After the ancient history lesson on the previous post , found some more info on later plug history:
"The first settlers in NEW ENGLAND were known to go surfishing as early as 1634 ",according to Roy Rowan in SURFCASTERS QUEST. They used he heave and haul metod by throwing lobster meat lasso style over their heads.

According to Rowan,rod and reel surfcasting didn't start til after the Civil War.It was a rich man's sport pacticed at the famous bass clubs mostly in Mass. and R.I. Watchmakers made oversized fresh water reels made of brass and silver. Rods were made out of bamboo or cane.
Will get into the lures in the next post. Again this is a laymans attempt to put out info.Jump in if you can add more to the posts. THANKS!

According to Gary Caputi,
in FISHING FOR STRIPED BASS,"Over 100 years ago,fishermen had no fancy plugs to use for striped bass,yet they consistently caught bass on homemade lures that imitated a wide variety of coastal baitfish.The lures were made from tin,cast in bronze molds that were closely guarded family secrets. They were called block tins or tin squids. They were popular until the outbreak of ww II,when tin was declared a strategic metal and it became difficult to obtain for anything but war use.When the sanctions on tin were finally lifted,in the late 40's ,tin squids were already just a memory for most fishermen and plugs were beginning to eclispe their popularity"
"Tins are interesting lures from a historical standpoint and due to the interesting characteristics they offer an angler." He states they are made to match every kind of baitfish,can be fished in all kinds of conditions,can be fished at different depths and still catch fish as well as they did when they were first used.

ANY INPUT FROM YOU "TIN GUYS"?

After this post, I will have exhausted all the info that is offered in the books I have.
Tins were improved by the addition of keels helping the lure to ride at a more shallow depth. Two fisherman,Charlie Graves and Charlie Pasquale were instrumental in their development.

According to Nick Karas,"The earliest plugs for saltwater fishing were adaptions of freshwater varieties,designed for Black Bass and Northern Pike". Names that come to mind are creek chub,atom and heddon.
This is where alot of you guys including VB,WINCH,and others who collect and turn ,would have alot more info then any current books i have found. In addition info on the master turners like Bob Pond ,from Mass, Danny Pichney,from New York,and Bob Hahn ,from New Jersey is difficult to find and our local guys know alot more then the books tell.
There was a great article on THE ORIGINAL DANNY: The man and his Plug by Charley Soares in this Decembers, ON THE WATER. The only info i have on Bob Hahn, Pt. Pleasant N.J. comes from a seminar he had 12 -15 years ago.As i remember it ,he was a big tall guy ,soft spoken who really knew his stuff. I have 3 of his plugs ,that have been retired, that were the reason i really started to catch bass. The paint has held up really good for the use they have had. I remember him saying"get the plug to dig, than reel as slow as u can. When u think your reeling too slow,reel slower.There are alot of local guys who knew him well ,and if i can get more info i will post it.

It sounds like there will be some great new books out by the members of this forum.The sooner the better as it is so hard to find good info,let alone in one source.

It was fun doing this small bit but more importantly i learned things i didn't know. As usual,the more i learn about fishing the more i realize i don't know! Hope the info was useful. Thanks.

Yeah:claps:

Nice job!

tins = :happy:

I was told just the other night that the book is going better than they thought , so that tell's me it may be out in 2004 :)
VB

:)

VB
The sooner the betta! :bounce: