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More Fishing and Boating

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• Seaworthy: Start the season right

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Collectors and anglers can get confused and stalled in their quest to find a lure or another collector and the answer is right in front of them.

An e-mail from Vinny, a Lee County angler asking me if I knew how to get in touch with local lure builder and collector Bob Burris. He writes, “I had Bob make me some lures several years ago and still have a few left but need to order some more for the Spring fishing season. I have been calling him on the phone number on his box for two years but can’t get through to him, is he still around?”

I, in turn called Bob and left a note on his recorder then e-mailed Vinny back telling him Bob still has his recorder at 774-0905 and he should be getting a response from Bob soon.

Then another e-mail from Vinny, “Thanks for the help, I called the number you gave me and also left a note on his recorder. The area code on the box is 941 instead of 239. So simple but so easy to overlook.”

Good luck Vinny, get me some pictures of the fish you catch and if you can the lures you were using.

I have been looking around and decided to recycle an item I have had for several years. While it is not directly connected to fishing it will fit perfectly in the other old nautical thing category. It is an old compass set in a brass holder which in turn is set in a heavy metal case with a telescope mounted to the metal case.

There is a mirror mounted in the base of the telescope that reflects the compass heading you can see when you look through the telescope.

It also features a pen light which can be mounted to the top of the case in the event you are using it after sundown.

The compass is packed in a nice teak box labeled MFD by Gordon L. Roberts, 9 N W St., Mount Vernon, NY. I am sure it was state of the art in its day but a far cry from today’s GPS technology we have now.

I have not spent too much time researching it. I have asked around and been on the web but have not found much information about the compass or Gordon L. Roberts Co.

Anyone out there that knows anything about this company and/or the very unique vintage compass, please share it with us.

Another advantage to collecting antique tackle is you find some very good buys on used tackle that is still like new condition at garage sales, flea markets and tackle shows. People can loose interest in the sport or just want to clean their garage out. eBay is another area that has a ton of tackle on it but some of it can get pricey.

Back around 2006 a friend of mine sent me an e-mail showing an old Heddon lure that was up for bid on eBay. The bid was into the five to six thousand dollar range and had quite a bit of time left to bid.

The owners information read in part, “For auction, a very rare Heddon lure that is museum quality. The lure is pictured at the Heddon Museum in Dowagaic, Mich. and in the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club magazine.”

It went on to say, “it is a 12 inch wood body that totals 14 3/4 inches with the hardware having eight belly weights.” The seller also had it x-rayed to confirm the weights were there. It is believed the maker was John Heddon and he did not make many of them.

The final bid on the lure was $9,000... that’s nine thousand dollars folks! The kicker was it did not meet the reserve. As they say on TV — No Deal!

Several rumors were spawned right after the lure was removed from eBay... the owner really did not want to sell it but needed a figure of its worth for insurance.

You never know when a call will come and what it will lead you to. Several years ago I got one from a man in Cape Coral. He said he had a good size U.S. surplus metal box in his storage shed that was full of new tackle. When I went there he showed me the box and told me he had a friend in Ohio that was closing a sporting goods store so another friend of his and he offered him a flat price for all of the fishing tackle and split it up. When he came here, decided to purchase saltwater tackle and put this stuff in the shed. It had been there for 25 years. His wife wanted him to get it out.

We opened the box; it was full of lures, reels and other stuff but what caught my eye was a lift gaff. I had seen one or two of them at tackle shows but had no idea of the maker. We made a deal and I was on my way home with the box of tackle.

The lift gaff has a wooden red handle that screws into the stainless steel gaff that also has a spring loaded device that can be set for three different sizes. We believe they were made in Ohio. I have been offered in excess of $100 for it.

Good hunting!

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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, FL 34113.