About a half-century ago

[Al Agnew]

2 hours ago, Foghorn said:

What was that secret hot plug on the camping trip to Coffman back along time ago-the "inch minnow"?

Yep, the Inch Minnow, one inch long jointed sinking minnow lure with two tiny treble hooks.  It was a sunfish slaying machine, but I don't think I ever caught a bass over 12 inches on it.  I once buried both sets of those trebles in Rick Crawford's scalp, with two out of the three hooks on each treble stuck.  He said he wanted it out of there, and he happened to have a pair of fishing pliers.  I just grabbed the body of the thing and yanked as hard as I could.  Got it out but it bled for a while.

I still remember that camping trip.  Had to build a dam on that creek to make a pool big enough to swim in.  Nearly stepped on a big copperhead.  And I believe it was YOU who lost the biggest fish, and then uttered the only curse words anybody said during that whole youth CHURCH camping trip   

[Pat Magee]

Since you fellas are on the topic of old man tackle, any clue what I have here?  My Dad literally bought everything he ever fished from Grandpa Pigeons and most of it was cheap generic cr@p  (and this might be too!) but this one seems a little more interesting.  I have yet to throw it since I added the skirt (the old one was rock solid and dry rotted) but I figured I would ask you old guys what the hell it is first! 

[Foghorn]

Al,probably older brother on that part. I went with a group of 4-5 on a scouting-clear the road trip in then tore up my right ankle sliding into 2nd base in summer ball practice. I sat home but heard a lot of good stories so I knew I had missed one heck of a trip. Somebody had taken the regular base and replaced it with a pitching rubber and it didn't budge..  

[Chief Grey Bear]

20 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Well, almost a half-century ago, anyway...I got to thinking after somebody mentioned catching river smallmouth on various old lures back in the good old days.  

Are you still using any of these today? 

I love using the old plugs that the old rivermen used! I find it unique and very satisfying to be able to use the same plugs that were used, really over a half century ago in some cases, and still catch fish! Call me crazy or what have you but when I use these old plugs I feel a sense of connection to the early days of fishing.

I love the nostalgia of using a plug that, like you say, not many, if anyone knows what they are. I still get funny looks when I bust out the Tadpolly when I fish with someone for the first time. But soon the funny looks turn to the ageless question, "Where can I get one!" 

Do you have a collection of old plugs? Rods? Reels?

I'll get a pic later of some of the old plugs I still like to toss. 

[Chief Grey Bear]

21 minutes ago, Pat Magee said:

Since you fellas are on the topic of old man tackle, any clue what I have here?  My Dad literally bought everything he ever fished from Grandpa Pigeons and most of it was cheap generic cr@p  (and this might be too!) but this one seems a little more interesting.  I have yet to throw it since I added the skirt (the old one was rock solid and dry rotted) but I figured I would ask you old guys what the hell it is first! 

I've got the white version of this somewhere. These showed up in the late '70's, maybe early 80's.  It seems they coincided with one of the Star Wars movies.

[Al Agnew]

1 hour ago, Foghorn said:

Al,probably older brother on that part. I went with a group of 4-5 on a scouting-clear the road trip in then tore up my right ankle sliding into 2nd base in summer ball practice. I sat home but heard a lot of good stories so I knew I had missed one heck of a trip. Somebody had taken the regular base and replaced it with a pitching rubber and it didn't budge..  

Yep, that's right, older brother now that I remember it.  I still hike back there through Hawn Park and fish about once every three years or so, but the last time I went in the creek seemed fishless...and I saw two otters.  Connection?

[Al Agnew]

1 hour ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

Are you still using any of these today? 

I love using the old plugs that the old rivermen used! I find it unique and very satisfying to be able to use the same plugs that were used, really over a half century ago in some cases, and still catch fish! Call me crazy or what have you but when I use these old plugs I feel a sense of connection to the early days of fishing.

I love the nostalgia of using a plug that, like you say, not many, if anyone knows what they are. I still get funny looks when I bust out the Tadpolly when I fish with someone for the first time. But soon the funny looks turn to the ageless question, "Where can I get one!" 

Do you have a collection of old plugs? Rods? Reels?

I'll get a pic later of some of the old plugs I still like to toss. 

Well, obviously I use my own versions of the Shannon and Midge-oreno.  Haven't used any of the others in a long time, but I took some of those in the pictures out to the pond this evening to see how they worked.  The Millsite Wig Wag, Heddon Midget Digit, Hawk, and Bright Eyes all have wide wobbles.  The Bright Eyes really looked good in the water, and interested a 12 inch largemouth.  Thinking I might carve out one of them and try it on the river.

I know what you mean about that connection.  For me it's to my early mentors and the buddies I fished with back in those days.  It's depressing to think that of my five best teenage fishing buddies, only one is still alive!

I don't have a huge collection of old stuff.  Maybe 40 or so old lures, and 20 or so old casting reels, a steel casting rod, and a Heddon bamboo casting rod.

 

[rps]

21 minutes ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

Are you still using any of these today? 

I love using the old plugs that the old rivermen used! I find it unique and very satisfying to be able to use the same plugs that were used, really over a half century ago in some cases, and still catch fish! Call me crazy or what have you but when I use these old plugs I feel a sense of connection to the early days of fishing.

I love the nostalgia of using a plug that, like you say, not many, if anyone knows what they are. I still get funny looks when I bust out the Tadpolly when I fish with someone for the first time. But soon the funny looks turn to the ageless question, "Where can I get one!" 

Do you have a collection of old plugs? Rods? Reels?

I'll get a pic later of some of the old plugs I still like to toss. 

I know what you mean. For me, the connection lies closest with a Jitterbug. They still work!

 

[Johnsfolly]

For years and years I caught bass with a Hula Popper. I loved the top water bite and it was a blast to catch largemouth on the top at night. I would hear the plop, pause, plop, pause then woosh and tug. You had to wait for the pull and not the sound of the strike before setting the hook. I would even really fish with other top waters like Jitterbugs. It was a hula popper or nothing when I bass fished. I was in college before I learned to fish soft plastics and it wasn't until I moved to MO in '98 that I found the fluke for river and pond bass. I still have a bunch of poppers, but now I don't fish them that much anymore. I should pull some out this summer and teach my daughter how to fish them. 

[Pat Magee]

3 hours ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

I've got the white version of this somewhere. These showed up in the late '70's, maybe early 80's.  It seems they coincided with one of the Star Wars movies.

I have a couple of them. Always thought they looked kind of goofy so that Star Wars bit makes sense. I may have to toss it in the water this year to see how it runs!