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

Review: March 2008 The Reel News

Review: March 2008 The Reel News

When I was a kid I used to read comic books, and once a year they would send out a "Giant Sized Marvel Annual" of whatever title I saved up enough money to subscribe to. It would be roughly twice the size of a normal issue, and was always the one most anticipated issue of the year.

March brings ORCA's "Giant Sized Annual" edition of The Reel News. From what I can tell, it is the the largest single issue ORCA has ever published, coming in at a whopping 64 pages. That's a LOT of reel information! Of course, 22 pages are taken up with the annual directory, but still 42 pages is 15% more Reel News than normal.

But I digress. This issue brings us some old friends and new writers. The first is Phil White, erstwhile Reel News editor who took time away from watching Bert the Boykin catch all the fish to pen an interesting piece entitled "Meaner than a Junk-Pile of Bass: The Shimano Brush Buster," the fascinating story of the first reel made especially for flippin'. I well remember the flippin' craze as a kid, although I used a Daiwa Mag Force on my flippin' stick. A great piece, and I hope Phil will continue to write on what many people consider "modern" reels.

Tim Bahr opines in a very funny piece on "Hoosier or Hillbilly Reels?" It is a witty discourse on the nature of names, and in particular, why we call them Indiana reels.

Steven K. Vernon and Vernon H. Kirby Jr. gives us a wonderfully detailed and informative piece on "An American Original: The First Patented Spinning Reel," which covers in great depth the Winans & Whistler patented reel of 1875. As we come to expect from anything Vernon is involved in, it is extremely detailed and informative and a crackling good read.

My own contribution is "A Buckeye State Tradition: Cussins & Fearn Ohio Trade Reels," which detail the Pioneer Bait Co. and Great Lakes Products "Buckeye Special" trade reels from this overlooked Ohio retail chain. I really enjoyed this piece as before a year ago, I hadn't even heard of C&F before.

Michigan writer Terry McBurney brings us Part II of the history of the Ranger Reel Company. "Ranger Reels, Part II: A Timeline of Reel Development" covers a lot of new information on this firm, and sets the stage for Part III on the aformentioned Pioneer Bait Co. reels.

Robert A. Miller brings us another great "Pflueger Pfacts" article. "Bond: Another 'Reborn' Pflueger Reel" covers the development of this workhouse model that was completely changed and relaunched in the 1950s.

I was fortunate enough to have a second article in the magazine. "The Saga of Bruce Heitman & the Heitman Reel" is one of the most enjoyable articles I have written. It details a saltwater reel few are likely to have heard about, but the story behind it is simply amazing. I am pleased to bring this story for the first time to a national audience.

The regular columnists do not disappoint. Ben Wright offers up "Abu Cardinal 3 Repros: Can You ID It?" It is the last in his series on Pure Fishing's repros from 1977-1981. Jim Madden's "South Bend Bits" column details the FreeCast reel. "The South Bend FreeCasts" gives us a great overview of this Shakespeare-made casting reel. Col. Milton Lorenz details the Olympic Dolphin 625-LW saltwater reel. Stu Lawson offers up an informative essay entitled "A Guide to Photographing Reels," a must for anyone contributing, collaborating, or writing an article or book.

This is all in addition to the always useful directory. As always, if you're not a member of ORCA you should be. Just reading The Reel News will allow you to ID many, many reels that come up for sale, and knowledge is power. Join ORCA by clicking here. The Reel News is edited by Richard K. Lodge.

-- Dr. Todd

Yardage Markings on Fishing Reels, Part I

Yardage Markings on Fishing Reels: A (Partial) Explanation
Part I
by Dr. Todd E.A. Larson
While working on a detailed taxonomy of Montague fishing reels, L.P. Brooks, James Garrett and myself often discussed a conundrum that has probably come up several times in your reel collecting experience: why do identical fishing reels have different yardage markings on the foot? We found numerous examples of Montague-made reels with this phenomenon, something also found on reels made by Montague's great trade reel rival, A.B. Hendryx.

Long discussions derived several theories but nothing substantiated. We posited that perhaps reel makers were somewhat lax in their inventory, and if they had extra orders for 60-yard reels, for example, but only had identical reel feet marked "80 Yards" in stock then they would be tempted to put the later foot on the 60-yard reel and mail it out. This theory is based in part on the well-known cannibalistic habits of tackle companies; G.M. Skinner was noted for farming out orders to other New York tackle companies, and lure and reel boxes are often found with new labels stuck over old ones. And it was not just tackle companies that were stingy with a buck; when Savage Arms bought out the A.H. Fox Gun Company in 1930, for several years thereafter they mailed out stock catalogs with a Savage sticker over the Fox Co. logo.

Tackle companies were also known for using up the stock of any company they might have bought out or merged with, creating hybrid or “transition” reels or lures. Examples of these include Howe/South Bend Vacuum Baits and Enterprise Manufacturing Co./E.A. Pflueger spinners.

Such a theory is certainly not out of the pale of possibility. However, the sheer number of identical examples that show up with different reel feet mitigate against this hypothesis. A different theory we posited had to do with the possibility that the fishing lines changed, affecting the yardage markings on standard reels. A more persuasive theory than the first option, but difficult to prove. Until, however, I found a fascinating vignette in a 1909 Marshall-Wells Catalog (dated June 1, 1908), kindly provided to me by Otto Bishop. The following article preceded the section on Marshall-Wells fishing reels:

How Much Line will a Reel Hold?

A reel will hold more Raw Silk, or Pliable Line Similar to it, then Oiled Silk or Hard, Stiff Line. A Multiplying Reel will hold more than a Single Action Reel of the same Nominal Capacity, that is, if a 60-yard Multiplying Reel holds 60 yards, then the same make Single Action Reel will hold about 40 yards. The explanation for this is that a Multiplying Reel is made wider than a Single Action Reel of the same diameter of plate, and will hold about one-quarter more Line. An Oiled Silk or Enameled Line will take up about one-fifth more room than a softer or more pliable line.

Clearly, even in 1909 there was sufficient confusion about yardage markings to warrant an introduction such as this. Raw silk lines were rapidly being replaced by the likes of the larger-diameter enameled silk lines, changing the yardage capacity of the very same reels. Enameled silk line, pioneered by Elisha J. Martin of Kingfisher Fishing Line fame in the 1880s, had become the standard fishing line in the country by the turn of the century. By the time the 1909 Marshall-Wells catalog reached its market, the days of the raw silk line as a baitcasting option were increasingly numbered. By 1920, almost all standard casting lines available in trade catalogs were either enameled silk or braided silk line, both larger-diameter lines requiring larger capacity reel spools for the same amount of line.

Thus, due to the prevalence of larger lines, the old 60-yard multiplying model had become an antiquated 40-yard baitcasting reel. Further evidence of this change comes in the fact that standard baitcasting sizes in the era before World War I (1914) were 60 and 80 yard models; by 1920 this had changed to 80 and 100 yard models although the reels apparently did not change (except for different yardage markings on the foot). The advent of popular level-wind mechanisms in the 1920s inaugurated the era of the "true" 100-yard baitcaster—larger reels with an actual 100-yard capacity, or according to the Marshall-Wells equation the equivalent of a 120-yard spool of pliable silk line in the olden days.

Perhaps this is not the only reason why the same exact reels show up with different yardage markings on the foot, but Ockham's Razor argues that the simplest explanation is usually correct. The more literary-minded may recall Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, who noted that when one eliminates the impossible, whatever remains—no matter how improbable—must be the truth. My personal theory I like to call “Sherlock’s Razor”: when you find yourself thinking too much about things like this, forget about it and go buy another reel.

Dr. Larson would like to thank Otto Bishop for providing a copy of the 1909 Marshall-Wells catalog, and L.P. Brooks and J.K. Garrett for many hours of discussion on the subject. Part II of this discussion will be posted a week from today.

Voices from the Past: Fishing with Jack

Not all fish stories are about catching fish. This is a nifty one from 1891, first published in The New York Sun. The author, like most articles from this era, is unattributed.

FISHING WITH JACK:
Incidents of an Hour's Sport with an Enterprising Boy

"Pop, don't you want to go fishing?"

That was Jack, aged twelve, and healthy and hopeful. Pop was his father.

"Certainly," said pop. "Where do you go?"

"Down to Winter's. There's millions of pickerel there and barrels of catfish, but we don't want any catfish. What we want is a good mess of pickerel. I know a boy that caught twenty-seven there yesterday, and the biggest was pretty near three feet long."

Winter's was a millpond about a mile away. Jack got his fishing rod and they started. This rod was a curiosity. It was in three joints and painted black. Attached to it was a reel with a broken catch. The reel wound up all right but it had a constant tendency to unwind. Jack said, however, that that did not make any difference that all you had to do was to hold on to the line; and he said the rod was one of the nicest rods around.

The boats at Winter's are secured to stakes by chains which are fastened with padlocks; they are owned by a man who lives near the pond. The man seemed to know Jack, for he handed over a key without much parley. "It costs fifteen cents an hour," Jack said, as he and his father went around the corner of the house, "and I guess I'll let you pay for it. Here's the oars," he added, as he halted in front of a cellar window. "You just snake out one and I'll take the other."

Pop didn't see any oars, but when he saw Jack reach through the open window he looked in and saw two oars leaning against the cellar wall, with their handles rising nearly to the window sill. Each shouldered an oar. When they reached the boat Jack unlocked the padlock and put the key in his pocket. ''Now jump in," he said, "and I'll shove her off. We've got to go to the other side of the pond and get some bait"

"What do you get for bait" Pop asked.

"Worms," said Jade. "All you have to do is to turn over some of the stones along the bank and you can get millions of them."

Pop pulled the boat across the pond, and Jack took the rusty tomato can and went ashore for bait After reading the newspaper for a few minutes Pop looked around and asked, "What luck?"

"Well, some, but they're not so thick as they generally are. I think that rain last night most have made them go down into their holes."

After awhile Jaok came and put the can into the boat and got in himself. "Now," he said, "we'll go out In the middle of the pond and try 'em." Pop pulled out, while Jack, who sat in the stern, was jointing his rod. When he was ready he asked for the bait, which he had left in the bow when he got in. Pop handed it over. As he did so he looked in the can. At first he saw nothing, bat when he looked again he saw one worm. It was not much thicker than a darning needle and about an inch long. He said calmly. "I don't believe we've got bait enough, have we, Jack?"

"Plenty," said Jack, with equal calmness. "It's enough to catch one fish with, and the first one we catch we'll cut up for bait."

By careful efforts they managed to get the worm on the hook without breaking it. It barely covered the hook. Jack took the rod and swung the line into the pond. "Now, Pop," he said, "you just keep the boat steady, and see what we'll get."

Pop kept the boat steady and Jack fished for fifteen minutes without a bite. "I guess I'll let yoa fish awhile," he said. Pop fished for fifteen minutes. Once he thought they had a bite, but when they looked at the hook they found the bait entire. Then they tried the other end of the pond.

After a few minutes Jack looked up at the bright, sunny sky. "I wish I'd noticed that before," he said. "There's no use trying to catch pickerel on a day like this. They never bite except when it's cloudy. We might just as well stop now. We might fish all day and not get a bite. But you and I'll come down here some day when the weather's right and we can catch a boatload most any time."

They pulled back to the landing place, and after Jack had locked up the boat they carried the oars to the house aud slid them down through the cellar window.

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week, 03 March 2008

Aspiring model admits to "visiting" the Fishing Hall of Fame...shrimp fisherman swims 12 hours to save crew...nation's top lure makers congregate in Asbury Park...Rick Keating gets profiled...Pure Fishing has a new CEO...TV actor Willie Aames wet himself at a fishing tournament...U.S. soldiers are casting in Saddam Hussein's fish ponds...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: Shrimp fisherman swims twelve hours (eight miles!) to raise alarm over sunken veseel, saves rest of crew.


George Maurer, legendary split bamboo rod maker, has passed away.

Fishing network announces launch of Mobile Fishing Guide search site.


Former carpenter opens up the Crazy Minnow.


Nation's top lure makers gather in Asbury park.

Rick Keating and antique fishing lures are profiled in this neat article.


The Atlanta Journal Constitution tells us how to avoid a fishing fiasco.

This Week (the final installment) of Know your New Zealand Fishes: the Chinook.


The Sydney Morning Herald says, "Smile, Mr. Marlin, it's the Gorilla."

There's a new CEO of Pure Fishing.

The Duluth News-Tribune reports a new bill may label lead fishing tackle as toxic.

From the Investor Files: Shimano's sales and profits are up.

Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Tournament returns with stories of celebrities wetting themselves.


The Palatka Daily News reports on the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation's program designed to acquaint women with the outdoors.

Fly-fisherman and guide Conway Bowman gets his own TV show.

The Rapid City Journal profiles a proficient young fly tier.



The Florida strain largemouth bass is catching on.


The Rhinelander Daily News reports on saltwater shark fishing.

The Orlando Sentinel details American G.I.s fishing in Saddam Hussein's private ponds. Includes video.

And when they're not out fishing, soldiers in Iraq like to play fishing video games.

Jason Durham tells us to use glow-in-the-dark jigs even during the day.


Fishing lure hobbyists are hesitant to start a new business.


The late Tim Tucker receives a posthumous award.

Finishing with a Flourish? Maxim Magazine is running a model competition called "Hometown Hotties." In the Q&A section, one of the questioned asked was "What's the most unusual place you've ever hooked up? Her answer? The National [Freshwater] Fishing Hall of Fame. I am now announcing my retirement, as I have officially read everything now. Good night everyone!



-- Dr. Todd