The Friday Funhouse

Video of the Week

This clip on antique fly fishing gear appeared on a recent episode of the Antiques Road Show and profiles a Payne rod, McMonies creel, and a Philbrooke & Paine reel.



12 Things I Would buy if only I could afford them

This Wards Hawthorne / Bronson Invader is breaking all kinds of records.


I love these obscure saltwater reels!


We haven't seen a nice Chippewa around here in some time!


Instant Collection Alert: CCBC Beetle infestation.


This is one nice South Bend lure and box combo!


Another Christmas Doug English lure, but this one is signed by the luremaker himself!


Orvis glass rods are picking up steam.


I don't know who John Pususta is, but you can be damn certain I won't forget the name after seeing this beauty!


I have always enjoyed this rare Heddon River Runt spook color, but it's particularly hard to find in No Snag.



Love these Dingley fly reels!


Winchester rods don't quite attract the rabid interest of their reels, but this is one nice casting stick.


A Neal spinner in the box from Indiana is a superb find.



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

-- Dr. Todd

52 Trade Houses Part 45: The Danielson Co. of Washington

Over the course of the next year, we'll be detailing the history of 52 companies that sold branded fishing tackle. 52 trade houses in 52 weeks -- some obscure, some famous, and all available exclusively here on the Fishing for History Blog! If you have any items from the week's entry you'd like to share with us, please send it my way and I'll make sure it makes it on the blog.

For a discussion of what exactly trade tackle is, Click Here. Enjoy the 52 for 52!

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Trade House Tackle, Part 45:
The Danielson Co. of Washington

One of the great success stories in trade tackle was the Danielson Company of Washington State. Another trade house that sold tackle for over five decades, this firm adapted and changed with the times and sold a ton of tackle over the years.

It had its genesis in Lillian Danielson's fly tying business, which was founded in 1943 in Seattle, where she tied out of the famed Eddie Bauer Sporting Goods store. She developed a number of patterns and tied flies for an exclusive clientele that included the Marx Bros., the Hill Bros., Clark Gable, Zane Grey, and Bing Crosby. The Coho Salmon fly was co-developed by Bill Boening and Lillian Danielson.

Joined by her husband Gus, the company soon expanded to include other items such as snells and terminal tackle. Gus was a prominent member of the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturer's Association (AFTMA) and testified before Congress in 1956. The pair lived at 4700 Sixth Avenue NE and Gus declared himself to be "a manufacturer of fishing tackle and sporting goods."


The Danielson Fly Manufacturing Co. eventually relocated to Mercer Island, Washington. It expanded in the 1960s to include a fuller line of tackle, including rods and reels it sold marked with its own name and that were manufactured in Japan.

As they were involved in the fly tackle trade, it is not surprising that the firm sold some interesting fly reels, which I believe were made to their specifications in Japan as they don't resemble other Japanese imports. One of these was the Danielson Model #72 "Dandy" fly reel, shown below in the box.


I believe the reel pictured below--marked Danielson 71 and a Patent Date which I can't quite make out (I think #2648174 but it doesn't register to any reel related patent--help on this please!). I am fairly confident this is another Danielson fly reel.



They also sold spinning reels. Below is a Danielson Model 41 Spinning Reel. Ben Wright writes it is the same as the Kamann Model 41.


They sold other reels -- a 1970 advertisement I have shows a Danielson Single Action Fly Reel for $3.97 -- helping pin down these reels as sold in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

They also sold a lot of other tackle, including rods such as the pack rod shown below.


Of great interest for us is that the company is still in business today, selling a ton of new terminal tackle and triumphantly entering a new century of tackle selling. The Danielson Co., as it is now known, is based out of Kent, Washington.


I love a good old American success story, don't you?

-- Dr. Todd

Joes Old Lures 2nd Annual Photo Display Contest Entry Information

Harold Dickert's
2nd Annual Joe's Old Lures Photo Display Contest
Entry Information

This is intended to be an educational, informative, and fun contest.

Let's keep it simple as possible.

-One photo entry per contestant, with a short paragraph of descriptive information if you wish
-The main theme of the entry must be related to old fishing tackle
-The date of entry will be February 14th midnight to 6 PM the 15th
Possibly prizes to be awarded?… Plus the honor of winning.
-you don't need to belong to any club or organization to enter
-The entries will be viewed by all those on Joe's board and voted on any time Wed. the 15th 6PM through Midnight. The votes should be emailed to me (hdjd@frontier.com) and I will tabulate and announce the winner. This is so we don’t use up a lot of space on the board. That’s 18 hours to enter and 6 hours to vote.

Some guidelines for your entry...

-ascetically pleasing and exciting
-historically interesting
-creative
-good photography, i.e. good lighting and clarity

Note:
I'm doing this contest on my own with Joes consent and I hope you all enjoy it. I thought it might help us get through a long Winter that is actually not too bad in many parts of the country…so far.

We'll host the photos here on the Fishing for History blog!

-- Dr. Todd

News of the Week: 05 February 2012

Colby Simms gets profiled…a big outdoor store closes in Redding…Hardy & Greys is still laying off people…400 anglers, one fish caught…Michigan's oldest and largest outdoor show is on…be wary of low flying sharks…bass anglers catch sailfish…country music star reels in the cure…at home tackle parties…fly rod features in plot of new novel…a profile of Esko, MN rodmaker Phil Johnson…it must be THE NEWS OF THE WEEK!

The Big Lead: Colby Simms is living the dream.


Great Outdoors store in Redding closes.


Hardy & Greys still having lay offs.


400 anglers compete -- and one fish is caught in Jig It event.


Michigan's oldest and largest outdoor sport show is on.


Kayak Magazine warns to be wary of low flying sharks.


Bass anglers teach the experts how to catch sailfish.

Country music singer EllieMay Kay is Reeling in the Cure.



Michael Hackney will be putting on another reel making workshop in New Hampshire.

More info on the "tupper ware" party for men: fishing tackle at home parties.


A valuable fly rod threatens to tear apart the protagonists in his LDS novel.


Finishing With a Flourish: My hometown paper The Duluth News-Tribune profiles Esko's Phil Johnson, who loves making bamboo rods.



-- Dr. Todd

1000 Words

1000 Words

It's about time we feature the King, Elvis Presley, fishing. It is known that Elvis was an angler, but this is a publicity still for an unknown movie (perhaps Blue Hawaii). If anyone knows what movie this came from, drop me a note!



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads: The Heddon River Runt Spook Part III (1945-1946)

"Be patient, the River Runts are coming....." (part 3)
 
The folks at James Heddon's Sons, like most large tackle manufacturers, during World War II were busy making items for the military as part of the United States' 
war effort. The first ad here appeared in the December 1945 issue of Field and Stream and reminds readers that Heddon has not produced any River Runts for three years. This issue was being read as the "Battle of the Bulge" was raging in Europe. 
 

  
 It was not that easy to gear up for fishing tackle production when the war ended in August of 1945. Certain materials were in short supply and many who had manned the machines and supplied the raw materials were still in the military. Heddon's 1946 catalog consisted of a few type-written sheets with black & white line drawings of the baits listed as available in January of 1946. Listed separately were those that would be coming on-line later in the year as conditions permitted.
 
This next ad is from the May 1946 issue of Outdoorsman magazine. It asks the fishing public to "be patient the River Runts are coming....".  At the same time it pays tribute to the returning American fighting man. It also lets the public know that the bait first off the line will be the extremely popular River Runt. Jason Lucas gave us some idea of this pent up demand for the River Runt when he stated that,"...after the War it could be purchased only from 'under the counter' and often at 'black market' prices." All in all, this is one of my favorite post-war ads.
 


-- Bill Sonnett

The Friday Funhouse

Video of the Week

This is an outstanding fly fishing-themed video from Indy band Active Child called Hanging On. It was directed by T.S. Pfeffer and Robert McHugh and has some beautiful and haunting imagery. I love it. Reminds me of early Style Council!



12 Things I WOuld Buy If Only I Could Afford THem

This B.C. Milam No. 4 Narrow Spool is a fine find.


What is up with this Lucky 13???


Instant Collection Alert: Heddon Hi-Tails.


Instant Collection Alert 2: Pennsylvania License Collection.



A Musky Walton Speed Bait…the original Alabama Rig???


Wow. This Bug-N-Bass is on fire!



A Heddon Spin Diver is always a nifty lure.



These Little Sac minnows are great contemporary folk art.


A Lew's Speed Spool in the box has attracted a lot of interest.


The Giant Heddon Runt is a BIG Runt.


A Coptes Mascotte Italian spinning reel is very nice.



On the other side of the globe is this Aussie Clasmi Crouch reel.



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

-- Dr. Todd

Ben Wright's Spinning Reel Report (January 2012)

JANUARY 2012

NEW YEAR STARTS WITH MORE SUPER RARE MITCHELL'S AND A FEW OTHER REELS OF INTEREST

FEATURED REELS:
We now know that one of the worlds premiere mitchell spinning reel collectors Dan Hawks has decided to sell some of his super rare reels on the bay.
Dan's descriptions are some of the best I've ever seen on ebay, but were some of his prices a bit high for todays market ?
what we do not know is if any of these have been sold privatley by Dan ?
Here is a list of a few of Dan's reels that have ended with
"NO BIDS"

Blackfish B30 exc+ @ 650.00
Kilt-o second version exc- @ 600.00
1974 Comm. 300DL e+wb @ 4,275.00
306 made for French market exc @ 500.00
408G #029 NIB ended early by Dan !
488 salesman sample w/clear plastic side plate exc+@1,500.00
Torunament Wedding cake like new @ 9,000.00
and the late Bill Arp's unused tournament @7,000.00
for those who do not know Bill was known as the grandfather of mitchell collecting here in the US.

Here is a list of a few of Dan's reels and others that did sell on the bay.
408DL Special exc++ @ 1,800.00
ORCA 300like new @ 425.00
Rapid first version ewb @ 435.00
908 bronze color like new @ 900.00
304 w/yellow garcia sticker decal nib @ 256.00
330 quartz gold nwc @ 355.00
410A nib @ 242.50
396 pum w/white spool like new @ 343.98

OTHER REELS OF INTERSET !

Mepps baby Vamp first version w/mpu exc @ 1,183.14 wow
Fin Nor no 4 NIB w/pouch and extra spool @ 1,575.00 holy--
Australian Acme side caster model H finish wear @2,125.12
an odd ball Thommen Tomsurf mostly ss construction
Prototype ?? exc+ @ only 280.95

ABU:
rare 333 red&black exc- @ 463.00
Abu Garcia Black/gray cup exc- @ only 37.00
Abumatic 90 e+wb @ 90.00
Cardinals:
52 nib @ 182.50
3 Black/tan 3rd version nib @ 521.44 wow
44X dark brown fully restored (what ever that means?) @278.58

Dam Quick:
Super 270 nib @ 135.00

Danish:
BMV model C first version gold exc @ 71.00
" " " second version Green exc- @ 26.50

Daiwa:
SS5000 ewb only 53.17
minimite GS-0 nib started @219.00 no bids
whisker tournament SS1300 exc @ 53.00
minimite e+wb @ 82.00

English:
Allcock Stanley e-wb @ 127.51
Hardy Exalta mk 2 e-wb @ 200.00
illingworth no 3 polished w/case @ 279.00

French:
Doperr exc- @ 279.10
mepps super meca R/H retrieve exc- @ 165.00
Luxor mer saumon nib @ 113.37

Heddon:
220R nib anti reverse don't work @ 102.50 WHY???
205R ewb @ 45.00
spin pal 230 ewb @ 51.00

Japanese:
arnold palmer exc @ 10.49
Lew's speed spin 1 paint wear w/box @ 76.00
spin lite nib @ 61.01 wow
trojan 201 nib sold in Sweden @ 89.00 holy cow!
Lew's gold spin GS1 nib KOREA @ 153.49 wow

Italian:
cargem 33 mignon salesman sample need bail spring @142.50
orvis 175A nib @ 142.50
Holliday 30 exc @ 152.51
Holliday 40 e+wb @ 203.10
Cargem 44/M w/clear plastic sideplate exc+ @ 113.53

Penn:
700 first version w/early two piece box exc+ @ 305.00
710 exp color green text. is the reel deal! like new starting @ 249.99 NO BIDS
707 exc @ 322.00
712 exc @ 100.95
716 nib @ 150.00

Pflueger:
Pelican 1020 nib @ 155.00 why??
1020 ewb but has wrong handle and knob @ 44.70

Shakespeare:
Pres 11 2910 exc- @ 79.00
2068 e-wb @ 66.10

Swiss:
Record Recordette 21 aqua nib @ 103.50
later version record nib @ 69.00

Zebco:
3 3rd version e+wb @ 165.51
4 second version like new only 162.50
4 5th version nib @ 152.00
4 6th version e+wb @ 150.50

Other Reels:
Airex mastereel no2? nmwb @ 61.00
Tokoz tap exc- @ 86.00
Wordens belt reel jet caster wxc+ poor box @223.49
ocean city 350 yellow exc+@ 56.00
Feurer bro's Larchmont fb412 nmwb @ 47.66
victory 110 by bretton exc- @100.60
American Classic 1V like new with cloth bag @ 236.39
last a Fin nor no 4 like new @171.05 didn't know that the box,pouch and extra spool were worth that much more??
see other reels of interest.
I would like to wish Dan good Luck on the sales of his super Rare Mitchell's .
Ben

52 Trade Houses Part 44: J.H. Wiggers, the Dean of Poughkeepsie Anglers

Over the course of the next year, we'll be detailing the history of 52 companies that sold branded fishing tackle. 52 trade houses in 52 weeks -- some obscure, some famous, and all available exclusively here on the Fishing for History Blog! If you have any items from the week's entry you'd like to share with us, please send it my way and I'll make sure it makes it on the blog.

For a discussion of what exactly trade tackle is, Click Here. Enjoy the 52 for 52!

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Trade House Tackle, Part 44:
J.H. Wiggers: The Dean of Poughkeepsie Anglers

I just can't seem to stop researching and writing about these old, obscure tackle sellers. Today we focus on one from an old Dutch part of New York--Poughkeepsie--run by a gentleman with an old Dutch Name.

The store in question was owned by John Henry Wiggers, and he ran a classic old-world shop for a number of decades in the heart of fishing country.


Wiggers (1861-1937) owned an all-purpose general store in Poughkeepsie, New York from the 1870s through the 1930s. His obituary notes he founded his first store--a cigar shop--at the tender age of 18. "He had probably engaged in the sale of sporting goods as long as any merchant in the state," the paper noted, which can be interpreted as the fact he was selling sporting goods, and tackle, very early on.

He carried all the kinds of general goods you would come to expect from such a store: newspapers, magazines, paper goods, toys, sporting goods, and of course, fishing tackle.

He exploded on the scene on July 4th, 1887 when, as the Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle reported, an explosion set off when someone threw a lit firecracker into his fireworks display threatened to burn down the store. Fortunately for Wiggers, the loss was only about $30. "The meanest part of the whole thing," the paper reported, "was that some person carried of Mr. Wiggers money box which contained between nine and ten dollars."

John Wiggers was sometimes called the "Dean of Poughkeepsie Anglers" and his store seemed to be the center of the local fishing world. He was certainly a fine angler, if the newspaper records can be trusted. One blurb in 1929 notes that he landed 21 brook trout from the Duelle Brook in Dover in one afternoon. He was often consulted on the opening of trout season as well. "Saturday Night at Wiggers" became a bit of a catch phrase, as anglers would congregate at the store after a day's fishing and swap yarns well into the night. In addition to being a fine angler, he was also the city champion checker player and a boxer of repute, having trained many local men in the "fistic arts."


Wiggers ran a fishing contest for many years for largest smallmouth and Oswego bass caught within 30 miles of Poughkeepsie. The June 10, 1919 Daily Eagle noted the past year's winner had been a five pound, nine ounce fish. A list of tasty prizes included a Shakespeare Reel for 1st place, a Wiggers steel casting rod for second, W.H. Sharpes Casting Line for 6th-9th, and a half dozen White Hat casting spoons for 10-12th. As someone who owns a White Hat spoon on the card, the only thing nicer would be a half dozen of them!

The family pops up from time to time in the pages of the Poughkeepsie Eagle-Herald, the local newspaper. For example, on 08 January 1924, "Two strangers got away with $150 from the cash box of J.H. Wigger's store." That would be the equivalent of a loss of around $2000.00 today--a tidy sum to have stolen, to be sure. We know his wife Mrs. J.H. Wiggers was a member of the Women's Council of the Reformed Church and active in its affairs until at least the mid-1930s. They resided at a home on 59 Clinton Street for many decades.

John Henry Wiggers died suddenly on May 18, 1937, after only a few hours' illness. He was 75 at the time. His son Howard was equally active in the local social set and continued the store until at least 1940. We see here a small advert from 1939 indicating the store was still selling toys, at least, after the founder's passing.


The only fishing tackle I've seen marked for Wiggers has been snelled hook packets, both regular and in envelope form (see below).



John Henry Wiggers served his community faithfully for over six decades, dedicating his life in large part to the sporting trade and putting fishing tackle into the hands of tens of thousands of local anglers during his lifetime. Revered as the Dean of Poughkeepsie Anglers, it is likely there are only a handful of people around who remember him at all.

What do we have left as a measure of such a man? A couple of musty pieces of ephemera and a cloudy picture on microfilm.

Let's pause and remember the John Henry Wiggers of the world, for every community has had one or more, their names likely lost forever to the march of time.

But they all lived. They all died. They all sold fishing tackle. And they all passed on their love of the outdoors to anyone and everyone they could.

If that's not worth remembering, and celebrating, than nothing is.

-- Dr. Todd