Huh? Whatcha got?

Oh, this week is the NFLCC east coast Regional meet at Allentown PA. it's the biggest lure show on the east coast.There will be over 600 guys there buyin,sellin and swappin.I hear the hotel is a sell out(room trading)and there are guys already showing up today for next weekend.300 rooms stuffed with antique fishing tackle.The thought boggles the mind.Biggest problem is no matter how much you take to spend it's not enough.Or it's too much, depends if your married or not.You paid how much for a hunk of painted wood!!!???But dear, it's an investment.
Yeah right.Hope you and your hunk of wood like sleeping on the couch bub.;)

Moe Larry ..... Cheese..........

So what are you buying us all 10X??? :)

You bring the beer.I'll bring the girls.These ladies really like to party with some fishy types.http://www.pixhost.com/pixp/poltroon/mvc-874s.jpg

"I wish it was the other kind of mermaid, the ones with the fish part on top and the woman part on the bottom" -Fry from Futurama after learning the mating process of mermaids.

10X10, here are some old Gibbs pencils, schoolie sized....right?

I got the bottom blue one. got me wood ???

Those Big Pencil Poppers kicked butt.I saw a guy even catch 2 Bonito on one of those day-glo orange ones once.They're like what 15 to 18.00 now?Jeez...Take that off if the blues show up.
I got a big white one around here somewheres.

10X,

There are all schoolie size. Maybe 3/4 oz for the large and 1/2 for the small.

Ohhh,The little ones.I think they're 1 3/8 oz.
I had a blue/white one.They go for about 10 bucks new in the box.Now if you had a Creek Chub Surfster in purple eel we're talkin some serious coinage.

I'll weigh them when I get home, now way can they weigh one once.

That's supposed to be 3/8 of an oz. sorry.

10X, I forgive you, your right 3/8 of an oz. :)

Actually there is a smaller size than that too I think.

10X,

I am looking for a Mitchell 402 or 488 lefty, you gots one for the sale? I know you do....you got everything!


Unless you have a Crack 300 lefty?


I want one to fish with, not to collect dust with.

do i have one tattoo, ask me when ya see me, ill have to go diggen.... got darters and blanks bubba???

I'm goin to a big show tonight.If I see one there should I pick it up for you?How much you want to spend?3-400 hundred or so right?

Dunno 400 sounds on the low side...:)


I trust your judgement....If the reel is in good shape and is worth the moeny then grab it. They can't be worth more than $100 can they?

Nah,new in the box maybe a hundred.I'm sure I'll see plenty of Penn greenies.

Yeah but I want a Mitchell....? :)

Ok here's a taste of a antique lure show.This is the hotel room swapping before the show which is on saturday.Here's a typical room you might walk in to,
http://www.pixhost.com/pixp/poltroon/mvc-886s.jpg
Imagine about 200 rooms just like that!
Here's some nice creek chub giant pikies all new in the box, all very expensive ouch!
http://www.pixhost.com/pixp/poltroon/mvc-876s.jpg
Oh, here's some more surf plugs.Check out that Jointed giant Pikie in Eel color
http://www.pixhost.com/pixp/poltroon/mvc-881s.jpg
Jackpot!Look at all these Made in Massachussetts plugs, Capt.Bills and old Gibbs http://www.pixhost.com/pixp/poltroon/mvc-884s.jpg
I think I'll take this one http://www.pixhost.com/pixp/poltroon/mvc-885s.jpg

10x10,

Perhaps you could answer my question. Why do some lures go out of style? Gibbs is still alive, why don't they make the "cast-a-way" still?

How hard would it be to recreate these lures and bring back these forgotten lures of the past?

Couldn't you just toss one on a lathe duplicator and make a knock off?

WOW! 200 ROOMS!

Any one know if these things come 'round heya?

What the heck is that pink thing in the upper right of the third picture? Some HUGE Popper?

Patrick, I have done some research on this subject and spoke to qiute a few people about this as well. Yes, you can make all of th3e old lures just the same as they did back in the day, probablly even better now a days. The problem is this, by the time you finish making one lure, the amount of time you spent to make the lure would drive the price so high that no one would buy it. OK, there are some guys that say, I would buy them. Well How Many? 2, 10 , 50, 100? If someone were to undergo this project, it would have to be a full time job, and need to aquire all the tools to do it. Nevermind the possible law suits.

That's good question.Why do they change a lure that is/was successful?Got me.I subscribed to the "If it ain't broke don't fix it" school of thought myself.As far as duplicating a lure,sure you can.
Most of 'em are a copy or a knockoff of someone elses plug anyway.A Yozuri minnow is a copy of a bomber which is a copy of a Red Fin which is a copy of a Rebel which is a copy of a Rapala,etc.Some companies like Gag's and Superstrike make pretty much nothing but knock-offs of other successful plugs.
As far as making wood plugs just like they used to,Tattoo is right.It's cost prohibitive.
Sometimes it's a matter of materials or components not being available.Manufacturers used glass eyes prior to World War II.The eyes came from Germany.After the war....no more eyes.American made ones were just not as good.
Sometimes it's simply something like the person at the factory who made that lure or was the painter is retired or has passed away.Sometimes it was just not a good seller and got phased out.
I know since I started making plugs I
pay a lot more attention to old wood lures and how they made them than I used to.
Oh,tattoo,I saw a ton of Mitchells last night but no 488 leftys.Boxes fullof 300.308's etc. but no 488's.There's probably one there somewheres but I didn't see it.Did find a Penn 710 that was a left-hand model for 25.00 but I didn't buy it.Too beat up.Saw several DAM Quicks and lots and lots of casting reels.The big pink popper is a Pachner & Koller Walkie Talkie.The bait is no big deal but the box is real tough.

I've got an old, larger Dam Quick reel on a 13' Fenwick that my grandfather fished before I was born... Hope to clean them up this winter...

Ten-by: Do those shows ever meander up into New England?

There is an antique tackle show every spring in Smithfield RI.

Sure there's lots of them.There's are several small swap meets/flea market type shows every weekend somewhere's in your area.The big shows up your way are Albany NY. in September and Langs Tackle Auction/Flea market at Worchester Mass. in November and March.A good idea is to join the NFLCC.The National Federation Of Lure Collectors Club.
It's 25.00 a year dues.With your membership you get a Quarterly Magazine, a quarterly club gazzette and a yearly updated list of all the members addresses and phone numbers.From there you can network sources for the items you are looking for and get a list of all the NFLCC sanctioned shows.
I don't go to many shows.Just don't have the time.I source my stuff from other collectors or come across what's known as "Field Finds".
Most true collectors prefer to swap rather than sell.
Like everything else like this it's a buyer beware market.KNOW what your doing before you spend any serious money.Taking a chance for 10 bucks is one thing,plunking down a couple of hundred or more for a fake or a fixed up item is not good.My rule of thumb on taking a chance is I'll go 50 bucks.I trust my judgment up to that amount.I once bought a reel for 800.00 that was worth tops 150.00.That's an expensive lesson.
Don't blame the guy who sold it to you either.It's likely he didn't know it wasn't right when he bought it either.
Here's a good example of that;
This is a Heddon Meadow Mouse in what is supposed to be the rare black with white head paint job.It's a repaint.The guy I got it from paid 250.00 for it thinking he got a good deal on a 500.00 bait.
I got it for 35.00 and shipping.Ouch!http://www.pixhost.com/pixp/poltroon/mvc-887s.jpg

Thanks 10x10 - I'd just like to browse one someday. I have no desire to crack open another expensive hobby - besides, to me plugs should be fished ;)

Hey Tattoo - I think 10x10 has the perfect field lure for yer "Big One that Got Away"...

Yeah, Heddon ever make a squirrel? Those guys Love squirrels!

10X, I just got a box in the mail! I'm going to Mecca with BM tomorrow and hope to destroy them!


Your box is coming.......

I have not seen old boxes like that for creek chubs in years. I remember when I was a kid my father had some of those pikies just as in your picture. I just about remember seeing the gibbs boxes as well. I remember in the early 80's when it was a lot of money to spend $6.00 for the big ole huge GooGooEyes that used to be made in Stamford Ct. I wish I had bought more and left them in the package, who knew.

JohnS

My dad used to complain about how expensive a Hopkins was in the early sixties.I think they were like 1.99 or something.He used to buy them one at a time.Eventually he'd cast it off and he would have to stop fishing cause it's all he had to use.
Eventually he broke down and bought a little surf bag and some plugs.I remember exactly what was in there.A striper swiper,blue/white,2 atom poppers,one blue/white and the other orange/yellow,a Hopkins ,a diamond Jig and a Floating Rebel.Some of those great big huge clunky old bottom rigs and sinkers, a knife,stringer and a fish scaler.I caught my first Bass on that Rebel in '67.

I have that blue cast a lure, whats that worth? ahh you seen me l coops and capt bill.........