fishweewee
02-05-2004, 08:36 AM
Thought I'd pass this on...
The lures of fisherman Stan Gibbs
Cape Cod's legendary fisherman and lure-maker dies at 89.
By ETHAN ZINDLER
STAFF WRITER
To family, friends and acquaintances local fishing legend Stan Gibbs was known for many things, including his skills as a muskrat trapper, archer and woodcarver.
But he wasn't exactly a conversationalist.
"He was what you'd describe as an old Cape Codder," said Don Stromeyer, co-owner of Red Top Sporting Goods Co. in Buzzards Bay, which for years sold the fishing lures Gibbs designed and bore his name.
"You could certainly get him to warm to a topic, but like a lot of people who made their living off the land the last bit of information they wanted to give you was where they were going and what they were doing," recalled Stromeyer.
It was during Gibbs' many fishing trips to the Cape Cod Canal and Popponesset Beach that he developed the design for his unique surf-cast lure. To this day, it remains the prototype for lures designed to catch large bass, fishing pros say.
Gibbs died Tuesday at Liberty Commons Nursing Home in Chatham at age 89. The cause of death was old age, said his son, Bruce Gibbs, a commercial fisherman in Chatham.
Born and raised in Easton, Mass., Stan Gibbs relocated to Sagamore in 1945 to pursue his passion for fishing and outdoor life in general. Initially, he earned a living as a professional fur trapper, catching local mink, muskrat and raccoon, according to son Don Gibbs, who now owns a specialty bowling shop in Florida.
But fishing was the elder Gibbs' true love.
"I think he was probably the best there ever was," said Bruce Gibbs. "He was a big man, long, lanky, powerful. He could fish better than anyone, cast better than anyone."
"He was a big guy, a little bit like Ted Williams," said Karen Hill, who has owned the Sports Port, a local tackle shop in Hyannis, since the late 1950s and once sold "hundreds" of Gibbs Cast-a-Lures.
Hill and her husband were friends for years with Gibbs and his wife Celia. The two couples would take fishing expeditions together.
Hill said Gibbs had an uncanny ability to find bass, especially at the canal.
"He knew every little rock and cranny down there where there might be a fish," she said.
"It was an interesting time in the Cape Cod Canal," she recalled. "In those days, Stan Gibbs was the man."
Word soon spread of Gibbs' unique, handcrafted wooden lures, which featured a heavily weighted center that allowed them to be tossed long distances from shore.
At first, demand came exclusively from fellow fishermen in the area. Gibbs would produce the rounded, cylindrical-shaped lures by hand in the root cellar below his home on a tiny lathe, then paint them with nail polish. His sons would help as well. Gibbs' wife served as bookkeeper.
Over the next two decades, demand for the company's products grew exponentially. Gibbs built two sheds behind the house where the lures could be produced in large quantities.
By the time he sold the business in the early 1970s, Gibbs was selling some 35,000 lures annually, according to Bruce Gibbs.
The elder Gibbs maintained a unique sense of independence, his sons say.
"He was a regular Daniel Boone-type of character," son Bruce said. "He was a wild woodsman. He didn't want anyone to tell him what to do."
Later in life, the elder Gibbs took up woodcarving and would create likenesses of birds and fish.
Gibbs is survived by sons Bruce and Don, as well as son Wompisik Unnoken. He also leaves behind 11 grandchildren.
At Gibbs' request, there will be no memorial service. Stan Gibbs' ashes will simply be scattered into the canal that he fished and called home for some 60 years.
(Published: February 5, 2004)
The lures of fisherman Stan Gibbs
Cape Cod's legendary fisherman and lure-maker dies at 89.
By ETHAN ZINDLER
STAFF WRITER
To family, friends and acquaintances local fishing legend Stan Gibbs was known for many things, including his skills as a muskrat trapper, archer and woodcarver.
But he wasn't exactly a conversationalist.
"He was what you'd describe as an old Cape Codder," said Don Stromeyer, co-owner of Red Top Sporting Goods Co. in Buzzards Bay, which for years sold the fishing lures Gibbs designed and bore his name.
"You could certainly get him to warm to a topic, but like a lot of people who made their living off the land the last bit of information they wanted to give you was where they were going and what they were doing," recalled Stromeyer.
It was during Gibbs' many fishing trips to the Cape Cod Canal and Popponesset Beach that he developed the design for his unique surf-cast lure. To this day, it remains the prototype for lures designed to catch large bass, fishing pros say.
Gibbs died Tuesday at Liberty Commons Nursing Home in Chatham at age 89. The cause of death was old age, said his son, Bruce Gibbs, a commercial fisherman in Chatham.
Born and raised in Easton, Mass., Stan Gibbs relocated to Sagamore in 1945 to pursue his passion for fishing and outdoor life in general. Initially, he earned a living as a professional fur trapper, catching local mink, muskrat and raccoon, according to son Don Gibbs, who now owns a specialty bowling shop in Florida.
But fishing was the elder Gibbs' true love.
"I think he was probably the best there ever was," said Bruce Gibbs. "He was a big man, long, lanky, powerful. He could fish better than anyone, cast better than anyone."
"He was a big guy, a little bit like Ted Williams," said Karen Hill, who has owned the Sports Port, a local tackle shop in Hyannis, since the late 1950s and once sold "hundreds" of Gibbs Cast-a-Lures.
Hill and her husband were friends for years with Gibbs and his wife Celia. The two couples would take fishing expeditions together.
Hill said Gibbs had an uncanny ability to find bass, especially at the canal.
"He knew every little rock and cranny down there where there might be a fish," she said.
"It was an interesting time in the Cape Cod Canal," she recalled. "In those days, Stan Gibbs was the man."
Word soon spread of Gibbs' unique, handcrafted wooden lures, which featured a heavily weighted center that allowed them to be tossed long distances from shore.
At first, demand came exclusively from fellow fishermen in the area. Gibbs would produce the rounded, cylindrical-shaped lures by hand in the root cellar below his home on a tiny lathe, then paint them with nail polish. His sons would help as well. Gibbs' wife served as bookkeeper.
Over the next two decades, demand for the company's products grew exponentially. Gibbs built two sheds behind the house where the lures could be produced in large quantities.
By the time he sold the business in the early 1970s, Gibbs was selling some 35,000 lures annually, according to Bruce Gibbs.
The elder Gibbs maintained a unique sense of independence, his sons say.
"He was a regular Daniel Boone-type of character," son Bruce said. "He was a wild woodsman. He didn't want anyone to tell him what to do."
Later in life, the elder Gibbs took up woodcarving and would create likenesses of birds and fish.
Gibbs is survived by sons Bruce and Don, as well as son Wompisik Unnoken. He also leaves behind 11 grandchildren.
At Gibbs' request, there will be no memorial service. Stan Gibbs' ashes will simply be scattered into the canal that he fished and called home for some 60 years.
(Published: February 5, 2004)