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More Fishing and Boating

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• Seaworthy: Start the season right

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Collecting can produce results that really are not what the collector’s game plan had in mind. One of the cutest ones happened when a collector friend of mine decided to solve a problem he was having with his wife. She was trying to get him to sell some of his stuff. I was visiting with him during a tackle show when I noticed he had priced some of his tackle. This was rare as he almost always had signs on his display that said display only, not for sale.

What’s going on I asked him. My wife is really after me to sell some of it he replied.

About that time I also noticed some of the prices on the items were out of sight and asked him about it. Well, I told her I would try to sell some stuff today and that made her happy. I have it so over priced it won’t sell he said. I will tell her it was a very slow day when I get home.

About that time a man came up to his display, picked up an old Ocean City reel and bamboo rod combo, turned to him and said I’ll take it and handed him the money. As the man walked away my friend said damn I hated to sell that combo.

A little later another person walked up and purchased some stuff for the ticket price.

It got so bad he had to get rid of the price tags during a lull in the traffic and replace them with the display only signs. I never did find out how it all played out when he got home but I am sure his wife was happy.

My two lures this week is one of my favorites. It’s a wood South Bend Penatella minnow and could be as old as early 1920s. It features five triple hooks and two propellers both stamped South Bend and could be rated in near excellent condition for an estimated value in excess of $100.

The other one is really an old lure. I was told by an appraiser at a show it was a Creek Chub with a rare color. There are no Creek Chub markings on it. We will try to get a picture of both lures in so please let me know what you think.

In the meantime, questions and comments continue to come in about antique tackle and other old things. The Jitterbug lure in last week’s article brought forth several comments. Here is one that takes first place.

I have many fond memories of the old Jitterbug. I can remember my dad and I around 1952 paddling a leaky old wooden boat he made around a big lake near Thompson, Ga. At least in seemed big to me at the time. I can still remember we kept an old Chase & Sanborn coffee can in the boat to bail out the water.

The Jitterbug and the Hula Popper were his favorites. He also used a Pike lure made by South Bend and a Lucky 13 made by Heddon. I can still remember the plop, plop sound the Jitterbug made when it waddled across the water. Some days we would stay out after dark and then you couldn’t see the Jitterbug coming across the water but you could still hear it glubba, glubba, glubba and then a monster splash and the fight was on.

Dad had a metal casting rod and reel made by South Bend with black line on it and anything we caught we put on a rope stringer and took it home to clean and eat. Catch and release was unheard of!

I was 12 at that time and I fished with a cane pole and worms or crickets. Dad said if I cast his rod the lure might end up in the trees and he was probably right. If I am not mistaken one of Dad’s friends has a jointed Jitterbug, we called it a broken back and was six to eight inches long and black with huge hooks for musky, I suppose.

Here it is 53 years later and thank the Lord I’m still fishing. I can’t honestly say that I have used a Jitterbug in about 20 to 30 years but I’ll bet I could take one down to the lake behind the house and catch a bass on it today! Buzz Merritte, Naples.

P.S. I enjoy reading your articles, brings back lots of pleasant memories. Both my sons fish. One is a guide here in Naples and the other and my grandson are back in North Carolina fishing. Even my 7-year old granddaughter and I fish almost daily in the lake here a the house. It is a wonderful thing to share with your children and grandchildren. I thank the Lord for it!

We thank you, my friend for sharing your fond memories with us.

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Red Stier is a weekly contributor to the Marco Island Eagle. Questions or comments may be directed to redstier@aol.com or 172 Trinidad St., Naples, Fla. 34113.