Johnny Habs Pictures and Stories

[RIROCKHOUND]

Met habs first at Capt. Don's a bunch of years back. Saw the red explorer around, so knew him w/o knowing him. I had a few non-habs plugs in my hands and he said "Why the hell are you buying that stuff?" Just for that, I liked him immediately, and was glad to know him when I ran into him at the shows or fishing over the last few years...

IMHO he revolutionized the plug making industry, with top quality components and finishes. Probably one of the first plugs you could buy w/o cutting off the hooks! T

[fishpoopoo]

one memory i can't help but keep thinking about...

we're all at one of the fishing shows (MSBA I think) and Habs is ribbing Mr. Aquaskinz ... "hey weewee, let's head on over to Kadir's felafel stand" (the Aquaskinz booth). he was funny that way.

[JeffH]

First thoughts and prayers to John's family.

I met John probably 15 years , as many did, fishing Quonny Breachway. I remember one particuliarly miserable night about 12 years ago with the wind blowing straight in at 25+ mph and the waves breaking up and over the hard side of Quonny keeping us 30-40 ft back on the jetty. Everyone had left as fishing was near impossible and it was only John and myself. We were talking about how bad the conditions were and I told him I was going to jig the end of the breachway because you couldn't cast anything else he decided to put on a bomber! I laughed at him and asked how he was going to cast that thing and then climbed down on the rocks to make a cast. I turned to see John make his first cast which went all of 20 ft out and come straight back at him and drop at his feet barely in the water. He puts 3 cranks on the reel and the rod doubles over and he's on! He managed to work the fish around to the inside and I jumped down and retrieved his fish, which turned out to be 45" 35+ lbs., we just stood there and laughed. He thanked me for helping him landed the fish and invited me back to his car where he gave me two prototype squid poppers that still hang in my basement unfished. Everytime I saw him I would just say I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

- Rest in peace John.

[eelman]

John in1989, I took this at watch hill Light, ...just an afternoon of fun fishing

[IMG][/IMG]

[eelman]

Originally Posted by JeffH

First thoughts and prayers to John's family.

I met John probably 15 years , as many did, fishing Quonny Breachway. I remember one particuliarly miserable night about 12 years ago with the wind blowing straight in at 25+ mph and the waves breaking up and over the hard side of Quonny keeping us 30-40 ft back on the jetty. Everyone had left as fishing was near impossible and it was only John and myself. We were talking about how bad the conditions were and I told him I was going to jig the end of the breachway because you couldn't cast anything else he decided to put on a bomber! I laughed at him and asked how he was going to cast that thing and then climbed down on the rocks to make a cast. I turned to see John make his first cast which went all of 20 ft out and come straight back at him and drop at his feet barely in the water. He puts 3 cranks on the reel and the rod doubles over and he's on! He managed to work the fish around to the inside and I jumped down and retrieved his fish, which turned out to be 45" 35+ lbs., we just stood there and laughed. He thanked me for helping him landed the fish and invited me back to his car where he gave me two prototype squid poppers that still hang in my basement unfished. Everytime I saw him I would just say I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

- Rest in peace John.

Boy Jeff, those years at that breachway were some of the best times in my life...we all had such a great time and the crew there was the best..

[Finaddict]

I don't know John as well as many or most of you, but I have to say that he was always the tops when it came to assisting with anything related to fishing, would always make himself available and always try to help out. A true gentleman.

Knowing how this impacts me with the little time I've got to know him, my support goes out to (his family of course), but also to all you guys who have known him for as long as you have, who called him a friend.

He will missed and my family sends our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

[Slipknot]

I think this was from that night at MSBA also




and it was my truck with the thumb, bassmaster was helping out as usual



I have so many stories I remember I can't type them all


How about the time in RI where fisheye took pictures of Habs and bassmaster under the hoopie like they were getting married
and before that Habs had a big mousetrap layed out next to his plugs
John really played into the bassmaster ho thing and played along with it even at the plugfests at my shop, swiping Dave's hanging plugs and getting Dave all worked up, the bottom pic is from the very first plugfest as he escapes with a bassmaster plug, the pic to the left was from RI earlier in the fall