UPDATE: More Info on Larry & J.J. Koller

UPDATE: More Info on Larry & J.J. Koller

This week we get an update to the Larry Koller post from last week.

First, Joe Stagnitti sends us a really neat photo of some J.J. Koller boxed lures. The box on the right has the crossed out Goshen address, replaced with a handwritten Miami one. Note also the box on the right is a "Streamliner" bait; perhaps J.J. was producing these at the same time his brother was making Ruff-Nek lures. Nifty!



Neat, neat lures!

Next, we get an informative letter from Bass Bug historian extraordinaire Jerry Martin. Jerry writes:

I have three Ruff-Nek bugs that came with a Pflueger Sample Room card. The card indicated that the bugs were received from J.J. Koller, Goshen, NY on September 29, 1944. Two of the bugs were "Ruff-Nek style". The other was a typically flared and trimmer deer hair bug with wings tied in directly behind the hook eye projecting 90 degrees.

A small J.J. Koller ad appeared in the June 1943 issue of Field & Stream. The ad stated that the Ruff-Nek Bass Bug was "Designed by Larry Koller" (no indication that  L. Koller tied them?).

Well, that definitely fits with my theory that J.J. took over when tying these bugs when Larry went to Connecticut during the war. Jerry has a few questions that perhaps other can help answer:

Does anyone have an authentic sample of a Koller Minnow. Were the minnows streamers, bucktails or fly rod lures?

And finally, concerning "hand-tied" bugs and flies. I am still looking for a machine tied example.

If anyone can help out Jerry on this, drop me a note and I'll put you in touch with him!

Finally, noted fly tier Mike Valla writes to remind me that Koller was an enormous influence on him in his formative days tying flies in the Catskill region. Mike in fact references Larry a number of times in his new book The Classic Dry Fly Box, which is available by the way in paperback.

Many thanks to Jerry, Stag and Mike for their help. Larry Koller was a fascinating guy and he created a great set of baits!

-- Dr. Todd

UPDATE: Bill Bryan, Bagley Lure Designer Part 2

UPDATE: Bill Bryan, Bagley Lure Designer Part 2

Fascinating how the world works. Florida lure guru Bill Stuart of the Museum of Fishing (and former owner of Bagley) writes:
 
Bill [Bryan] was my best friend and hunting and fishing partner for 46 years.  He worked for me twice over our years of friendship, first in a research support business and then as a lure designer at Bagley.  He was my bird dog with his finger on the pulse there when I was thinking of buying the company. 

Bill's widow, Hazel, still lives here in Bartow and goes to our church.  I will take a copy of the article to her tomorrow night.  My wife of going on 50 years will tell you that Bill and Hazel came with the marriage package and we have had a great friendship over the years.

An avid hunter and a compulsive fisherman I went on many trips with him just for the fellowship and to shoot photos and enjoy the great comradery.  He and Hazel both attended Erskine College in South Carolina.  Bill was in charge of all things mechanical and I was in charge of rattlesnakes.  We made a great team, because I had none of his talents and he could not stand rattlesnakes.  I have about a 6' rattlesnake skin on my wall that I shot out from in front of him.  Photos of Bill, both of his bird dogs, pointers, hang on my walls.  They were not the best dogs in the world, but they were good enough for us.

The last quail hunting trip I went on was in the early 80s.  It was a hot day and by noon the dogs were whipped.  When Bill told his old dog to load up she just stood there and waited on him to pick her up and lay her in the jeep.  From where he put her she did not move an inch.  We loaded the guns and headed for the cow pens.  About a mile later I stopped the jeep and Bill asked what I was doing.  I told him I was pointed on a full covey in the road about 30 yards ahead of us.  We got out, left the dogs in the jeep - actually neither of them even lifted their head to see what was going on.  Bill and I traded sides, we walked up the covey, he killed three to the left and I killed three to the right and as far as we were concerned one could not have a better ending to a day in the woods.  

I had never seen that article and thanks for giving us a look at it!  Have a great day!

Bill sent an addendum not long later:

I  just told [my wife] Nancy what I had written to you about my relationship with Bill and she said, "well, you might as well tell him about my best fishing expedition.  It was when Bill [Bryan] and Hazel had been appointed by my mother as our official chaperones, as we were not yet married.  I caught a big tarpon in Boca Grande Pass and Bill Bryan held me in the fighting chair!"

So many thanks to Bill Stuart for sending more information about his great friend Bill Bryan. I am so pleased to be able to share some information about a lure designer, as we know so little about them...

-- Dr. Todd

Jim Bo Update #2: The Rest of the Story

Jim Bo Update #2: The Rest of the Story

It's days like this that make all the work putting up this blog worth it.

Doug Carpenter writes us a final word about the Jim Bo. He sends the following advertisement from the December 1959 Field & Stream magazine featuring the Jim Bo, but in slightly different form. Note three things about this version of the lure. One, it has a red tail (the one referenced earlier) and two, that the address is now Bryan Manufacturing in Hopkinsville, Kentucky!


Finally, it is listed as filed under Patent #2881549, granted April 14, 1959 but filed for on June 17, 1952--nearly seven years before! Amazing amount of time. He is still listed as of the patent date at his Largo, Florida address, so he must have had some connection to Kentucky to manufacture them there. Amazingly, his "Patent Pending" from his first ads lasted the rest of the decade. Anyone know of another tackle patent that had to wait so long to be approved?


Thanks, Doug, for sending in the final piece of the Jim Bo puzzle! A lure that spans the 1950s and two states.

And now you know the rest of the story.

-- Dr. Todd

UPDATE: More Jim Bo Information!

UPDATE: More Jim Bo Information!

Yesterday we profiled the interesting Florida lure called the Jim Bo. Today, Jim Viviano of Chesterfield, MO writes:

I like the article on the Jimbos you posted on Joes Board. Here is a picture of my Jimbo collection. I have the 8 standard colors, plus two others that I have found.
 
Years later after the large size Jimbos were no longer made, someone in Las Vegas started making a small Jimbo with a red felt skirt (or wings) on them.  I have found a few and they are at the bottom of my collection.



Thanks for the info, Jim, and that's a very attractive display! Long live the Jim-Bo!

-- Dr. Todd

UPDATE: Pictures of Mikina's Bubble Minnie!

UPDATE: The Bubble Minnie

Thanks to Steve Kuchman, we have not just one but three pictures of Mikina's patented lure the Bubble Minnie. Thanks to Rob Pavey, Dennis Ladd, Gary Henderson, and Mark Fuhrman for the photos!


Rob Pavey has most cool lures in the box, including this Bubble Minnie. Note the "fuel" for the lure.


This Bubble Minnie of Dennis Ladd's shows the Mikina patent lure.


Mark Fuhrman shows the early boxes of the Bubble Minnie.

-- Dr. Todd

UPDATE: More Royer Photos...

UPDATE: More Royer Photos...

Joe Stagnitti sends in some photos which serve nicely as an update to the earlier article about H.C. Royer.


This is a Heddon Coast Minnow and a better representation than the Pflueger pictured below of Royer's lure.


This is Royer's patented metal Coast Minnow.

Thanks Stag!

Cheers,

Dr. Todd

UPDATE: Louis Rhead Waga-Waga Found!

UPDATE: Louis Rhead Waga-Waga Found!

Joe Stagnitti just posted this on Joe's Board; since the posts on Joe's disappear very quickly I am copy this over to my blog so it chronicle this awesome lure! Joe writes:

Wow....sometimes, the lure gods smile on you.....

I bought this bait from Bill Kennedy, he got it from a large online auction lot with lots of nice old baits. We both thought at the time that although this bait was very well made, that it was just a cool piece of folk art.....imagine what I thought immediately after reading the blog!!!
Just couldn't believe when I scrolled down to Rhead's illustration of the bait, and couldn't dig this bait out of the folk art case fast enough!!!



Congrats, Joe! You've got an awesome, awesome old bait there and the only known Rhead Waga-Waga. What a rare New York lure!

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE:

Jerry Martin posts that Rhead may have made other wooden minnows. I don't consider his frog to be "truly" wooden, as according to his own instructions on how to make the lure in Fisherman's Lures and Game Fish Food much of the body was made of cork, but he did advertise several wooden minnows which we sadly do not have any pictures of yet. Also, Jerry noted that the Waga-Waga was once advertised with a metal tail--now that would be a heck of find!

-- 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

UPDATE: World War II Emergency Fishing Kit History

Noted collector and historian Ed Pritchard, author of the great book on Fin-Nor, sends in the following update to the World War II Emergency Fishing Kit. Ed writes:

The first picture (below) is of the two principle designers of the emergency kit (from my research). I understand they also conducted field studies. The kit, in part, owed its design to big game fisherman and IGFA founder Michael Lerner and big game fisherman and author S. Kip Farrington Jr. with input by others as you mentioned.


The second picture (below) is of Julian T. Crandall of Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co. holding American Can Company's watertight, key-opening can into which the larger kit was packed (as you mentioned in your article, there were two sizes). From what I have been able to find out Crandall also helped design the kit and he manufactured most of it adding in the items made by other companies.


Thanks, Ed! Awesome pics and information. Lerner (with Harlan Major) was also the brains behind the "Tackle for Soldiers" movement. I'll write that up some day soon as well.

-- Dr. Todd

UPDATE: WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE

UPDATE: WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE

Many of you have written asking for an update on the White House Task Force. Well, I wish I could say it was good news but I think it's an issue we'll all want to keep up the pressure on.

For those who would like to catch up on the issue, click here.

Dave Pfeiffer of Shimano North America also sends the following note, which should bring us up to date.

I wanted to send you an update on the Ocean’s Policy Task Force issue.  Unfortunately, it has not gone away but I guess that we did not really expect that it would.  Below is an article that is being published by ESPN.  It pretty much tells the story on where things stand.  This remains a very critical issue and one that I hope anglers will not let die.  The last letter writing/e-mail campaign that you both so graciously supported really opened Congress’ eyes on this issue.  Believe it or not, many in DC did not even know this was being developed. 
 
More letters/e-mails to Congressmen and Senators will help.  I know if often seems like a fruitless effort but it is not.  This is a very real threat.  If you have it in you to pass along this update and continue to encourage anglers to take time to write I would appreciate it very much.
 
We remain very close to and involved in this matter.  Over the last few months we met with Bass Pro Shops who strongly supported getting the word out in their catalogs and with countless people in Washington.

Here is the latest letter drafted to President Obama on this issue. Dave writes "If we can get a few thousand e-mail letters off to the president on this I think it will help get his attention and let him know that we are not in favor of any sort of executive order to put this plan in place."

I encourage everyone to write their congressional representative, senator, and the president on this issue.

We'll keep you updated as we learn more.

-- Dr. Todd