A Memorial Day (Re)Post

A Memorial Day (Re)Post

Today you may be expecting the News of the Week. However, here at Fishing for History we never work on Memorial Day. Instead, I want everyone to reflect on the meaning of this holiday. For too many, it is just a convenient day off from work. But the reality of the matter is that this is a day when everyone should reflect on what it means to be an American.


As I was driving through Indianapolis yesterday on my return trip back home, I looked up in the sky and saw four planes flying in formation. It was the Blue Angels, getting ready for their fly by at the start of the Indianapolis 500. As I listened to the invocation at the start of that great race on the radio, it struck me that those of us interested in fishing history have as much to remember and memorialize as everyone else.

It was, after all, Civil War veterans like Capt. Thos. H. Chubb who helped found many of the tackle companies in the wake of that great conflagration that first popularized the sport of fishing. It was men such as Major Charles Conover of the Kansas City wholesale hardware firm of Richards & Conover that helped distribute this tackle across this expanding nation. And it was the host of veterans who, seeking a moment of solitude to forget the horrors of war, turned to the peaceful art of angling by the legion. It did not matter which side you fought on; fishing was the great equalizer.

In the wake of the Spanish-American war, noted firms such as the Shakespeare Company and Abercrombie & Fitch--who hand-tailored Col. Teddy Roosevelt's personal uniform--plied the growing nation with the tackle it needed and desired. But it was really the First World War that transformed fishing. Returning veterans in 1918 and 1919 created the greatest demand for fishing tackle to that point in the nation's history, and a plethora of companies ranging from Thos. E. Wilson (who created a special fund to care for the families of employees at Wilson Meatpacking who were wounded or died in the war) to the ever-present Winchester Repeating Arms Company entered the fishing tackle field with a grand flourish.

Fishing and the Second World War is a subject of great interest and one I plan on penning a significant work on one day. But suffice to say the contributions of tackle makers was extremely valuable, as noted tackle makers made everything from the Norden Bomb Sight to survival kits. One manufacture--Montague Rod & Reel Company--made everything from bamboo ski poles to intricate firing pins for machine guns, all under the same roof. It was not unique. Back home, the tackle makers like Creek Chub and Pflueger continued to advertise, press for the purchase of war bonds, and remind Americans that brighter days were ahead. And in the wake of the war, returning veterans once again kick-started the American fishing industry and propelled angling to a position as the most popular past time in America.


Hand-made lure fashioned by US Navy Sailor during WWII from an oil tin, engraved with various stops across the Pacific.
So no News of the Week today--you can come back tomorrow for that. Today we remember the sacrifices necessary to preserve our freedoms. My father came back from the war and the occupation of Japan to start a family and fish once again. Others were not so lucky and their absence is still felt today. Is it too much to ask that one day every year we remember the contributions of soldiers past and present?

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day.

-- Dr. Todd

Night visitor

1000 Words

1000 Words

Another amazing image from the Jim Schottenham collection. Wow, this one is very old and shows a classic picture. You have to love that ancient creel!



-- Dr. Todd

Deconstructing Old Ads with Bill Sonnett

The Moonlight Fish Nipple

The Moonlight Fish Nipple is a very different sort of bait that is seldom seen in collections. I believe this is due to two reasons. First. the bait seems not to have much “collector appeal” as far as appearance. Secondly and more importantly, very very few genuine Fish Nipples have survived and those that have are in pretty rough shape. The whole situation is complicated by the fact that an almost identical lure was produced in Jackson Center, Ohio in the 1940's and early 1950s under the name “Old Timer Nipple-Dipper”.


The first piece of evidence presented here is an actual photograph of the Moonlight Fish Nipple from a 1912 ad in National Sportsman magazine. The second is an illustration from a Moonlight Bait Company catalog, courtesy of Bob King. There is an important point to observe. The rear edge of the rubber nipple is rolled into a noticeable ridge. This feature is missing on the later “Old Timer-Nipple Dipper”. The Moonlight Bait Company catalog speaks of casting the bait into lily pads or trolling it deep. In fact, the only story I have seen in magazines of that day that mentions using the “Fish Nipple” speaks of it as a successful, deep trolling bait that "saved the day" when other baits failed..


Finally, we present a photo of an “Old Timer Nipple-Dipper and the unique plastic tube that it was sold in. The directions for its use are quite different than those suggested for the earlier Moonlight bait. It is suggested that a 15 to 20 ft cane pole be rigged with 6 ft of 50 lb test line and the bait tied on the end to be “spatted” and “jiggled” on the surface creating a “sucking sound.” Byron Dalrymple, a prominent outdoor writer of the time, wrote of the success he witnessed with this bait and method at Buckeye Lake in Ohio. My first encounter with the Old Timer Nipple-Dipper was seeing one in the tackle box of a friend of my father in 1957. His comment at the time was that the bait was proving very successful with bass at Buckeye Lake.



-- Bill Sonnett

The Friday Funhouse

The Friday Funhouse
Video of the Week
Canada's favorite Red Green on fishing



Things I Would Buy If Only I Could Afford Them
This is a pretty nifty Barracuda fishing gaff..


This is a super cool Hedon Vamp with the big green scales.


J.H. Mann made some great early spinners, and they look best with patina like this one.


Instant collection alert: seriously. Just add money!


Well, it appears that Seamasters may have retained their value after all.


Wow! Is this ever a rare color for a River Runt spook.


A vintage ABU 6500 in Brown is a great find.


A Martha's Vineyard eel spear would look great on a cabin wall.


Love this early Moonlight bait in the box.


I've always wondered what a Zink's Artificial Bait Co. Screwtail looked like in the water.


A beautiful, beautiful CCBC Husky Dingbat in Brilliant Greenback.


I know first hand that the Bon-Net musky bait was a killer musky lure.


This Pflueger Muskill has attracted a lot of attention.


The Red Top Beer Lure is the kind of bait we need to take us into the long weekend.



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

-- Dr. Todd

May 27th Full Flower Moon 7:07 pm

by Kelly

UPDATE: 5000 Year Old Field Find (X-Rays)

UPDATE: 5000 Year Old Field Find (X-Rays)

A couple of months ago I profiled a 5000 year old "field find" from my friend Jeff Hatton, the Colorado rodsmith. Curiosity being what it is, Jeff has a friend of his run the mummy through an x-ray machine. A couple of things; first, it definitively is a fish. Second, it appears likely is is a member of the catfish family. A superb find (it was formerly part of a University museum) and it will become a permanent part of the traveling rod how for which Hatton is renowned.






-- Dr. Todd

UPDATE: Fishing Graves and Angling Epitaphs

UPDATE: Fishing Grave Stones and Angling Epitaphs

Got some great feedback from the article yesterday, "A Discourse on Fishing Graves and Angling Epitaphs." Two in particular I felt were worth posting. The first is from Heddon guru Bill Roberts, who writes:

Enjoyed today's blog. Here's one of my favorites. When Charles Heddon died, noted Editor, Author, Sportsman, and close friend Bob Davis had this note placed in Charles hand: "Farewell for the moment, Charley," wrote Davis. "You will see Uncle Jimmy when he comes to greet you on the Styx, the river between the living and the dead, where we anchor in the still water and fish together as in the unforgettable past."

Bill Roberts followed up his email with this one:

Bob Davis was also James Heddon's fishing partner and good friend. Thirty years earlier Bob wrote this upon hearing of James Heddon's death: "TO: JAMES HEDDON, Dowagiac, Michigan: Goody bye, Uncle Jimmy, though you wore your name in water, it will remain indelible forever, and your memory will never fade. Your children will place this, my farewell, in your hand. Hold it until we meet again. BOB."

And his name has remained indelible forever.

That's pretty awesome, Bill!

Perhaps the most simple and poignant epitaph of them all is this fantastic grave stone for Private Paul T. Moore, World War II veteran, sent in by Wayne Mullins. Like Councilman Taft, it simply says "Gone Fishing."



Nothing more needs to be said beyond that.

-- Dr. Todd

Allyson has been fighting Neuroblastoma for over 2 years. We are currently in a holding pattern until her HAMA level drops. When it does we will continue with 3f8 treatment in NYC. We will draw blood on June 3rd to check her level. She will have scans in NYC in mid June to see what the disease is doing inside her body.


Tuesday, May 25, 2010 8:53 PM, EDT

Well, the medication continues to rear it ugly head. I complain, but really it is only a few times a day. It makes Ally super sensitive. Things that would not normally bother her send her into 10 minute crying fits. It is difficult to handle, because we know it is not her fault (and later, when calmed down, she seems to be confused about why she was so upset) but we also don't want to give into the behavior and have her think it is okay when she is not on the medication....oh what a fine line we walk, and I am sure EVERY parent out there has had to deal with a similar situation...but this is my blog and I can complain about it!

Not much going on lately. Today Ally fell in the driveway and scraped both her knees pretty badly. She refused to walk the rest of the night. It was sort of cute, when she stopped crying. It was also nice that she gets hurt like a normal kid. (Read that in a way that I like that my kid is normal, not that I like that she got hurt.)

We have an upcoming HAMA draw on June 3rd and scans in NYC on the 14th and 15th.
We follow the stories of a few other families that we have met in NYC. Almost all of them have had MAJOR setbacks over the past few months. In my head I know their situation is not our situation, but my heart is more fearful of these scans than any she has ever had before. It is going to feel like a long wait for those results.

A Discourse on Fishing Graves and Angling Epitaphs

A Discourse on Fishing Graves and Angling Epitaphs

by Dr. Todd E.A. Larson

ep·i·taph (n.) [ep-i-taf, -tahf] 1. a commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person buried at that site. 2. a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person.

I love cemeteries. This doesn't make me weird (I have plenty of other reasons to be considered weird well beyond my fondness for cemeteries), and to prove my point just google the words "Cemetery Tours." You'll find nearly 3,000,000 results.

One of my all-time favorite cemeteries, by the way, is Cincinnati's famed Spring Grove Cemetery, the final resting place for such notables as General Joseph Hooker (and 33 other Civil War generals), eight Congressional Medal-of-Honor winners, baseball hall-of-famers Waite Hoyte and Miller Huggins and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Salmon P. Chase, among others. It is the largest non-profit private cemetery in America.

I thought I'd dig around and see if I could find some fishing-related graves, and along with it, try to discover a few angling epitaphs. I found a lot more than I ever thought I would!

Gravestones

As an admirer of cemeteries, I'm always interested in both fishing-related gravestones and of fishing themed epitaphs. Some are famous, and some are just ordinary folk who wanted the world to know their love for fishing.

Fittingly, we begin with the apostle of the sport of fishing, Isaac Walton, who is interred at Westminster Abbey. Here is a shot of his grave stone (more on his epitaph later):


One didn't have to be famous to have a classic angling grave stone. Here's one for John Murray, the Gamekeeper for the Kenmore family, located in Kells Churchyare, Ireland. What a classic scene!


Perhaps no American has a more fitting grave stone than pioneer bamboo rodmaker Hiram Leonard. His grave stone is capped by an awesome carving of a classic Maine canoe. A fitting memorial to a man who was so accustomed to the Maine woods that it was a second home for him.


Here is a bit more subdued gravestone commemorating another angling titan, James A. Payne, posted by the canefather Sante Giuliani.


Famous anglers such as Zane Grey have popular gave site destinations. Here's a pic of Grey's grave stone near Lackawaxen, PA, near the Delaware River.


With new processes involving lasers and acid etching, you can really make a phenomenal tombstone today, as evidenced by this example:


I'm sure there are many, many more but this will have to suffice for now.

Epitaphs

Ah, the epitaph--that last chance to be pithy with the world. There are many neat epitaphs and some of them are fishing-related.

But we must begin again with our previously mentioned apostle, Isaac Walton. In Westminster Abby his tomb reads:

Here resteth the Body of
Mr. ISAAC WALTON
Who dyed the 15th day of December
1683
Alas he's gone before
Gone to return no more!
Our panting Breasts aspire
After their aged Sire,
Whose well spent life did last,
Full ninety years and past
But now he hath begun
That which will ne're be done
Crown'd with eternall blysse:
We wish our souls with his.
Votis modestis sic flerunt liberi

We love the British, for here is a classic angling epitaph, this one for John Murray of Kenmure, who died 03 Jan. 1777. His epitaph was written by the Rev. Alexander M'Gowan of Dalry:

Ah ! John, what changes since I saw thee last—
Thy fishing and thy shooting days are past;
Bagpipes and hautboys thou canst sound no more,
Thy nods, grimaces, winks, and pranks, are o'er;
Thy harmless, queerish, incoherent talk,
Thy wild vivacity and trudging walk
Will soon be quite forgot; thy joys on earth,
Thy snuff and glass, riddles, and noisy mirth
Are vanished all—yet blessed I hope thou art,
For in thy station thou hast played thy part.

Fishing epitaphs have a more ancient origin, and the most famous is the one from Leonidas of Tarentum, who lived in the 3rd Century B.C. It's called, fittingly, "Epitaph for an Angler":

Parmis, the son of Callignotus—he
Who troll'd for fish the margin of the sea,
Chief of his craft, whose keen, perceptive search,
The kichle', scarus, bait-devouring perch,
And such as love the hollow clefts, and those
That in the caverns of the deep repose,
Could not escape—is dead.

Parmis had lured
A julis from its rocky haunts, secured
Between his teeth the slippery pert, when, lo!
It jerk'd into the gullet of its foe,

Who fell beside his lines and hooks and rod,
And the choked fisher sought his last abode.
His dust lies here. Stranger, this humble grave
An angler to a brother angler gave."


Of course many of the early epitaphs deal with the profession of angling as opposed to the sport. Another great fishing epitaph is for William Easton, who is buried in Hessle-road Cemetery, Hull.

WILLIAM EASTON,
Who was lost at sea,
In the fishing smack Martha,
In the gale of January, 1865.
Aged 30 years.

When through the torn sail the wild tempest is streaming;
When o'er the dark wave the red lightning is gleaming,
No hope lends a ray the poor fisher to cherish.
Oh hear, kind Jesus ; save, Lord, or we perish!

Of course, like all written forms the epitaph gives opportunity to the witty, like the Block Island sea captain who had been engaged in the fishing business, and who wrote the terse epitaph engraved on his tombstone :

He's done a-catching cod,
And gone to meet his God.

Not all fishing epitaphs are about commercial anglers. Take, for example, the following for Brian Tunstall, eighteenth century angler:

Here lies poor but honest
Bryan Tunstall
He was a most expert angler
until Death envious of his art,
threw out his line hooked him
And landed him here the 21st day
of April
1790

Or the aptly-named Mr. Fish:

Worms are bait for fish
But here's a sudden change,
Fish is bait for worms-
Is not that passing strange?

And Mr. Arthur Sutton:

Arthur James Sutton
5.6.1946 - 31.1.1996
Beloved Husband Of Barbara
'Gone fishing', the sign said
that hung upon the door.
An Angel had put it there,
God was waiting on the shore.

And finally, one more close to home, a member of the famed Cincinnati political Taft family buried in Spring Grove cemetery. Charles P. Taft, former Cincinnati City Councilman, has the following words on his grave stone:

Gone Fishing

It's as concise and as fitting an epitaph as one can possible hope for an angler, in life and in death.

-- Dr. Todd (who hopes not to have an epitaph for a good, long time).

Voices from the Past: Wallace Beery (1931)

Remembering Wallace Beery--Actor, Renaissance Man, and Angler

The following article was published in the Syracuse Herald dated 06 December 1931. It is a profile of the actor Wallace Beery, and underscores just how much more interesting, and talented, actors were in the Golden Age of the Silver Screen. Of course, this being a fishing blog, we must emphasize that Beery was a noted angler, and according to the article owned "several hundred fishing rods." I once saw a photo in an old movie magazine showing his tackle room, and that claim is not an understatement. It was literally overflowing with tackle. For some time he held the world record for a Sea Bass he caught off Catalina Island in 1916, a record that was not broken until 1951. It was one of his proudest feats. So interested was Wallace in fishing that while filming the picture Bad Man of Wyoming in 1940, he bought a cabin on a nearby lake and forced shooting to end at 5 each day just so he could fish before dark.


For those of you who don't recognize the name, Beery was a phenomenal actor who appeared in over 250 movies and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the movie that he was promoting for the article below, the terrific film The Champ, which co-starred child star Jackie Cooper. At times a difficult man, as one scholar declared, he was "often praised for his enormous talent and derided for his phony personality." He had a brother named Noah Beery who was a famous actor as well. His son Noah Beery, Jr. played James Garner's character's father in The Rockford Files. Perhaps as a nod to his uncle Wallace, Noah Beery Jr.'s character often derides Jim Garner for not having time to go fishing with him in the show.

Wallace Beery was for a time the highest paid actor in Hollywood and among its biggest draws. He was also a fanatical angler, something we pause to remember today.

* * * * * * * * * *

Wally Beery, Once an Elephant Trainer, Now Raises Canaries

A Teetotaler, Star of "The Champ," Likes Malted Milks With Whipped Cream

Editor's Note: Here is an authentic and revealing, vignette of Wallace Beery, no stranger to either the Syracuse airport, a favorite port of call on his transcontinental flights; or Syracuse fandom. Mr. Beery currently is starring with Jackie Cooper in "The Champ" at Loew's State.

Wallace Beery shaves himself with an old-fashioned, straight razor, but he never walks when he can ride and never rides when he can fly. He has a transport license and an eight-passenger plane.

He keeps a kennel of bird dogs and raises canaries. And he used to be an elephant trainer.

He plays tough huskies on the screen now, but he got his motion picture start--and guffaws telling about it--impersonating a Swedish servant girl in a comedy. "Butch" in "The Big House" is his favorite role.

He was born in Kansas City--brother Noah is also a film light--and directing movies in Japan was only an incident in his varied career.

He is an amateur camera fiend, with color photography, his favorite hobby.

Several hundred fishing rods are his own, and he keeps a small arsenal of hunting rifles.

His airplane machine shop is in his house. He studies aerial navigation and has no fear of accidents.

When film people are going on a trip en masse he usually leaves later in his plane and beats them there. He drives an open car. More than six feet tall, and more than 200 pounds on the hoof, he eats accordingly-—the rare-steak-for-dessert type of appetite. He is bow-legged, but doesn't like to be reminded of it.

When he talks the rafters shake and when he shouts--as you have heard him on the screen--they dance. His eyes are baby-blue. He makes a clucking noise with his mouth to put "periods" in conversations. His hair is thinning on the pate.

He is a teetotaler, but he has a weakness for sweets and malted milks with whipped cream. He doesn't have to bother about his waistline. When he eats in the studio commissary, he takes off his coat as well as hat.

Between scenes he whittles wooden gewgaws. He never wears make-up, and is Will Rogers only rival at gum-chewing.

He owns an island in a High Sierras lake, and is a member of a bank advisory board. He is modest, unassuming and big hearted, with a gentleness and sympathy as large as his frame.

He hates personal appearances and avoids parties and cafes. When he dons evening clothes he looks like a magician trying to get out of a straight-jacket.

Here is a video showing how, for such a big guy, how remarkably dexterous he was.



-- Dr. Todd

Young soccer fan meets Pope

There's this young boy from London who is going to the Vatican with his family, hoping to see the Pope. The boy is a bit worried about whether or not they will see the Pope amongst the thousands of people. So his mum says "Don't worry, son, the Pope is a big soccer fan and I know he barracks for Chelsea, so wear your Chelsea shirt, the Pope will see the famous blue and he will stop and talk to you.
The next day, the boy wears his Chelsea shirt whilst they are standing in the crowd as the Pope goes along in his Popemobile. Next thing the Popemobile stops a little further down the street, Pope Benedict gets out to talk to a different little boy, who is wearing a Manchester United shirt. Then he gets back into the Popemobile and it drives right past the young Chelsea fan, who is very upset and starts crying. "Don't worry" says his mum, "The Pope is driving around tomorrow as well, so I'll buy you a Manchseter United shirt, we'll come back tomorrow and then he is guaranteed to stop and talk to you."
So they are back in the crowd the next day the little boy is now wearing the Manchester United shirt. The Popemobile comes along and the boy is all excited. As his mum predicted, the Popemobile does stop, right in front of him. Then Pope Benedict gets out, walks over to the little boy, bends down to talk to him and says "I thought I told you to GET LOST yesterday!"

Mick "The Joker"'s 150th Appearance Behind The Microphone

Super Tuesday Chicken Madness

Double Your Nando's Chicken!!! Any Restaurant in Australia ...
This Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only, Nando's will DOUBLE your chicken for FREE. Purchase a Quarter, Half or Whole Chicken

Well, chicken Tuesday was once the talk of the blog o sphere, but now it is just a re-occuring theme post from time to time. They say many people still celebrate WCT in Jamaica, but they are all smoking weed. Hope you enjoy this blast from the past here at the Chicken Capitol of the WORLD !

Paris Hilton ( Hollywood Skank )

It's been about a year since the last official Wordless Chicken Tueday.
This is a participation type post, and everyone is invited!
There are no rules ... just point me in the direction to a post,
new or old, that has ANYTHING at all to do with chickens.

I don't use any link list devices, because they are not counted
or recognized by search engines. Just leave the URL to YOUR chicken
post in my comments. I will do the rest!

From SPEEDCAT HOLLYDALE PAGE

1. Word Has It... / Olga the Traveling Bra / (BRAWKie)
2. It's EggNormous! / Drowsey Monkey / (parade chikins)
3. Wordless Chicken Tuesday / Nurse Hugankiss / (live birth)
4. Barn Soup / Doctor Shoal / (heath care)
5. Crossing / DCR Blog / (short story!)
6. New Years Wordless Everything / Miss Moneypenny /(photoshop)
7. WCT Beacon: Chicken Wonton Soup for the Soul / DD /(martial arts training)
8. Wordless Chicken Tuesday Makeover / Smiling w Daisy / (kikin grooming)
9. Exposing the Chicken Underground / Trendhunter / (kikin over-load)
10. My Chickens / Muckboots / (live farming)
11. Yellow Signs / Life in OZ / (Chook Crossings)
12. Empty COOPs have No Eggs but Some Bacon & Gravel / 0007 / (deserted)
13. Tweet chek point Chiki / B.I.G. / (tropical water chickens)
14. HG's Chicken Pot Pie / Simply Tasty / (cooking genius)
15. Don’t Forget About The Chicken!!! / Binkis Park (dancing)
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.





CHICKEN PARADE



Courtesy of "The Way of Life in OZ" ... tnx :-)