This past Saturday was my 8th "Plugfest" get together. From it's humble beginnings at Slip's workshop to the event it is today is an amazing evolution to say the least.
That being said, my mind, which is always in a reflective mode it seems these days, causes me to state the following, which may not go over well with some people.
First let me say I am not a sore loser. I voted for Dave "Canalman"Anderson's Falase Albacore as best in show. It was a beautiful piece of work. Looking at it though, could it actually swim? I don't know and I should have asked Dave at the event.
Afterall this is (was) a plugbuilding competition. Because it looks like a lure and has hooks is only a small part of the the make up of a real plug.
The category I entered was the best representation of a classic or restoration thereof. My interpretation of that heading is that it comes as close to the original in shape, construction, hardware, paint, eyes, hook types, paint type etc as possible. It's left to the general attending audience to make that decision. My problem here is that at least 80% of those deciding have no idea what it should or should not look like. My own was 100% dead on. Right down to the antique german glass eyes, vintage hooks,wood type and exact color match and paint scheme. Unless you are a collector you wouldn't know. It should not be just a reasonable facsimile. Prof M's Fishmaster was absolutely perfect. I still cannot fathom that plug not winning. It was a lot of work, research and time getting it just as close to the original as possible
My point here is that the selecting should not be up to the attending public if in fact you are going to have a competition but to a panel of judges who know what a certain classification should represent and why the top award should go to a particular entry.
Plugs are built to catch fish, they shouild be able to do do what enables a lure needs to do to catch fish be it swim deeply, wiggle along the top or whatever but it should be a functioning lure that when tied to a line and cast stands a reasonable chance of attracting and getting a fish to hit it.
Numbskulls plugs are examples of the perfect art of lure building for fish catching sake as are Prof M's, Chumbuckets, Tagger and PNG.
If you are going to have a competition at future Plugfest events then there should be a panel of judges who cannot enter the competition.
I for one would be happy to volunteer.
Also, and I know it was a space issue this year, but there should be a section strictly for collectors of vintage and antique lures like VB, AdamR, BiteMe and others so that those attending can learn about the plugmakers history when it comes to Striped Bass fishing.
I mean no disparagement of anykind but I felt I had to post this.
In that same vein.....define "perfect art of lure building for fish catching sake"? Just to clarify? Each of us has a different thought process when we build our plugs. First and foremost.....I build BigFish plugs with great action.....that is my priority! After I have achieved the desired action...then it is fun time and I like to paint my lures with a certain degree of realism and just a little creativity! I believe fish hit the action of a plug above all else and the paint I also believe is 80% for the fisherman......but a realistic/attractive lure also instills confidence in the person fishing it and that is also a goal. Do I need gill slits? Beveled eye sockets? Eyes at all??? Fancy joints? Scaled paint schemes?? Probably not but that is what drives me to build...the creative process at its best......and maybe....to do something different than anyone else.
PlugFest is supposed to represent many things I think! Creativity, catchability, the sharing of ideas and theory....and most of all a bond between us all. Not to mention the pure enjoyment of all of those things. Some do spectacular work, others are brand new to it and there is a spectrum of talent in between one and the other. I try not to take much of it too seriously....I just try to have fun with all of it.
In that same vein.....define "perfect art of lure building for fish catching sake"? Just to clarify? Each of us has a different thought process when we build our plugs. First and foremost.....I build BigFish plugs with great action.....that is my priority! After I have achieved the desired action...then it is fun time and I like to paint my lures with a certain degree of realism and just a little creativity! I believe fish hit the action of a plug above all else and the paint I also believe is 80% for the fisherman......but a realistic/attractive lure also instills confidence in the person fishing it and that is also a goal. Do I need gill slits? Beveled eye sockets? Eyes at all??? Fancy joints? Scaled paint schemes?? Probably not but that is what drives me to build...the creative process at its best......and maybe....to do something different than anyone else.
PlugFest is supposed to represent many things I think! Creativity, catchability, the sharing of ideas and theory....and most of all a bond between us all. Not to mention the pure enjoyment of all of those things. Some do spectacular work, others are brand new to it and there is a spectrum of talent in between one and the other. I try not to take much of it too seriously....I just try to have fun with all of it.
Larry, your actually are made to catch fish, they are "lures". Real honest to God fish catching lures. Sure you can have scale paint etc, I love that kind of stuff but they are first and foremost fish catchers. If I took one of yours to the beach it would do what it is supposed to do. Thats my point.
I just think there are many degrees of ability under one roof or in the plug building genre' (hate that word) and all can not be perfect. I think we all WANT to catch fish on the lures we build and some may work better than others. Enjoyment is the key word though. I think the PlugFest contest is cool in that people "strut their stuff" a little bit! They have an opportunity to put their absolutely mAd SkILLz to work as in the case in point Dave's lure.....always just amazing work......maybe it swims, maybe it doesn't......but damn its fun to look at!
They have an opportunity to put their absolutely mAd SkILLz to work as in the case in point Dave's lure.....always just amazing work......maybe it swims, maybe it doesn't......but damn its fun to look at!
exactly ... lets not loose that ..everyones online ? don't you bums work ? ..
ooohhh .. look at the company you put me in ... total humility here .. No sour grapes here either .. I didn't enter only because of the time involved in building something really special . I think you raise a very valid point . example . At first glance ,to the unfamilar eye the Proffesors "Bass Aqua" has to be one of the ugliest plugs to ever grace the planet . It looks more like a bug than a baitfish.. To the collector/classic builder it looks like Pamela Lee in a thong and pasties. Paul's plug had a snowballs chance in hell as far as winning an award but among his peers he is king . Your right ... We need a seperate catergory (Classic)to be judged like American Idol .. 3 judges in chambers to judge.. guys like you ,numby,peter,steve.chum,ect. bring the ccb book others .. "Classic" should be top honors right up there with best in show .. You enter a plug you can't judge .. Next year you want to enter .. another judge . I agree .. Hate to see a fantastic hand carve and a perfect replica on the same table ..
Contests??? I can do without them as they tend to bring out the worst in people as in fishing contests. I say do away with the contest portion of the agenda. I did not enter as to be honest.....I do not need to win an award to feel good about the things I build.....as in fishing it is all about the experience anyway!
Contests??? I can do without them as they tend to bring out the worst in people as in fishing contests. I say do away with the contest portion of the agenda. I did not enter as to be honest.....I do not need to win an award to feel good about the things I build.....as in fishing it is all about the experience anyway!
Validation can be a wonderful thing especially from your peers but one must keep things in perspective and first and foremost one needs to be enjoying building plugs and not worry what others think. It is fabulous to hear your "stuff" looks great but better to hear how someone caught a PB on one of your lures......thats the vaildation I enjoy most and why I make plugs.
Contests??? I can do without them as they tend to bring out the worst in people as in fishing contests. I say do away with the contest portion of the agenda.
NOoooo .. !! I like the contest ,, ..Even though I havn't entered last 2 or 3 years .. I like to see the plugs ..People that go the extra effort all appreciated .. I myself, like you have no "competitive juices".. I think the plugs are great .. If tweaking plugfest ,, don't tweak this out .
Paul's plug had a snowballs chance in hell as far as winning an award but among his peers he is king
Thank you Ed. I Knew I probably had no chance of winning as the beauty of that plug would go undetected but it really didn't matter to me. I did it for me and to see who was paying attention. The people who's opinion matter most to me were very flattering and I am very comfortable with that. What else could you ask for? I am not a big competition guy. Don't get me wrong as I am as competitive as anyone but prefer to compete with myself, mostly. I am sure Dave put in as much time as I did and he is a very very worthy recipient of the annual Canalman plug award, as it has become, and rightly so. I do this to have FUN and any so called awards are really of minor interest to me. I like the push it gives me to try something challenging. Guys liked the plug and that is all I care about. Winning was not my goal but it got some interest and ink about the old plugs and that is great. Do we need different category's? probably but since I don't care who wins I will leave that up to those that do. Thanks again for all the good will. I am truly flattered.
"A beach is a place where a man can feel he's the only soul in the world that's real"
Professor....I bet when you compete against yourself that you win most of the time! Its all good kids......Flaps post is food for thought though and I understand exactly what he is saying.
Thank you Ed. I Knew I probably had no chance of winning as the beauty of that plug would go undetected but it really didn't matter to me. I did it for me and to see who was paying attention. The people who's opinion matter most to me were very flattering and I am very comfortable with that. What else could you ask for? I am not a big competition guy. Don't get me wrong as I am as competitive as anyone but prefer to compete with myself, mostly. I am sure Dave put in as much time as I did and he is a very very worthy recipient of the annual Canalman plug award, as it has become, and rightly so. I do this to have FUN and any so called awards are really of minor interest to me. I like the push it gives me to try something challenging. Guys liked the plug and that is all I care about. Winning was not my goal but it got some interest and ink about the old plugs and that is great. Do we need different category's? probably but since I don't care who wins I will leave that up to those that do. Thanks again for all the good will. I am truly flattered.
I should have slipped that plug into my pocket when I had my hands on it......and I let it slip away....Like flap gums said,,big problem putting "classics" on the same table with reg. stuff....that and the fact..""I'll say it outloud"" I know that better then half the guys there wouldn't know what a real vintage plug looks like....things need to be placed on different tables with a sign saying as to" in this corner we have" bla.bla...and the maker would have to say which section it goes in before it's unvailing .....if the contest is to continue.
First let me say I am not a sore loser. I voted for Dave "Canalman"Anderson's Falase Albacore as best in show. It was a beautiful piece of work. Looking at it though, could it actually swim? I don't know and I should have asked Dave at the event.
It swims. I test all of my entries before I submit them.
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What Flaptail suggest sounds very reasonable. Perhaps we might even be able to get a celebrity judge to come to the event. But I think public input is very important also.
So maybe the judge panel decides on categories like best classic, rookie builder, and what ever and the public can vote on things like best wall hanger, most likely to catch a cow on first cast, coolest plug(maybe a new category?) , etc.
And plugs entered in panel judging categories should not be excluded from the open public voting categories. You could do this by putting all plugs on a table not divided into any categories. The judges would get ballots that identify the tag number of the plug entered into the special categories. The public just gets ballots that have them pick best wall hanger, coolest plug, etc. from the entire pool of plugs.
Just an idea that lends a critical eye to the detail stuff but also keeps the public involved.
Thanks for taking me fishing Grandpa!
SCP - Stephen's Custom Plugs .... (Not a company - just a mindset!)
Location: Reading Mass/Newburyport/merrimack river
Posts: 3,740
I didnt make the "show" this year but would like to add my .02....
I like the plug building competition, it brings out the best in all that participate... for me, it's not about winning or even having a chance to win, it's about seeing what each participant views as his (or hers) best work.. and that's what it's all about... and I agrre, thye should be made to catch fish...
If I see a plug that I am unfamilure with, I examine that sucker upside down and backward too, I try to see the reason the builder did what they did.. as I'm sure there was a reason for the way they did it... odd things , especialy things i dont fully understand intriuge the hell out of me... I sure wish I got to fondel that plug Paul made...
as far as the Judging, yes maybe there could be a slight change in how it's done, but as I've said before... I just lLOVE looking at the body of work as a whole....
I didnt make the "show" this year but would like to add my .02....
I like the plug building competition, it brings out the best in all that participate... for me, it's not about winning or even having a chance to win, it's about seeing what each participant views as his (or hers) best work.. and that's what it's all about... and I agrre, thye should be made to catch fish...
If I see a plug that I am unfamilure with, I examine that sucker upside down and backward too, I try to see the reason the builder did what they did.. as I'm sure there was a reason for the way they did it... odd things , especialy things i dont fully understand intriuge the hell out of me... I sure wish I got to fondel that plug Paul made...
as far as the Judging, yes maybe there could be a slight change in how it's done, but as I've said before... I just lLOVE looking at the body of work as a whole....
And Joe you were sorely missed this year. Many people asked if you were coming and I especially was dissapointed you were not there.
Maybe somebody already said this or this is how it's done. It's too far for me to go if I can't fish too. How about a ticket that you get at the door, it's a raffle for xxxxx and you write on the back your pick for best in show, sort of like best in show at a dog show, car show etc.
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I thought those were 2 separate and different categories. I was hoping to be in the representation of a classic. Who knows. I think Mr. flapgums , as CS calls him, won for best restoration of a classic a few times.
"A beach is a place where a man can feel he's the only soul in the world that's real"
Plugfest reflection
Each of us has a different thought process when we build our plugs. First and foremost.....I build BigFish plugs with great action.....that is my priority! After I have achieved the desired action...then it is fun time and I like to paint my lures with a certain degree of realism and just a little creativity! I believe fish hit the action of a plug above all else and the paint I also believe is 80% for the fisherman......but a realistic/attractive lure also instills confidence in the person fishing it and that is also a goal. Do I need gill slits? Beveled eye sockets? Eyes at all??? Fancy joints? Scaled paint schemes?? Probably not but that is what drives me to build...the creative process at its best......and maybe....to do something different than anyone else.
Its all good kids......Flaps post is food for thought though and I understand exactly what he is saying.
..Like flap gums said,,big problem putting "classics" on the same table with reg. stuff....that and the fact..""I'll say it outloud"" I know that better then half the guys there wouldn't know what a real vintage plug looks like....things need to be placed on different tables with a sign saying as to" in this corner we have" bla.bla...and the maker would have to say which section it goes in before it's unvailing .....if the contest is to continue.
, as CS calls him, won for best restoration of a classic a few times.
Hybrid Mode
