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On later models Brad moved the belly hook forward another inch or so. For years I told him to use 4/0 hooks but he always insisted on 3/0.
Hawgs were originally designed by a guy named Paul Brunell, who worked for John Gibbs before he sold out to Griecci. Griecci turned out one run of Canal Specials and never did another. Paul was backed financially by a guy from Quincy named Warren Hassey. Paul had a bad accident on Nantucket, where he rolled his truck over and lost his arm, so that ended his plug turning. Warren then went partners with Brad. Brad never used a duplicator---every Hawg Hunter was turned and drilled by sight, and Brad's sight was bad due to severe diabetes. Every one was a little different. He kept tweaking Brunell's designs, making some plugs thinner for guys who wanted that profile, some fatter, some rounded on the bottom like regular PPs, some planed like specials. Originally his Polaris styles had big heads and floated too much on the cast. He tweaked the head down in size over the years so at the end they were excellent casting plugs. He learned as he went and his finishes got better over time. It truly was a pure basement operation---just something to be able to stretch the disability benefits he was receiving and to get a reasonably priced wooden plug into the hands of the Canal guys.
Brad also tinkered with needlefish, darters and bottle swimmers. I have most of the ones he turned, as his semi-official field tester. Except for the needles, they were too time-intensive to produce and he didn't have the right tools to cut the lips of the bottles. I have the only two he ever turned, I think, and they're not very stable.
He also got some pre-turned bodies from Plugmakers' Supply to make some pan swimmers. I have one of the ones he finished a year or so before he died.
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