Gear

Collecting antique fishing tackle

If you're a fisherman, you're likely a collector, too. Here are some tips on how you can take tackle collecting to the next level.

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<p>If you're a fisherman, you're likely a collector, too. Maybe you collect crankbaits that have worked for you in local tournaments or plastic worms that always seem to catch 'em in the summer on your favorite reservoir. It might seem like a pile of miscellaneous debris to your significant other, but, to the discerning eye of a fellow angler, it's a collection ... of sorts. Here then are some people —and some collections —that have taken it to the next level and some tips on how you can do the same.</p>
If you’re a fisherman, you’re likely a collector, too. Maybe you collect crankbaits that have worked for you in local tournaments or plastic worms that always seem to catch ’em in the summer on your favorite reservoir. It might seem like a pile of miscellaneous debris to your significant other, but, to the discerning eye of a fellow angler, it’s a collection … of sorts. Here then are some people —and some collections —that have taken it to the next level and some tips on how you can do the same.
<p>One of the great things about bass fishing and fishing generally is that it's more than a sport. It's also a hobby, a pastime, a culture and a lifestyle. It's something you can enjoy even when you're not on the water — even when you can't see any water. One of the most fascinating niches of fishing is collecting and appreciating antique and collectible fishing gear. It's just one more way to immerse yourself in the world of bass fishing, meet some wonderful people, learn something and enrich your life.</p>
One of the great things about bass fishing and fishing generally is that it’s more than a sport. It’s also a hobby, a pastime, a culture and a lifestyle. It’s something you can enjoy even when you’re not on the water — even when you can’t see any water. One of the most fascinating niches of fishing is collecting and appreciating antique and collectible fishing gear. It’s just one more way to immerse yourself in the world of bass fishing, meet some wonderful people, learn something and enrich your life.
<p>Every year in Daytona Beach, the Florida Antique Tackle Collectors (FATC) host the Florida International Tackle Show. It's the second largest of its kind in the country and it attracts antique and novelty collectors from around the country and the world. Only the National Fishing Lures Collectors Club national show is bigger. That show will be in Kansas City in July.</p>
Every year in Daytona Beach, the Florida Antique Tackle Collectors (FATC) host the Florida International Tackle Show. It’s the second largest of its kind in the country and it attracts antique and novelty collectors from around the country and the world. Only the National Fishing Lures Collectors Club national show is bigger. That show will be in Kansas City in July.
<p> </p> <p>Part of what makes the FATC show so big and important is that collectors of widely varying interests attend. There are fly tackle collectors, salt water gear collectors, ice fishing collectors and more. Those who collect gear that was designed for bass — or at least suitable for them — far outnumber the others. These collectors gather to display their treasures, meet with their friends and fellow collectors, trade items or maybe even sell a few things. Camaraderie is the norm, but there's a definite undercurrent of good natured one-upmanship as each collector hopes to out-display, out-discover, out-bid and generally out-collect his or her peers.</p>
 
Part of what makes the FATC show so big and important is that collectors of widely varying interests attend. There are fly tackle collectors, salt water gear collectors, ice fishing collectors and more. Those who collect gear that was designed for bass — or at least suitable for them — far outnumber the others. These collectors gather to display their treasures, meet with their friends and fellow collectors, trade items or maybe even sell a few things. Camaraderie is the norm, but there’s a definite undercurrent of good natured one-upmanship as each collector hopes to out-display, out-discover, out-bid and generally out-collect his or her peers.
<p>Jim Pitt of Mineola, Fla., holds a Creek Chub Bait Company Gar Lure that's valued at better than $1,000 if new in the box (NIB). Creek Chub made the bait that caught George Perry's world record largemouth in 1932 (the Fintail Shiner) and the bait that would have held the record before that (Fritz Friebel's 20-15 came on a Pikie Minnow), had records been kept then.</p>
Jim Pitt of Mineola, Fla., holds a Creek Chub Bait Company Gar Lure that’s valued at better than $1,000 if new in the box (NIB). Creek Chub made the bait that caught George Perry’s world record largemouth in 1932 (the Fintail Shiner) and the bait that would have held the record before that (Fritz Friebel’s 20-15 came on a Pikie Minnow), had records been kept then.
<p>Here's the Creek Chub Fintail Shiner in the color Perry allegedly used to catch his record bass. There were two versions. One had rubber fins and the other had metal fins. As you might expect, the rubber fins didn't hold up well over the decades. This bait is from the author's "collection."</p>
Here’s the Creek Chub Fintail Shiner in the color Perry allegedly used to catch his record bass. There were two versions. One had rubber fins and the other had metal fins. As you might expect, the rubber fins didn’t hold up well over the decades. This bait is from the author’s “collection.”
<p>Gary Simpson poses with a Heddon Spindiver made in the 1920s that's valued at around $1,000. He recommends that aspiring collectors start with what speaks to them. "If you like it and it makes you smile, you can't go wrong. Too many people worry about what has the biggest monetary value; that's not always what you're going to enjoy the most."</p>
Gary Simpson poses with a Heddon Spindiver made in the 1920s that’s valued at around $1,000. He recommends that aspiring collectors start with what speaks to them. “If you like it and it makes you smile, you can’t go wrong. Too many people worry about what has the biggest monetary value; that’s not always what you’re going to enjoy the most.”
<p>If you're a fisherman who also likes football, who could resist a Brett Favre lure or Green Bay Packer cheesehead tackle? There's something for every aspiring collector, if you just look around a little and let your imagination take over.</p>
If you’re a fisherman who also likes football, who could resist a Brett Favre lure or Green Bay Packer cheesehead tackle? There’s something for every aspiring collector, if you just look around a little and let your imagination take over.
<p>If football's not your thing, maybe your tackle theme could be ... yellow! That's all I see holding this exhibit together, but it looks good in the case and it obviously has meaning to the collector.</p>
If football’s not your thing, maybe your tackle theme could be … yellow! That’s all I see holding this exhibit together, but it looks good in the case and it obviously has meaning to the collector.
<p>Speaking of cases, they can make any collection look a lot better, a lot more serious and a lot more valuable. This is Arthur Edwards of Springfield, Ga. He and his wife Karen make a lot of the cases that collector's use to display their treasures. You can contact them at artnkar@planters.net. These cases are not only for display at home and on the road, but they're traveling cases, too. They offer standards sizes, but also make cases to order with your choice of fabric color backing. </p>
Speaking of cases, they can make any collection look a lot better, a lot more serious and a lot more valuable. This is Arthur Edwards of Springfield, Ga. He and his wife Karen make a lot of the cases that collector’s use to display their treasures. You can contact them at artnkar@planters.net. These cases are not only for display at home and on the road, but they’re traveling cases, too. They offer standards sizes, but also make cases to order with your choice of fabric color backing. 
<p>Some designs never go out of style, like these B.A.S.S. patches, stickers and belt buckle.</p>
Some designs never go out of style, like these B.A.S.S. patches, stickers and belt buckle.
<p>Ed Weston is the president of the FATC and he's holding a Jim Bagley Bait Company Meer Kat worth about $1,000. It was the last bait that the late Jim Bagley worked on before selling the company that bore his name. Weston recommends that beginners pick up a copy of <em>Old Fishing Lures and Tackle</em> by Carl F. Luckey. "The more you know, the more you appreciate the hobby and the better you can evaluate any deal."</p>
Ed Weston is the president of the FATC and he’s holding a Jim Bagley Bait Company Meer Kat worth about $1,000. It was the last bait that the late Jim Bagley worked on before selling the company that bore his name. Weston recommends that beginners pick up a copy of Old Fishing Lures and Tackle by Carl F. Luckey. “The more you know, the more you appreciate the hobby and the better you can evaluate any deal.”
<p>Remember that condition is everything when you're talking about collectibles. Just because something is old doesn't mean it's rare or valuable, but something doesn't have to be rare or priceless to have meaning to you. Whatever you collect, though, the better condition it's in, the better your collection and the more financial value it will have to others.</p>
Remember that condition is everything when you’re talking about collectibles. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s rare or valuable, but something doesn’t have to be rare or priceless to have meaning to you. Whatever you collect, though, the better condition it’s in, the better your collection and the more financial value it will have to others.
<p>Speaking of Bagley baits (which we were just a few slides back), Johnny Garland of Johnson City, Tenn., wrote the book on them ... quite literally. Garland knew Jim Bagley personally and made the cover of his <em>Bagley's Collectors Guide</em> (whitefishpress.com) orange because it was Bagley's favorite color. He's seen here with one of Jim's most famous designs, the Bang-O-Lure. This one is from the 1980s, when Jim still owned the company, and is worth $20-25. Garland likes American-made baits for his collections, saying that good finishes on baits are timeless and help them maintain their value.</p>
Speaking of Bagley baits (which we were just a few slides back), Johnny Garland of Johnson City, Tenn., wrote the book on them … quite literally. Garland knew Jim Bagley personally and made the cover of his Bagley’s Collectors Guide (whitefishpress.com) orange because it was Bagley’s favorite color. He’s seen here with one of Jim’s most famous designs, the Bang-O-Lure. This one is from the 1980s, when Jim still owned the company, and is worth $20-25. Garland likes American-made baits for his collections, saying that good finishes on baits are timeless and help them maintain their value.
<p> </p> <p>It's not all about lures for antique tackle collectors. For Dick Braun, it's all about Zebco. Here he's posing with a Zebco 864 made between 1962 and 1967 that's valued at between $50 and $70. It goes for $100-125 with the original box and instructions.</p>
 
It’s not all about lures for antique tackle collectors. For Dick Braun, it’s all about Zebco. Here he’s posing with a Zebco 864 made between 1962 and 1967 that’s valued at between $50 and $70. It goes for $100-125 with the original box and instructions.
<p>Braun is known among antique tackle collectors as "That Zebco Guy." His advice to beginners is to buy the best example of your desired item (whatever it might be) that you can afford. "Study and learn all you can before you buy, and try to find a mentor who can show you the ropes."</p>
Braun is known among antique tackle collectors as “That Zebco Guy.” His advice to beginners is to buy the best example of your desired item (whatever it might be) that you can afford. “Study and learn all you can before you buy, and try to find a mentor who can show you the ropes.”
<p>For Braun and lots of other collectors, eBay offers a wealth of information. Once you've targeted your eBay search and identified your desired prize, have it narrow the search by completed auctions or by highest prices first so you can get an idea of how rare the items might be and what they sell for on the open market. According to Braun and other collectors, eBay has helped to unearth lots of old treasures over the years.</p>
For Braun and lots of other collectors, eBay offers a wealth of information. Once you’ve targeted your eBay search and identified your desired prize, have it narrow the search by completed auctions or by highest prices first so you can get an idea of how rare the items might be and what they sell for on the open market. According to Braun and other collectors, eBay has helped to unearth lots of old treasures over the years.
<p>One of the first things you'll learn about antique tackle collecting is that the boxes and any original literature that came with them are often worth as much or more as the products they held and described. They're more rare. Anglers took care of the gear, but typically discarded the boxes and paperwork.</p>
One of the first things you’ll learn about antique tackle collecting is that the boxes and any original literature that came with them are often worth as much or more as the products they held and described. They’re more rare. Anglers took care of the gear, but typically discarded the boxes and paperwork.
<p>Of course, if you can find an old bait or reel still in the box and never used, you just might have hit the mother lode. Among collectors, a couple of important acronyms are "NOS" (new old stock) and "MIB" (mint in box).</p>
Of course, if you can find an old bait or reel still in the box and never used, you just might have hit the mother lode. Among collectors, a couple of important acronyms are “NOS” (new old stock) and “MIB” (mint in box).
<p>Bill Stuart is the foremost collector of Florida-made baits, including these three lures designed and made by Florida legend William F. Eger. They are (left to right) the Grass Frog, Fish Hawg and Florida Special (with no eye treatment). The baits are valued at $750, $500 and $1,000 respectively. They have meaning for Stuart because all were designed and made in Stuart's hometown of Bartow, Fla. He recommends that you attend your first show "without your wallet. Look around, find what appeals to you and go from there."</p>
Bill Stuart is the foremost collector of Florida-made baits, including these three lures designed and made by Florida legend William F. Eger. They are (left to right) the Grass Frog, Fish Hawg and Florida Special (with no eye treatment). The baits are valued at $750, $500 and $1,000 respectively. They have meaning for Stuart because all were designed and made in Stuart’s hometown of Bartow, Fla. He recommends that you attend your first show “without your wallet. Look around, find what appeals to you and go from there.”
<p>Heddon was one of the earliest names in American fishing lures, and it's the brand that Mark W. Hostetler collects. Here he is with a Heddon "High-Forehead" 175 Heavy Casting Minnow "177" with a wood box. James Heddon was the first to patent a wooden bait or "plug" in the U.S. back in 1902. Hostetler recommends buying the best item you can afford to ensure that its value holds up over time.</p>
Heddon was one of the earliest names in American fishing lures, and it’s the brand that Mark W. Hostetler collects. Here he is with a Heddon “High-Forehead” 175 Heavy Casting Minnow “177” with a wood box. James Heddon was the first to patent a wooden bait or “plug” in the U.S. back in 1902. Hostetler recommends buying the best item you can afford to ensure that its value holds up over time.
<p>Hostetler's Heddon collection stretched across numerous tables at the Daytona Beach show ... and those are just the baits he brought to display this year! If you get into collecting at this level, it's all but impossible to bring everything. Instead, you bring what you want to show, want to sell or want to trade.</p>
Hostetler’s Heddon collection stretched across numerous tables at the Daytona Beach show … and those are just the baits he brought to display this year! If you get into collecting at this level, it’s all but impossible to bring everything. Instead, you bring what you want to show, want to sell or want to trade.
<p>For major manufacturers like Heddon and Creek Chub, there are books to assist collectors in determining what they have, what they might want and what it's all worth. If Heddon is your brand of choice, you'll need to pick up <em>The Heddon Legacy: A Century of Classic Lures</em> by Bill Roberts and Rob Pavey. And be sure to check out Pavey's website (mrlurebox.com). He's one of the foremost collectors of lure boxes in the world.</p>
For major manufacturers like Heddon and Creek Chub, there are books to assist collectors in determining what they have, what they might want and what it’s all worth. If Heddon is your brand of choice, you’ll need to pick up The Heddon Legacy: A Century of Classic Lures by Bill Roberts and Rob Pavey. And be sure to check out Pavey’s website (mrlurebox.com). He’s one of the foremost collectors of lure boxes in the world.
<p>Craig Comjean of Acton, Mass., has one of the finest collections of Bagley baits in the world. He's especially proud of the lures he owns that came out of Jim Bagley's personal tacklebox. The bait he's holding is a 2-inch uncatalogued Deep Diving Hustle Bug in an uncatalogued color. It's a prototype that's ready for production, but never quite got to the production stage.</p>
Craig Comjean of Acton, Mass., has one of the finest collections of Bagley baits in the world. He’s especially proud of the lures he owns that came out of Jim Bagley’s personal tacklebox. The bait he’s holding is a 2-inch uncatalogued Deep Diving Hustle Bug in an uncatalogued color. It’s a prototype that’s ready for production, but never quite got to the production stage.
<p>Comjean recommends that beginning collectors "start with baits or tackle they're familiar with rather than something exotic." He was a tournament angler with dozens of Bagley baits when he decided to start collecting in 2002.</p>
Comjean recommends that beginning collectors “start with baits or tackle they’re familiar with rather than something exotic.” He was a tournament angler with dozens of Bagley baits when he decided to start collecting in 2002.
<p>If you think Florida tackle collectors love Bagley lures, you're right. That's because the baits are legendary in the fishing community, but also partly because they were made in Central Florida. Antique collectors often focus on products made in their area because they're usually easier to find.</p>
If you think Florida tackle collectors love Bagley lures, you’re right. That’s because the baits are legendary in the fishing community, but also partly because they were made in Central Florida. Antique collectors often focus on products made in their area because they’re usually easier to find.
<p>Jim Bagley's widow, Vera (his fifth and last wife), was at the Daytona Beach show selling and signing her book about her late husband, <em>Bagley Tale</em>.</p>
Jim Bagley’s widow, Vera (his fifth and last wife), was at the Daytona Beach show selling and signing her book about her late husband, Bagley Tale.
<p>Along with Vera's book, here's a signed Bagley DB3 and a jar of Bagley's earliest fishing product, some pork rind from 1954. Autographs usually enhance a product's value ... but not always. Be careful what you get signed.</p>
Along with Vera’s book, here’s a signed Bagley DB3 and a jar of Bagley’s earliest fishing product, some pork rind from 1954. Autographs usually enhance a product’s value … but not always. Be careful what you get signed.
<p>In addition to those who collect antique tackle, there are others who create contemporary tackle that's eminently collectible. Scott Morgan of Jupiter, Fla., is one of those people. His creations are works of art that started improbably enough as road kill. Here he poses with his Sure Thing Shiner, a painted bait. His other creations are more novel and each is truly unique.</p>
In addition to those who collect antique tackle, there are others who create contemporary tackle that’s eminently collectible. Scott Morgan of Jupiter, Fla., is one of those people. His creations are works of art that started improbably enough as road kill. Here he poses with his Sure Thing Shiner, a painted bait. His other creations are more novel and each is truly unique.
<p>Morgan's notoriety in the collecting field is due largely to his work with snake and frog skins. His lures have finishes like nothing you've ever seen before because each is unique. This is his Snakeskin Torpedo with a copperhead skin finish. The skin once clothed an actual poisonous snake!</p>
Morgan’s notoriety in the collecting field is due largely to his work with snake and frog skins. His lures have finishes like nothing you’ve ever seen before because each is unique. This is his Snakeskin Torpedo with a copperhead skin finish. The skin once clothed an actual poisonous snake!
<p>Here's a Baby Snakeskin Torpedo. In this case, the skin came from Florida's most poisonous serpent, a coral snake. Morgan scans the roads during his travels, looking for snakes that have been run over by vehicles. He only builds 200-300 baits per year and often trades them for antique Florida lures. He's been making his unique creations since 1992.</p>
Here’s a Baby Snakeskin Torpedo. In this case, the skin came from Florida’s most poisonous serpent, a coral snake. Morgan scans the roads during his travels, looking for snakes that have been run over by vehicles. He only builds 200-300 baits per year and often trades them for antique Florida lures. He’s been making his unique creations since 1992.
<p> </p> <p>This is no snake skin; it's a Frogskin Shiner made with real frog skin. Morgan's advice to aspiring collectors is to stick with one thing or theme. "Otherwise, you could end up with just a pile of miscellaneous stuff!"</p>
 
This is no snake skin; it’s a Frogskin Shiner made with real frog skin. Morgan’s advice to aspiring collectors is to stick with one thing or theme. “Otherwise, you could end up with just a pile of miscellaneous stuff!”
<p>If you don't think fishing lures can be art, you haven't looked at very many, and you definitely haven't seen the work of the late Lloyd Jett of Quincy, Fla. Jett died a couple of years ago, but his wife Sally still loves going to the FATC shows, spending time with friends and showing her husband's work, which brings folk art to the world of fishing. Lloyd's mother, Clara Belle, was once the artist laureate of the State of Florida and was renowned for her portraits of Florida governors.</p>
If you don’t think fishing lures can be art, you haven’t looked at very many, and you definitely haven’t seen the work of the late Lloyd Jett of Quincy, Fla. Jett died a couple of years ago, but his wife Sally still loves going to the FATC shows, spending time with friends and showing her husband’s work, which brings folk art to the world of fishing. Lloyd’s mother, Clara Belle, was once the artist laureate of the State of Florida and was renowned for her portraits of Florida governors.
<p>Sally Jett is one of many examples of women who enjoy collecting fishing tackle. Her perspective is different, but hardly unique. "Women like different things than men," she says. "Little lures, things that are different or things that no one else seems to be collecting — that's what interests me."</p>
Sally Jett is one of many examples of women who enjoy collecting fishing tackle. Her perspective is different, but hardly unique. “Women like different things than men,” she says. “Little lures, things that are different or things that no one else seems to be collecting — that’s what interests me.”
<p>Here is Jett's "Pinocchio Bait," complete with elongated nose. The box says, "Caught a world's record bass?"</p>
Here is Jett’s “Pinocchio Bait,” complete with elongated nose. The box says, “Caught a world’s record bass?”
<p>And this is another Lloyd Jett creation, "The Mother-in-Law." I'm sure you can figure out how he came up with the name.</p>
And this is another Lloyd Jett creation, “The Mother-in-Law.” I’m sure you can figure out how he came up with the name.
<p>When Craig Comjean introduced me to Joe "The Stag" Stagnitti, he said Stagnitti was the greatest mind in the antique tackle collecting world. While collecting is a hobby to most, Stagnitti is one of a very few individuals — perhaps the only one — who collects, trades, buys and sells for a living, and he's been doing it for more than 15 years. The bait he's holding here is valued at $25,000-30,000 ... even more a few years ago when the economy was stronger.</p>
When Craig Comjean introduced me to Joe “The Stag” Stagnitti, he said Stagnitti was the greatest mind in the antique tackle collecting world. While collecting is a hobby to most, Stagnitti is one of a very few individuals — perhaps the only one — who collects, trades, buys and sells for a living, and he’s been doing it for more than 15 years. The bait he’s holding here is valued at $25,000-30,000 … even more a few years ago when the economy was stronger.
<p>Stagnitti is known as a very respectable dealer in the antique tackle field, frequently putting together complex bargains between multiple collectors so that everyone eventually gets what they want, including him. His collecting began in the late 1980s and focused on "New York metal" — metal baits manufactured in upstate New York in the mid 19th century. Your collection might start anywhere or even with items currently in your garage.</p>
Stagnitti is known as a very respectable dealer in the antique tackle field, frequently putting together complex bargains between multiple collectors so that everyone eventually gets what they want, including him. His collecting began in the late 1980s and focused on “New York metal” — metal baits manufactured in upstate New York in the mid 19th century. Your collection might start anywhere or even with items currently in your garage.
<p> </p> <p>Is there a "Holy Grail" of antique tackle collecting? Stagnitti says yes, but that it varies from collector to collector and from manufacturer to manufacturer ... and that's what fires the hobby. "Collectors come from different backgrounds and seek different things," he says. If they didn't, it wouldn't or couldn't fascinate so many people. The bait pictured here would be the Holy Grail to many. It's the Haskell Minnow, and it sold for the highest price ever paid for a fishing lure — $101,200 in 2003.</p>
 
Is there a “Holy Grail” of antique tackle collecting? Stagnitti says yes, but that it varies from collector to collector and from manufacturer to manufacturer … and that’s what fires the hobby. “Collectors come from different backgrounds and seek different things,” he says. If they didn’t, it wouldn’t or couldn’t fascinate so many people. The bait pictured here would be the Holy Grail to many. It’s the Haskell Minnow, and it sold for the highest price ever paid for a fishing lure — $101,200 in 2003.
<p>Stagnitti's final words for the aspiring collector were echoed all over the Florida International Tackle Show floor: "Have fun with it. I've met the most wonderful people through tackle collecting. They're some of my closest friends in the world."</p>
Stagnitti’s final words for the aspiring collector were echoed all over the Florida International Tackle Show floor: “Have fun with it. I’ve met the most wonderful people through tackle collecting. They’re some of my closest friends in the world.”
<p>If you live in an area with a lot of fishing history, there's a better than even chance there are some serious collectors nearby, maybe even a state or regional collectors' organization. Do some searching online and expand your bass fishing horizons.</p>
If you live in an area with a lot of fishing history, there’s a better than even chance there are some serious collectors nearby, maybe even a state or regional collectors’ organization. Do some searching online and expand your bass fishing horizons.

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