Hall Of Fame

[JohnR]

With the passing of Stan Gibbs, a few people have contacted me online and offline about a Hall Of Fame of sorts for him and the handfull of others that might be appropriate.

OK - if we put together a HOF or Memorial Page, how would we want to do it. I can certainly think of a couple deserving people if it were a memorial page but a local scene HOF might not be a bad thing either, and you don't need to move onto the next world to be in.

H.O.F. might be the Stan Gibbs and the Bob Ponds and the Woolners and Murats of the world. How would we chose who is in ? What also gives some of us the credibility (thinking myself on this) to promote someone as a Hall Of Famer? All I am is a semi competent angler that happens to have some semi competant computer skills - hardly the qualifications necessary to elevate people to the H.O.F. What would make S-B, as an entity, an expert authority to do this? I ask this as though we can certainly have a HOF page, any true HOF page must have some platform of undeniable credibility to it.

Sure, picking a Gibbs or a Pond is easy and hard to argue with but there might be times when picking someone in the top 5% might still be someone on the margins of the Hall Of Fame. Charlie Cinto? Yeh, he's probably in but what about someone like Tim Coleman? In or Out? (Personally I think he's in). It's easy to say this guy or that guy but it can't be easy if it is too have any sense of credibility to it.

So, I'm looking for comments, opinions , and suggestions

[beachwalker]

sweet

i'll differ to the veterans here.

[capesams]

my .02 would be that they had to contribute to the public as awhole an just not someone who catches a few large..I know of aleast two other 73 #er's that were gotten that you will never hear of...it's got to be people that have give everything they know back to those who don't an just not the one's who take advantage of catching a few biggies to make a name for themselves or advertise someone else's plug, grear or product.
these true fisher people are far an few between.

[goosefish]

Most of the big names that have gone before us, that have contributed something very large to the sport of saltwater fishing would be nearly shoe-ins; but its the lesser know people, the local anglers that have given to the sport but on a smaller scale that would take more thought.

[STRIPER77]

Not really a veteran but Stan Gibbs and Frank Daignault should be the first two members and then we can take it(argue) from there. It's not whether you like them---it's how much influence they've had on the sport. In my opinion those are the top two.

[Slipknot]

10x10 too for memorial hall along with Brad.

I would say a vote is necessary to pick up to 3 per year maybe to start with. How's that? I agree that it would have to be guys that have given back to the sport of surf-fishing or fishing for striped bass, guys like Stetzko,Coleman even Crazy Al

[Crafty Angler]

Haven't seen one yet that I disagree with, but maybe the criterion should be guys (and gals) who have made positive contributions to the sport whether they are well-known or otherwise, and not just make it for those who have passed on. There are people out there who deserve the accolades while they're still around to enjoy 'em.

Perhaps another idea would be to have people contribute short stories or anecdotes in an archive about the Hall of Famers as they remember them.

Excellent idea!

[Mike P]

Arnold Lane probably didn't "give a lot back" to surf fishing, but if you had a HOF and he wasn't in it, it would be like Joe D not being in baseball's HOF.

Could you put in a #^&#^&#^&#^& Hathaway even if he got tossed from the MV Derby for cheating? It'd be like keeping Pete Rose out, I guess. Certainly, like Rose, he has the stats on paper.

Iron Mike has more 60s than most guys will ever have 50s but he's still a young guy. Does he go in right now or does he have to wait until he has some years on him?

Besides CA, some guys from my area you'd have to consider are Bill and Charlie Beckmann, Raplh Votto, Al Bentsen, Jack Yee, Paul Melnyck and Billy "the Greek" Legatis.

[Crafty Angler]

Sorry, counsellor, I've reread my own post several times just to be sure and it really wasn't my intention to suggest that anyone be excluded but rather recommend that we include the living as well.

As for Yee, Billy the Greek, Al Bentsen and Paul Melnyck, all of whose names I recognize, and the others with whom I am not familiar, of course. Hey, listen, all I know is what I read and I don't get off the Island a lot.

Iron Mike? Absolutely. Mike's a good friend of mine, he's accomplished a helluva a lot for a guy his age and there's another Islander much younger still who has all the potential in the world for all-star status, though that's yet to come. The Iron Man has certainly made a "positive contribution to the sport" by example in his dedication to surfcasting. The proof there is in the pudding.

Same goes for the other CA, too, Crazy Alberto whom I've had the pleasure of fishing with, if only too briefly. And I hope to take Alberto up on his offer to go trouting with him one of these days.

In conclusion, Mike, I'm hard put to find anything anywhere in my post to further suggest that consideration hinge on some sort of provincial restriction.

On the other hand, I do have to submit that any HOF worth a damn would also have to include the much-maligned #^&#^&#^&#^& Tremblay who is from this neck of the woods and known from the cold waters of Maine to the Jersey shore .

[beachwalker]

ahh put EVERYONE in there

from goofball to godlike

its all a laugh

keep it comin'

[theSURF121]

Here's a couple of other deserving individual's;
William A. (Doc) Muller
Frank Woolner
Fred Schwab
Fred Golofaro

[Crafty Angler]

Originally posted by theSURF121
Here's a couple of other deserving individual's;
William A. (Doc) Muller
Frank Woolner
Fred Schwab
Fred Golofaro

Yup, in that vein, also:

Jerry Sylvester
OHP Rodman
Frank Daignault

[Karl F]

Arnold Laine
Frank Woolner (his brothers too)
Jack & Kay Townsend
Both Tony Stetzko's
Charlie Murat
Stan Gibbs
Mac Reed
Bob Andrews

That is, if were voting

I'm sure once my coffee kicks in I will think of more..

CS, you have a good criteria there.. but, a lot of the real good surfcasters, as U know, were (are) like some clams... tough as hell to open up but thats what made 'em good.

[PNG]

Senator John H. Chafee

[bobG]

Two guys who had a big influence on my life were Paul Kukonen and Warren Taylor.
Paul owned a small tackle shop on Green Street Worcester for probably the better part of 40 years. He was sort of the "all/everything" when it came to the New England hunting and fishing scene.
Paul taught me to tie flies and wrap rods when I was in the sixth grade. Plus, who coulf forget he annual winter hunting and fishing movies each winter at the Little Theater in Worcester. I wish I'd save all his "hand-drawn" maps to all the hunting and fishing spots he sent me to over the years.

Warren Taylor was a guy I met in the late 60's while shad fishing on the Palmer River in Rehobeth Ma. He was the first guy I ever met who was a saltwater "fly-fishing" only guy. That was a pretty rare thing way back when. I was 15 years old then, so he probably didn't consider me much of a threat, so that's likely why he was free with the info. What I remember most was the saltwater flies! Up until then, all I'd ever seen was trout flies. When he started pulling out box after box of beautifully tied flies, my eyes must have popped out of my head!

[Jenn]

WHEW! sounds like a cool idea....but making the choices will be a hell of a task. Naturally the decisions will need to be so unbiased it would make your head spin. induct joe shmoe but 80% of fisherman cant stand his guts...youll have ridicule. Induct john doe because he's a hell of a fisherman (but also your best friend) you'll have ridicule!etc.etc.etc.

[BigFish]

Just my opinion.....this is a great idea! However, I would simply start off slow and small. Maybe with three names, they should be pioneers and innovators in the sport of fishing. There will be much debate, just as there has been already, but I think that a few names will stand out. Stan Gibbs, Frank Woolner, Bob Pond and Charlie Murat to name a few, there are many more. Maybe a ballot and vote system by the members here or a board made up of five members to decide. Something along those lines. Maybe add three people every six or twelve months and the HOF page would contain a bio of the persons life, some of their accomplishments and some of their contributions to the fishing community. Also a few nice photos. People could sign into the HOF Forum and learn about some of these people and maybe, if possible, the bio's could be written up by someone who actually knew the person. Just a thought, trying to help out. My .02 cents for what it is worth.

[Mike P]

I forgot another LI candidate, Jack Frech.

[Crafty Angler]

How 'bout categories - that would help. Sorta like the Nobel prize or Oscars of surfcasting, ya know - one for plug-builders, one for rods, one for surfcasters, one for conservationists, maybe subdivide it by states to avoid possible border skirmishes etc, etc. - that might help for a start.

I still like the idea of stories to go with the people, which would also acquaint us with those people who aren't as well known but certainly deserve the recognition.

So far, it's all good

[beachwalker]

Shang Wheeler
Lefty Kreh
Lou Tabory
Stetzcos
charlie moore
pond
gibbs
and a lot more

[Codfather]

Charlie Moore

[Flaptail]

Catching 60's, 70's or even bigger should not be a consideration. Some of the best there has ever been never caught a 50. Woolner didn't, Gibbs didn't, DePietro never did either. It's what they contributed as a whole rather than the singular event of catching a dream bass. Sure hard work and time on the water will get you a big one but don't forget the luck factor.

Woolner was the sage laureate of our sport. Gibbs the creator/innovator. DiPietro was the guy behind the counter giving the straight up as to where, when and how. How about Old Man Mac Reed, I learned more from him about the beach than anyone I ever met. Leo Perry of Cherry Valley Ma. who was directly responsible for the development of the Reverse Atom after fashioning a squid plug out of a mahogany dust brush handle on the beach and that spawned other squid plug imitations and who in one morning on the Canal in the fifties caught upwards of 40 BASS, 80% of which were over 30 pounds on a homade swimming plug of his.

There are countless others who made contributions but the better were always willing to share and developed certain techniques. There has to be parameters met that include a certain someone in the HOF not just the taking of a few big fish, they would have had to have had a direct inpact on the evolution of the sport. Just my two cents.

[BigFish]

If you do convene a sort of "panel" to oversee this HOF page, I nominate Flaptail to preside. He is the kind of person I was talking about to sit on such a panel. Someone with the knowledge and experience to share in such an undertaking.

Had a thought....maybe instead of a Hall Of Fame call it a "Forum Of Fame".

[Slipknot]

Carl Johanson

[beachwalker]

i gotta put a vote in for the shizzolater

eben that thing has me laughing everytime i am on da' inta-net

priceless

[TheRattBoy]

Not a bad idea as long as it just doesn't become a popularity contest, LOTSA "clicks" on these fishin' sites johnny "the Ratt Boy"

[Jenn]

I just think its going to be tough considering everyone has a different take on what it means to be a "great" fisherman.

[TheSpecialist]

What no nominations for Charlie Moore???

[beachwalker]

a couple of posts back there specialist.

you think i would leave the great Charlie Moore out of that

[Caffeine fisherman]

Ask what the final/end objective of the HOF would be; Appreciation of innovators and contributors that should not be forgotten. It would be a crying shame to see people say 10 years from now Stan who?

People that have contributed greatly to the sport and have either passed away or in retirement, should not be forgotten.

Bios of these people would be a great learning tool for the younger generations.

People that are still active, are still contributing and still have allot more to contribute. They should be in the HOF later in time.

Just my 2 pennies.