Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe
True. No more orders from guys who work for Lehman Brothers and don't care what the total is.
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Yeah, the bubble has burst and the party is pretty much over. Looks like prices have stabilized and are actually beginning to drop a little. Like the man said, it's the economy, stupid.
To me it seems that there were three types of guys who were driving the plug market.
First there are the guys who appreciate the craftsmanship and skill of the plugmakers past and present. It really is an art form, much like carved duck decoys and I think there are those particular 'boutique' builders whose work will pretty much hold it's value. With the downturn it may drop a little but they will always have some worth from that perspective.
I always used to marvel watching Habs, the amount of time and care he took to produce his plugs. He loved what he did, he was proud of it and it showed. I never thought the hard work he put into his plugs then was reflected in the price he charged for them. If Habs could see what they fetch today, I think he'd just shake his head and laugh - but without a doubt he also would have been proud that people thought so much of them. For people who actually fish them - which includes me - they put fish on the beach like few others. And now it appears the same is true of John Jr. who has picked up where his Dad left off - it's that same level of committment and hard work.
Then there are the guys who swap them like commodities traders and they create their own market. Although it's increased somewhat, I don't see it as often here at S-B, but on some of the other sites it's a circus, largely driven by kids - oops, kids to
me, anyway - who flip them like baseball cards, make a couple of bucks and then buy some more. It doesn't seem to me that they fish them, if at all, or intend to. I seriously doubt you'd find them in their bag if they have one. Also included in that group are perhaps older guys who don't have the chance to fish as much living away from the coast and maybe looking to buy a little extra mojo to up their odds.
The last group are the trust fund kids and broker types who have 'discovered' surf-casting, having moved on from windsurfing, which is now passe, or perhaps high-end fly-fishing. They're fairly easy to spot, with high-end reels in 'steal me' gold, all the accoutrements money can buy and the Brahman attitude to go with it. A lot of them will eventually get bored with it and move on to the next big thing, or suddenly find they have to divest themselves of some of this stuff now that the bubble has burst. A few may be able to duck and cover. Having dealt with
that particular group in Newport all my life, I see very few in that last category, regardless of what they may think.
So...uhhh...what's the point?
Point is, it doesn't matter - whatever floats your boat.
Years ago I ran into Seldom Brown, an older gentleman in his late 70's at the time, who once fished with bamboo surf-rods and 12 thread linen line on a thumb-stall reel. He had also been a machinist and made his own molds for the tin squids he poured and fished with. I still have a couple of them today.
We were standing in the lot overlooking Graves Point on the Drive talking about the pick that morning and watching a fly-fisherman flail away into a head wind with little success and I commented on how unlikely he was to do anything at that point.
You know, Mr Brown told me, for him it doesn't really matter whether he catches or not. He spent all winter tying his flies, getting everything just right and thinking about today to pass his time just like we do. It's all about the
anticipation. And if that's what helps him pass his time, there's nothing wrong with it.
Smart man.
Hybrid Mode
