Introducing Shoreline B&T Appraisal Service
I had an extensive conversation today with Tom Clayton, who with his son Tel runs Shoreline B&T in Wall, NJ.
I believe Tom to be a stand-up guy. Although I don't know him well, our conversation touched on many areas, among them the old time plugmakers, the state of striped bass fishing, his passion for collecting old plugs and fishing memorabilia, and some memories of him fishing the Long Branch fishing pier back in the late 1960's and 1970s.
We have some links to his site, and pics some members have posted
www.shorelinebt.com in other threads.
Based on the conversations we had, I'm going to ask our members not to post any more of the specific pics from his site in ANY thread here
As I mentioned, Tom is a very generous guy, and has agreed to let us link to his site in specific instances where the material might be helpful to our members.
He has given me permission to let our members post the links, but NOT the pics. I hope this is clear.
He wants to increase traffic to his relatively new but growing site, and I'm going to try to help him do that. :thumbsup:
He recently registered as a member here. His member name is Surfsters.
I'm sure he would be glad to answer any questions any member or guest would have about the old-time plug makers.
He has quite an encyclopedic knowledge of these, and travels around the state at various shows offering free appraisals of old plugs and collections. In addition to that, he has written several in-depth articles for nationally recognized antique plug websites and publications.
So let me be the first to give a warm welcome to Tom Clayton of Shoreline B&T to the site! :HappyWave:
What is Shoreline Appraisal Service all about?
I hope Tom doesn't mind me posting his intro here, without the pics. This will give guys and girls who don't know him an idea of the passion he has for collecting, and maybe entice them to click on his links to see more. As we discussed, his site is growing. The pics and stories represented there are only a fraction of his collection, and the great tales he hasn't yet put down on paper. :wow:
So be sure to stop by his site often and check out what's new!
http://www.shorelinebt.com/
The intro: (notice how humble he is when he talks about his "limited" knowledge. The guy is literally a walking encyclopedia on tackle and plugbuilding history in NJ and most of the Stripercoast! :thumbsup: )
Hello and Welcome,
This site is about two of my passions:
"Striped Bass" [ Morone Saxatalis ] and the "Saltwater Lures" that were used to catch them during the 1940's - 1960's, this time period is also known as the "Golden Age Of Surf Fishing." Being an avid striped bass fisherman and collector of antique saltwater fishing tackle; specializing in "East Coast Striper Lures." I will try to share some of my limited knowledge with you.
I will also be posting "Fishing Tips" from many of the top striper fishermen on the east coast. So, whether you are an expert or novice; or whether you fish the beach, rivers, bridges, or canals; this is a place where you can find out many of those well kept secrets that the pro's use.
While you are here, please visit the "Photo Gallery". It's always nice to check out pictures of "Striped Bass" just about anytime. But maybe, you are one of those guys or gals that needs a little motivation to get in the fishing mood during the season. Well if you are, this is a great place to get it!
Also, check out the "Tackle Store"; It is loaded with the newest surf fishing tackle available at hard to beat prices. The store also features custom wooden striped bass lures from many of the major builders.
"This Site Will Be An Ongoing Process"
"So Please Check Back Often"!!!
Thanks For Visiting,
Tom Clayton
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Why would you choose Shoreline for an Appraisal?
I don't know Tom personally. I only met him once. At this point I would need to have further contact and learn a little more before I could endorse his appraisal service.
However I will tell you a little background about him:
(As related by Tom Clayton)
Young Tom got interested in collecting lures way back in the 1960's when he was a boy growing up in Wall, NJ.
What prompted his life long passion?
He saw a boat that had sunk at its mooring in the bay waters behind the Shark River Inlet. The boat was there in the water for a long time. He noticed one lonely plug, an Atom, that was stuck on the rope the boat was moored to. :drool:
Every time he fished from shore in the Shark River area, he would gaze wistfully at that plug and wonder if someone would ever go to the sunken boat to get it. :dribble:
Nope, no one did.
So one morning young Tom decided to swim out to that wrecked boat. He pried the Atom plug off of the rope, swam it back to shore, and fished it! :fishing:
At that point he knew he was hooked for life, both on fishing and plug collecting. :lookhappy:
He started to build up an extensive collection of original Creek Chub lures. The collection grew until he got married and needed the money for his family, so he sold it.
Eventually, as the children grew (he has 3 sons), he realized his passion for collecting never really left him, and started accumulating lures again, one at a time.
It has been a labor of love for him, not as lucrative as he originally imagined. Nonetheless, far richer for him has been the contacts and friends he has made in the antique lure world. He has friends and associates from all over. He has written some acclaimed articles for Antique lure publications,. He has made friends and fishing buddies out of his customers.
Through it all, he feels proud to be able to document a small but significant piece of fishing history.