News of the Week: 10 May 2010

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Gulf coast anglers brace for the worst...Maine's fabled Upper Dam is in trouble...Trout Unlimited teaches kids how to fish...Norwich celebrates an angling anniversary...the Minneapolis Fishing Fair...an angling ban in Mosman waters...Oshkosh hosts world's largest fishing tourney...getting out fish gut stains...slow times in tarpon town...Northern Louisiana is a fishing delight...the Dan Basore collection is on display in Winona, MN...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: Madeira Beach anglers brace for the worst from the oil spill in the Gulf.



Maine's famed Upper Dam is in serious peril, and anglers are NOT happy about it.


TU teaches kids about clean water.

Norwich celebrates an angling anniversary.

Minneapolis' FIshing for Life Fish Fair.


They are angling for a ban in the Mosman waters.


One day of fishing gives an angler a lifetime of memories.

Oshkosh hosts world's largest fishing tournament.

In Cleveland, the walleye fishing is great.


Former major league pitcher Doug Creek is now a pro angler.


Q&A with the Mullet Man gives us tips on how to get out fish blood stains from your clothes.

Dedicated fly angler Rob Jessup is providing music for a couple of Hollywood movies.


The Redditch Fishing Tackle fair is on.

Pennsylvania has a new state record perch.


New offshore trolling lures are the latest rage.

ESPN reports slow times in tarpon town.

New fishing show "Catching the Impossible" hits British airwaves.


Ohio is intolerant of fish hogs.

Playing tag with tarpon.


Northern Louisiana is a sportsman's paradise.



Finishing With a Flourish: The Minnesota Marine Art Museum will be featuring Dan Basore's awesome tackle collection through September 05, 2010.

-- Dr. Todd

John Mehl, Scandinavian Fish Carver

We first profiled Scandinavian carver John A. Mehl back in early 2008. Now, he's become one of the nation's most noted Scandinavian chip carvers, and he's still doing fish carvings! Our continued good wishes for his career! (Click on the image for a larger version).



-- Dr. Todd

1000 Words

1000 Words

Another great photo from Jim Schottenham -- although the wife doesn't looked too thrilled to be there!



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads with Bill Sonnett

The Big Contest




It has been just about 100 years since Ans B. Decker and William Jamison conducted what many believe to be the first, formal bass fishing contest in June of 1910. It was billed as the “World's Championship Bass Fishing Contest.” The story of the events leading up to this contest, as well as the advertising war following it, have been well documented by researcher Jerry Martin in the June 2009 issue of the NFLCC Magazine. The two ads presented here give a good taste of the conflicting results in which both men claimed victory. It was great stuff for the sporting magazines of the day who were able to sell many ads to both parties countering the advertisements of the other. These two full page ads were laid out facing each other in the August 1910 issue of Field & Stream.

-- Bill Sonnett

The Friday Funhouse

The Friday Funhouse

The Video of the Week

A trailer for the movie the Good Life.



Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them
Gotta love the fans of these Ted Williams baitcasters...


When's the last time you've seen a Mitchell combo rod and reel?



This is a beautiful Otto Zwarg fly reel.



The all-black Seamaster Marlin fly reel shows that Seamasters are still holding their prices well.


Wow! This Arjon Commander is a really great reel.


Heddon bamboo rods are always fun, and this is no exception Expert #25.


This Orvis fly reel is always very collectable.


A Shakespeare Musky Paddler is a cool bait.


They don't get much nicer than this CCBC Wiggler in the intro box.


I like this Moonlight Pikaroon very, very much.


You don't see many Wright & McGill Baby Swimming Mice...


This is a nice pair of Western Auto CCBC Surface Dingers.


A Tuttle's Whirlo Minnow in the box is a great find.



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

-- Dr. Todd

Thursday Review: Where Do I Go to get my Fishing Reel Fixed?

Thursday Review: Where Do I Go to get my Fishing Reel Fixed?

One of the most common questions I get from this blog is about fixing an old (and sometimes a new) fishing reel. Fifty years ago, any town of decent size had a home-grown reel repair shop, usually in the back of a large tackle or sporting goods store. These men (and perhaps women) were professionals in every sense of the term. Additionally, many manufacturers like Shakespeare and Pflueger serviced reels back at their factory. You would ship the reel out to them, and they would fix it for a nominal fee, and ship it back your way.

While some manufacturers (not all) have Warranty Repair centers today, what if you're trying to fix an older reel? Where do you go for help?

There are two ways to approach the subject. First, fix it yourself. Second, have someone else fix it.

Finding a Schematic
In the first case, you'll likely want to locate a schematic--an exploded drawing showing the parts that make up any given reel. This is far easier the more popular your reel is. For example, schematics for Mitchell and ABU Garcia are readily available and can help you identify what is wrong with your particular model. Here are a few links to help you locate the proper schematic:

Planet Seafishing: This site has a huge selection of reel schematics for many of the popular reels from the past still being used today.

The Mitchell Museum: An awesome compilation of all things Mitchell and your one stop shop for Mitchell schematics.

Wayne Real's Ambassadeur Site: Lots of information about servicing ABU reels as well as many schematics.

Zebco and Penn: The Reel Doctor has a great selection of Zebco schematics up on his web site.

Vintage Reels: The Old Reel Collector's Association (ORCA) has many vintage schematics available to its members through the Harvey Garrison Memorial Library.

Finding the Right Parts
So, now you have the proper schematic and know what is wrong (or missing) from your reel. How do you find the proper parts?

Well, there are a number of sources for reel parts (both vintage and new). We'll concentrate here on older reel parts. The more common your reel (Pflueger, Ambassadeur, Shakespeare, etc.) the more likely you'll be able to find the proper part. The first place I'd try is eBay, which usually has parts kits for these reels at a fairly nominal price. Failing that, head on over to ORCA's Reel Talk message board and place a free listing in their "Parts" want ads, a place that many reel repair guys check often. If that doesn't work, you'll have to hit up Google and see if one of the vendors dealing in vintage reel parts has what you need.

Perhaps the easiest way to repair an old reel is to find a like or exact model and, if it is cost effective, purchase it. Many times you can find a beater reel for under $10, which will provide you all the spare parts you may ever need for your reel.

Recently I wanted to repair a Shapleigh "Diamond King" trade reel made by Bronson. It is a Bronson Modern 100 reel from the 1920s, and was missing two screws and a level wind mechanism. I began searching eBay, and found a regular Bronson Modern 100 without a handle listed, which I purchased for $7.50 including shipping. I was able to replace the level wind and screws on my Shapleigh trade reel, and still have a lot of extra parts left over for other similar reels. Since Bronson used interchangeable parts, now I have a nice repair reel for any other similar vintage Bronson reels.

By the way, a new book on maintaining and fixing your fishing reel was recently published. Called Fishing Reel 101, I have not seen a copy of this but when I do I will put up a review about it.

Having Someone Else Fix Your Reel
Let's say reel repair is not your thing and you want someone else to service your reel. There are a lot of people who specialize in fixing older reels. ORCA's resident Reel News columnist Col. Milton Lorenz has been repairing reels for a living for forty years, and there are a number of other ORCA members like Dick Janak who also specialize in reel repair.

A google search will help you locate any number of reel repairers. Try to ask around and see who comes highly recommended, as the more expensive your reel the less likely you'll be to want to trust it to someone you don't know or can't find any information about.

So, now you have a starting place to fix that fishing reel of yours! Anyone with any other tips can email me and I'll post it as an addendum to this message.

-- Dr. Todd

Treman, King & Co. and the Clinton Fly Reel

Treman, King & Co. and the Clinton Fly Reel

by Dr. Todd E.A. Larson

Ever since I first wrote about Ithaca's famed fishing dentist Alonzo H. Fowler (in a two part article you can read Here and Here), I've been interested in knowing the history of the Gem patent reel he invented.


Fowler's 1872 patent.

Fowler's reel was originally made in vulcanized rubber, and went through at least two permutations before disappearing by around 1881,


Awesome Fowler reel sold by Lang's Auction house.

Enter Charles M. Clinton, who received Patent #413,774 on October 29, 1889. Also from Ithaca, the only substantive difference between the two appears to be the fact that Clinton's reel was made from German Silver. Jim Schottenham gives us an awesome overview of the Clinton reel Here.


Clinton's 1889 patent for his sidemount reel.

But there has always been a nagging question for me. What happened to Clinton and why was the reel still being offered as late as 1910? The question had been only touched on by Jim Brown in his book A Treasury of Reels.

Fortunately, I was able to stumble across a neat little article in the July 1909 Field & Stream magazine that helps explain the what and why of the Clinton reel. Here's the article in its entirety:

Fly-fisherman who a few years ago delighted to use the old Fowler reel, and later its successor, the Clinton, will be pleased to know that after several years of dormant existence, it is again on the market with some very desirable improvements. Charles M. Clinton, the original patentee, retired from business several years ago, but the continued demand for the reel was such that Treman, King & Co., Ithaca, N.Y., manufacturing the White Hat baits and specialties, were induced to purchase the patents and rights and take up its manufacture. The cut herewith given shows the reel laying close to the rod, and entirely inclosing the line in an aluminum, ventilated line holder, which prevents the line catching on handle or buttons, and gives it an opportunity to dry. It is so adjusted that it is impossible for it to overrun and tangle the line, and its entire weight is but two ounces. It will certainly have a large sale to many of the expert fly-fishermen, and needs only to be seen to be appreciated. Treman, King & Co. have a very attractive catalogue, showing this and their other specialties, which they mail postpaid to any address on request.

Deducing the language we can guess that Clinton made his German Silver reel from 1889 until around 1900 or 1901, and then stopped its manufacture. Treman, King & Co. purchased the rights and likely even the equipment, and began to manufacture the aluminum version of the Clinton reel in 1909. How long they made the reel is unknown.

The firm was founded by Leander King and Leonard, Lafayette, and Elias Treman, who formed the partnership of Treman, King & Co. in 1857. Leander was the last of the surviving founders, passing away in 1900. The firm was a wholesale hardware house and in 1919 was presided over by Robert H. Treman. They were in business until at least the 1920s, and from at least 1900 onward sold fishing tackle under the "White Hat" trade name. They also used the "Our Best Quality" trade name. I own a fluted spinner and a snelled hook packet with the White Hat name on it.


1906 Cornell Era newspaper ad.


TK&Co. White Hat spinner.


Another version of the White Hat spinner.


Treman, King & Co. "Our Best Quality" logo..

On May 3-4, 1921, Treman, King & Co. was completely destroyed by fire at a cost of $350,000. A new building was erected in its place, but by the mid-1940s the company went out of business and the building was occupied by a Montgomery Wards.


Rebuilding the Treman, King & Co. building, ca. 1921.

So now the connection between Treman, King & Co. and Charles Clinton's reel has been established, all we now need to do is to put an end date to the manufacture of the Treman, King & Co. version for us to put a neat bookend to the story of Alonzo H. Fowler's Gem reel.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Thomas Ambrose (1921)

The following piece was the preface to a paper presented by Thomas Ambrose entitled "Our Remote Ancestors—The Fishes," given at one of my alma maters, the University of Illinois, in 1921. Ambrose was Vice President of the Izaak Walton League. It's very cool to get a history like this written only two years after the formation of this important organization.

A Short History of the Izaac Walton League
by Thomas Ambrose

Before reading the paper announced upon the program, I have been asked to outline the movement known as the Izaak Walton League of America, an organization which I have the honor to represent, though inadequately, at this meeting.

In January, 1922, not yet three years ago, fifty-four Outdoorsmen met at the Chicago Athletic Club, to consider what might be done to save what was left of the vanishing wild life of America, and to curb the rape of our woods and waters.

It was decided that the only remedy lay in a nation wide movement to awaken the national conscience to the necessity for conservation.

We gave the organization the name of Izaak Walton, not because he was one of the most accomplished anglers of his day, but because his philosophy of the outdoors shows him to have been a true conservationist. His best-known work, The Compleat Angler, has passed through more than one hundred editions and will live as long as English literature.

To carry on this campaign of education we, in July 1922 founded the magazine, Outdoor America, which is the property of the League. We printed 20,000 copies of the first number which consisted of 32 pages, without illustrations. The forth-coming December issue will consist of 110,000 copies of 84 pages—of which 60,000 copies go to members of the League, about 20,000 to subscribers who are not members, the remainder to news-stands, and for sample copies.

Any of you who are not subscribers are invited to write for a free copy of the December number to League Headquarters, 536 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. After reading it, should you be of opinion that the magazine has ethical as well as literary value we would be glad to have you subscribe for it regularly for the school library. The boys and girls will read it avidly, and from it learn valuable lessons in citizenship: conservation of our natural resources, obedience to the laws, respect for the rights of others. We aim to make better Americans as well as a better America.

No elective officer of the League is paid a salary, and no contributor to the magazine, author or artist, is under pay. They give freely of their time, talents and labor to help save Outdoor America. All profits from publication go into the treasury of the League.

Among the nationally-famed writers who contribute without pay are Dr. Henry Van Dyke, James Oliver Curwood, Stewart Edward White, Harold Bell Wright, Dr. David Starr Jordan, Harold T. Pulsifer, Hal G. Evarts, Gene Stratton-Porter, Robert W. Chambers, Irvin S. Cobb, Archibald Rutlcdge, Richard Le Gallienne, B. F. Wilder, "El Comancho," Zane Grey, Robert H. Davis, Herbert Hoover, Theodore Dreiser, Ozark Ripley, Judge Landis, Judge Dickinson, and many others.

Among artists who illustrate our magazine without pay are Frank B. Hoffman, W. H. D. Koerner, Lee Sturges, Rollin Kirby, Frank Stick, Wm. Schmedtgen, Sidney Smith, Everett Lowry, Bruno Ertz, Chas. Livingston Bull, Audubon Tyler, and many others.

The subscription is $1.00 per annum for a magazine which costs us $1.82 cents to print. We could not do this but for the generosity of our contributors, and material aid given us by public-spirited men in Chicago and other cities of the middle west who have contributed outright more than $60,000 to help the cause along.

Among our five Vice-presidents are Drs. Henry Van Dyke and David Starr Jordan, and among our fifty-one National Directors are Professor Shimek of the University of Iowa and Professors Forbes and Ward of the University of Illinois.

Our Second National Convention was attended by 400 delegates from nineteen states...

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: 03 May 2010

Don't forget to follow all of the breaking news and assorted fun fishing and tackle links on our Whitefishpress Twitter account! Hint: You don't need to be a member...

IGFA lifetime award to Rapala...NFLCC members put on new exhibit...vintage lures still catch bass...fishing catches on as times get tough...making your own lures...Mayor Bagley touts his reel factory...stripers are hitting...as are crappie and white bass...man charged with burgling fish houses...late tarpon season may be a good thing...musky school is in session...the sawfish is too big for its own good...what do pike want?....profiling Mike Clark, Colorado rod maker...it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK

The Big Lead: IGFA Lifetime award goes to Lauri Rapala.


Darwin Stewart and NFLCC President Byron Parker help open a new antique tackle exhibit.

Vintage lures still catch bass.

A new review of An Impossible Cast.

Fishing catches on as times get tough.


Greg Larson Sports is bought by Sports Supply Group, Inc.

The art of making your own lures.

A Mayor named Bagley is fighting his town's recession with an American fishing reel company.

Why the wind is your fishing friend.

Oklahomans rejoice as crappie and white bass fishing heat up.

Invasion of the hungry stripers.

Man charged with burgling fish houses.

10-year old boy much better angler than you; wins third straight fishing award.


A late start to Tarpon season is not a bad thing.


A historic trout stocking.


Busting out the bucktails.


Musky School is now in session.

Why the sawfish is too dang big for its own good.


The unpopular burbot gets profiled.


One Minnesotan is tired of seeing so many fishing dollars leaving Minnesota for Wisconsin.

Basszone.com features the other Iaconelli.

Aussies are fishing with coloured lures.


What a pike wants...


The 4-1-1 on banning lead fishing weight.


Rodmaker Arthur Taylor passes on.

Finishing With a Flourish: A profile of Mike Clark, Colorado fly rod maker.



-- Dr. Todd

1000 Words

1000 Words

Another great photo from Jim Schottenham -- classic Victorian pose!



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads with Bill Sonnett

Pepper Roman Redtail
 




Living in Michigan or Ohio most of my life, I have looked through a lot of early tackle boxes in the past 40 years. Seldom have I seen a Pepper bait. Larger companies like Pflueger, Shakespeare, Heddon, etc. liked to protect their home States from competition and would often tell dealers that if they expected to handle their products they would have to refrain from stocking the competition's. Growing up in Ohio in the 1940s and 1950s, the most common reels that I saw were always Pflueger. I was somewhat surprised when I started looking for old tackle in Michigan to find relatively few Pflueger reels. I asked an older local dealer about this at the time (he had been in business since 1939). He told me that Shakespeare had told him flat out that if he expected to sell Shakespeare reels in his Michigan store, there could not be any Pflueger reels on the same shelves. This is probably illegal today but it explains the disparity in tackle from one State to another. If I was going to find a mint Pepper bait, I always hoped it would be a Roman Redtail. I never did find one, but today's ad and additional write-up from the July 1911 National Sportsman Magazine are almost as good and certainly convey the beauty of this lure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

-- Bill Sonnett