What is-

[justplugit]

the history on the Atom 40?
Thanks.

[thefishingfreak]

sumbody go poke grumpy

[Karl F]

A little light reading on the subject

http://shorelinebt.com/id11.html

But, you really need CS, VB, or Adam R, etc. to respond, I am sure they can be much more in depth about it

[justplugit]

Thanks Karl, i found a white plastic one while cleaning out the cellar and thought i had bought it in the mid 60s. Didn't know they switced to plastic as early as1948 sooo, i guess it is from the 60s. Also found my old Rumeer reel i bought around the same time.

Been awhile since i cleaned the cellar.

[vineyardblues]

Not me, Adam R and CS Fur shore
I like wood .lol

VB

[Nebe]

how old are the wood ones? I got one

[Flaptail]

while awaiting those guys, what little I know is that Bob Pond, as a young man loved to fish the canal. He decided that the plugs in use were not big enough ( he was right) and he started making the woodens in a trailer. I do not know if it was in Attleboro or somewhere else but Attleboro was his home base and eventually the company was based there. His plugs were some of the earliest wooden bass plugs made in Massachusetts, pre dating Gibbs and a few others. Either at the last leg of the war or just immediatly after. I know Stan told me Bob was making plugs to sell before him. The earliest wooden ones measured some eight inches long and were painted with simple Gold broken stripes over white wkth gold cheeks or Silver broken stripes over white with silver cheeks and a varnish coat. Then came combinations of silver/green gold/green etc. Plastic came in the late forties. Hard foam came in the mid fifties. You can find woodens at flea markets for 5.oo bucks in most any condition or freakbay has them and if the plug is clean with only the varnish darkened you can pay 100.00. Some P-40 plastic plugs have gone for over 200.00 but that is an anomaly caused by inexperienced collectors paying too much. Really rare color combos ( and there are a lot of them) can bring a 100.00 but that is and should be the top of the scale. The rarest wooden Atom known sports glass eyes and of course to Atom fans is the Holy Grail. I don't know if there are more than the one known to exist.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

while awaiting those guys, what little I know .

Ya right, what little ya know, i'd be happy with 1% of it.

Thanks Steve.

[capesams]

the only thing I can add is they[wood] were first made in "44" lips were hand cut and weren't truly maketed till "45".

Bob pond lived in a trailer in buzzards bay where he turned and sold some of his earlyer wood baits.

charlie sherer and bill chasen came up with the name[atom bomb] for Bob's bait's which turned into just atom.

the glass eyed wood was only made in "48"and very few of those were made, because they were switching over to plastic and they weren't about to put eye's on plastic.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
the [first born] plastic striper atom came in "49".

the stinky and eel skin came in "55"

wood atom jr's come in two sizes

atom# 51's[plastic] had paint and glitter

atom #52's have white bottom's and colored top's

atom# 54[plastic] some were cut to made two different size popper's////atom 54's also came in foam.

atom stinky's[40's] came with a brass screw plug in the rear end so one could put the juice inside for smell.

atom 40 also came with a salted eelskin already covering the entire plug.

atom kill lure//a flat clear fish shaped plug...only made for a year.

the list go's on and on, but as far as pricing go's...condition...color[bait]....common/rare....color of box..bag...etc...they can go from beater $3.00 to $300.00 and higher depending on the bait.As more people start to take up collecting, bait's become harder to find forcing price's up higher reguardless if you think their worth it or not..

[gone fishin]

Anyone have a reverse atom they want to part with??

[thefishingfreak]

Originally Posted by gonefishintalk

Anyone have a reverse atom they want to part with??

i got two

[Karl F]

little more light reading for you JPI...
http://www.atomlures.com/mission.htm

[Flaptail]

Steve, is the "stinky" plug the same as the Arnold Laine model?

[Backbeach Jake]

Couple of seasons ago I found an old plastic 40 on the beach. The swivels are completely rotted off. It's a purple swirl plastic with a stainless lip. The lip is stamped but I can't make out more than "FG CO.. and turned up at the edges. Any idea of it's age?

[capesams]

Arnold was fishing the race with his secrert sause and killing cows, bob adaped the a40 to accept the sauce..hence the stinky lure.a mess it did make too,,the plug's didn't last long on the market because of it.

One needs to look at the wire in a atom to tell it's age....brass came first to about the early seventies....sst from then on.Bob wasn't a fan of catologing his bait's, so info at time's is hard come across.He was interested in saving the bass then his plug's.

[numbskull]

A point of interest to you guys chasing AYC. The one time I met Bob Pond I asked him what wood he used for his wooden Atoms. As I recall he told me it was Port Oroford Cedar. This stuff is readily available at most lumber yards. You'll have to pick through it since it is all "new growth" lumber and full of knots, but with a little luck you can find usable wood. I just finished cutting an 8' clear 4x4 into 1.75" billets. I think it cost about 37 bucks (I also bought some clear 8/4 eastern pine which is nice for carving plugs, but pricey).

[capesams]

POC WAS my go to wood till shepley's / mid-cape stop carrying it cause if it didn't get nailed down fast it wood start to curl and twist..the yards had to much lumber that didn't get bought because of that,,but still rather use it over ayc.

[justplugit]

Geez, too bad none of you guys know anything about Atoms and Bob Pond.

Thanks.

[vineyardblues]

something interesting "truth or a fishermans punked" ????

The year 1946 printed 1947 by Bob Pond and inserted in his lures.

Bob Pond printed that the resluts of the Cape Cod Canal derby was as followed

1st place Joseph A Prada 36 pounds 1 oz on atom plug
2nd place Floyd Roman 32 pounds 10 oz on atom plug
3rd place tie ernest haskell on a squid and Stanley Gibbs on a atom
32lbs 8 oz


Truth or Punked?
Both Floyd Roman and Stan Gibbs were making lures

A little fun back then ...lol


VB

[Karl F]

I dunno VB ... Bob Andrews, (Captain Andy's Lures) did tell me tho, that unlike today, those lure manufacturers back then, were actually all friends, fished each others plugs, and got along ....

[vineyardblues]

Yup,
They were all friends , Stan and I talked about Floyd Roman and I am sure Bob was with them all the time. I just find it funny that they were fishing Bob's lures at a canal derby . I would bet it is a old joke between them
And after the derby

VB

[vineyardblues]

63 lb 4 oz canal fish on a gibbs lure
believed largest striper on rod and reel ever taken in mass 1955ish
Frank Machado


VB

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by vineyardblues

63 lb 4 oz canal fish on a gibbs lure
believed largest striper on rod and reel ever taken in mass 1955ish
Frank Machado


VB

Goose's grandfather?

[Flaptail]

Stan loved and used Creek Chubs as well.