July 11-14, 2007)
Although the displays get much of the attention at the NFLCC National shows—and justly so—there is so much amazing fishing tackle displayed on people’s tables that aren’t part of the show competition that I think they sometimes get overlooked or forgotten. Today I will concentrate on some of the neat pieces seen around the show floor, some of it for display and some of it that was for sale.

I was speaking with a couple of Heddon collectors who agreed that if you were a novice collector looking to build a collection over the long run, this would be the time to get into underwater minnows. I have not seen the prices of Heddon 150s, for example, this low in over a decade or more. I think it may be because people perceive these as being out of their price range, but trust me, with some diligence you could easily build a nice collection of Heddon 150s at reasonable prices in two or three years time. There were some amazing Heddons for sale, such as the collection of pristine Heddons owned by Garry Johnson.


An incredible array of Heddon Vamps from Garry Johnson’s collection
While some collectors concentrate on one company, or even one color from a company, others like to collect by region. Terry McBurney and Jack Bright brought a really excellent collection of made in Michigan lures to be displayed at their table.


A great “Made in Michigan” display of rare lures
Of course, company collectors were everywhere at the show—Bagley, South Bend, Arbogast, Heddon, Creek Chub, Pflueger, etc. collectors were legion. Many of them brought displays to show off their collection. This had both an up and a downside. The upside is that these collectors allowed us to see some incredible fishing tackle, many of it so rare we won’t ever be able to see it anywhere else. The downside is that because there were so many displays such as this, it made walking the floor almost impossible. I would get sidetracked staring at someone’s display and 20 minutes later, someone would poke me in the side and say “hey buddy, you’re drooling all over my table.” Despite my best efforts I did not actually make it to every table at the nationals. I blame all of these displays for this. Here are two incredible displays, the first of early Pflueger metal (in two photos) and the second an excellent display of John B. McHarg metal lures so you have an idea of what I’m talking about.


Top of the Pflueger Spinner Display—yes, that is indeed a Flying Helgramite in the middle, along with a May Bug Spinner, Pflueger Admiral, etc.

Bottom of the display containing Fancy Pflueger blades.

A tremendous collection of McHarg shield baits, ball baits, American spinners, and others
One of the real pleasures of walking the floor is seeing collections of tackle you don’t collect. I had the privilege of looking at a tremendous casting weight display, for example, and a nifty collection of folk art baits from the table of Jeff Kieny. Here are two examples, the first a really clean display of reel oilers and the second a nice display of vintage fish hooks from Rob Lucal.


Nifty display of reel oil bottles

Tremendous display of early spring snap hooks
Another real joy of the show is having friends come up to you and show off their most recent additions to their collections. Chris Labuz was kind enough to show me his new H&I poster, for example, and Andy Foster his unbelievably rare Redifor paper. Don “The Lure Guru” Ludy simply floored me by showing me the rarest piece I saw at the show—a Ben Howe Reciprocating Reel catalog. Here are two neat pieces I just had to show. The first is a great Shapleigh Fluted Spinner box that Gary Smith added to his collection.


This Shapleigh box is much smaller than any of the other Diamond Fluted boxes I have seen
The second was a really bizarre home-made level wind mechanism attached to a reel Jerry Shemechko purchased. These “after bar” add-ons, as I call them, make for some of the most entertaining pieces in any collection!


The long wire is depressed to keep the line from resting on the level wind bar

The final photo for today came from the center of the show floor, and simply could not be missed even if you tried. Miss Abu was quite popular at the show.


Miss Abu showing off her big pike
Coming Monday: The Incredible Displays
Coming Tuesday: How to Add to your Collection on Less than $50 a Day

-- Dr. Todd

NFLCC Nationals 2007 Show Report, Part I

NFLCC Nationals was all it was advertised and more. Over the next four days I will be posting pictures of the people, displays, and tackle I ran across in my three days in Louisville.

National Show Report, Part I:
Its All About the People

NFLCC Nationals, Louisville, Kentucky (July 11-14, 2007)
NFLCC Nationals! Two words guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of any died-in-the-wool tackle collector. It is basically Christmas in June. Since Louisville is only 100 miles from Cincinnati, I always enjoy this particular location, and I am fully in awe of those many members who come from near and far on planes, trains and automobiles. Lord knows I have a hard enough time loading the SUV for the 100 mile jaunt.

We arrived in Louisville on Wednesday afternoon and already the Executive West was abuzz with activity. People from across the globe were traversing the lobby carrying all manner of tackle, and we discovered room trading was well under way even during the early afternoon hours. We also discovered the interesting way some people drummed up activity—one gentleman walked the halls blowing on a duck call.

After this brief interval, a group of us made it to the restaurant in the hotel. My three best collecting friends “Bad” Bob Miller, J.K. Garrett, and Skipper Brooks joined the family for what was pretty much the worst meal I have ever eaten. Not to complain, but three of our party waited over an hour for our food and when it came, it was definitely not worth the wait. I will refrain from discussing the buffet. But I digress.

Room trading went into the wee hours of the evening, but I was reliably told that Tuesday night was much busier than Wednesday, as many people packed up early in anticipation of setting up their displays early Thursday morning when the National Show officially opened. I was able to see some incredible tackle in the room of Don “the Lure Guru” Ludy, who had an incredibly rare Reynolds “Sheik-o-the-Water” lure box among many rare pieces, and an almost surreal Meek #10 Saltwater reel in Dave Gaustad’s room. It was one of the nicest reels I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in some time.

My first view of the Louisville Nationals 2007 Show came from the far right corner of the exhibition hall. As you can see, it is almost overwhelming. An absolutely mind-boggling amount of tackle was available for sale. The gentleman next to me at the show was selling Edwards, Thomas, and Leonard bamboo fly rods; the gentleman to my right had unbelievable Heddon lures in near mint and mint condition (not to mention a perfect 100 pound Tarpon mount). Two people down, a father-son pair were selling newer bass lures. Next to them was a contemporary rodmaker. And the end of the row a man and wife were selling tackle of all stripes. As you can probably tell, the show is all about diversity.


Scene from the far right corner of the show floor

It is virtually impossible to describe everything that is to be seen here, but suffice to say I witnessed in the course of an hour someone successfully haggle a $400 reel down to $175, another gentleman drop $5000 on a single lure, and a third bargain a $5 bait down to $3. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you’ll see everything bought and sold from $1 snelled hook packets (I know because I bought 11 of them and was discounted to $5) to $5000 reels. Mostly, however, you see happy smiling faces from buyers and sellers ecstatic to find that lure, reel, rod, etc. that they have been looking for to add to their collection for years. You will see 1000X more tackle in a day at NFLCC Nationals then you will in an entire year of surfing eBay.

Much of the fun comes from the many friends you run into on the floor. The only problem you face on the floor is that it takes an incredibly long time to traverse from one end to the other, as you are constantly seeing friends and acquaintances and getting lost in conversations that last as long as an hour.


Nineteenth Century Fishing Lures author Arlan Carter deep in consultation

You really need to have two people working the table, one to sell so the other can walk the floor looking for goodies. One such tag team was Jack Bright and Terry McBurney from Michigan. For those of us who didn’t have a partner, friends and strangers alike help out. Garry Johnson was kind enough to watch my booth while I was out gallivanting around.


Jack Bright and Terry McBurney Watching the Table

Thursday saw plenty of traffic on the show floor, although opinions varied based upon the amount of purchases/sales each person had. Most of the people I talked to seemed more than happy with the show.


ORCA VP Bill Muth closes what is surely a big deal with a buyer

There are three kinds of buyers at NFLCC Nationals: those with deep pockets, those with moderate pockets, and those without pockets at all. I fall into the last of these categories. But interestingly enough, going to NFLCC nationals is not about being reminded what you don’t have or can’t afford, it is about seeing items you may never see again and being in awe of the ability of others to put together incredible collections of all stripes.

In other words, for me, the fun of walking the floor is mostly talking to others about what they found either in room trading or on the show floor. H&I guru Chris Labuz was floating on air after he purchased a Horrocks-Ibbotson poster he had never seen and a Pepper box that even impressed “Pepper” Jack Gallagher. Then, however, Chris saw the amazing HICO Musky Minnow in the box in the Lang’s Auction display and he was dashed to the depths of despair. One could almost see the activity in his brain as he plotted how to outbid the many other suitors for this incredible beauty. Speaking of Lang’s, in a cruel twist of fate Jim Schottenham the great sidemount reel man was forced to stand behind the Lang’s Booth and stare down at a Billingham Sidemount Reel in the original round box—the only such boxed combo known in existence and in this author’s opinion the most historically important production reel and box combo to ever come to auction. My prediction right now is that this reel will reach $20,000 in the November Lang’s auction.

I got a chance to talk to some of the Arbogast gang including Byron Parker, who was kind enough to show me an Arbogast prototype that literally made my mouth fall open, Matt Foster, who told me one of the great tackle find stories I have ever heard, and Rob Shook the Hula Popper man. I also got to spend some time with Chris Slusar, winner of Best in Show (more on this on Monday), Dale Noll, and others.


Roger Schulz and Andy Foster having more fun that should be legally allowed

Although the show did not open until 10:30 on Friday, the first several hours were extremely busy. Lots of people who arrived Thursday night were able to make their first appearance the following morning, and I was able to talk to many people I hadn’t seen since last NFLCC Nationals (or even before).

Perhaps the highlight of the show for me was having lunch with members of the fabled “Missouri” gang and others that included Jeff Kieny, Warren Platt, David Budd, Gary Smith, and Bill Sonnett. Warren and Jeff told a story from a few nationals back that made me laugh so hard that ice cream nearly spurted out of my nose. It was as enjoyable a time as I have had at any nationals.


Matt Lollman, Randy Anderson, Dudley Murphy and the rest of the NFLCC brain trust relaxing before the NFLCC Auction

I think a lot of people misunderstand what the NFLCC is all about. The NFLCC is first and foremost not about the tackle, it is about the people. That is why the first of my four reports on the 2007 NFLCC Nationals concentrated on the individuals who made this great show happen, from the convention center staff to the unsung heroes like Matt Wickham who made this show possible.

Coming Sunday: Great Tackle Seen Around the Show
Coming Monday: The Incredible Displays
Coming Tuesday: How to Add to your Collection on Less than $50 a Day

-- Dr. Todd

A Review of the June 2007 NFLCC Gazette

The June NFLCC Gazette arrived at the same time as the NFLCC Magazine and shows another step in the evolution of this journal, now in its 31st year. Edited by Jim Fleming out of Nashville, TN, the move to color seems to have become a permanent thing and certainly makes for a more striking magazine. This issue includes a number of interesting articles on a variety of subjects.



The first feature is entitled "The Unmentionable Collectables: A Short History of the Trolling Flasher" by my good friend Kurt Munden. This witty and interesting article surveys the most ignored piece in the tackle box--the flasher. I was happy to contribute the section on Companies to Kurt's excellent survey. A unique and interesting article!

The second feature is a follow-up piece entitled "Grand Rapids Fishing Lures, Part II: Franklin Alger and Frank Nixon Baits" by Terry McBurney, who doubles this month as he also had a fine article in the NFLCC Magazine. In this article, McBurney details Franklin Alger and the mysterious Frank Nixon, whose "persian ivory" baits are some of the prettiest to be found.

Frequent contributor Marc Dixon contributes a nifty piece entitled "A History of the Plano Molding Company: World's Largest Manufacturer of Tackle Boxes." This detailed and fun history covers the origins of this icon of American fishing from its humble beginnings in 1921 to the present.

Eric Borgerding, one of the best researchers and writers operating today, concludes his outstanding survey of Madison, Wisconsin's fishing tackle in "This Place Was Once Called Eden: A Brief History of the Late 19th Century Fishing and Fishing Lures of Madison, Wisconsin, Part II." This article covers one of the rarest metal lures, the Bert Ainsworth spinner, and properly places the tackle in proper perspective. Kudos to Borgerding as this is a terrific article.

Finally, a glowing book review of The History of the FIsh Hook in America, Vol. I by noted hook collector Jeff Kieny rounds out the contributions.

Regular features Can You ID Section, NFLCC Show Calendar, Want Ads, and various updates from NFLCC officers.

This issue is packed with information and the new formatting is starting to grow on me. I still wonder if having the first and last pages in color is the best use of this expensive treat--do we really need the Parliamentarian's Update in color when Borgerding's article was black and white only?

All in all, a great issue!

--Dr. Todd