Legends of the Salt... Saltwater Hall of Fame thread
When we think about the evolution of surf fishing, many legendary characters come to mind.
From the humble beginnings of their heavy surf sticks paired with conventional reels and a few bucktails and tin squids, surf fishermen have come a long way.
If there was such Hall of Fame for East Coast surfcasters, who would be in it?
Who would you like to see in it?
Who stands out in your mind as a character who either contributed to surf fishing in some significant way or was one of the remarkable surf fishermen of his time? :fishing:
Bob Pond, surfcaster, sportsman, entrepeneur, and conservationist
I'll kick this thing off by nominating Bob Pond. I wasn't fortunate enough to meet him, but some of his ways have inspired me to try a little harder this year. Thank you Mr Pond. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Hoping the work of Bob Pond will inspire others
Here's a little more about Bob and the things he was involved in:
Stripers Forever members - some of you may have read about the recent passing of Bob Pond of Attleboro, MA, the creator of the Atom plug. We can quickly count at least half of Stripers Forever's board who were members of the now defunct Stripers Unlimited organization which Bob Pond founded. **** Russell, author of Striper Wars, was an old friend of Bob's and consulted him while he wrote that book. **** sent us these words about Bob Pond to share with our membership.
"The passing of Bob Pond at 92 is a great loss, for he was the true pioneer of striped bass conservation. Without Bob's sounding the alarm about the striper population in the mid-1960s, long before anyone else thought there was a problem, this magnificent fish would likely have disappeared from Atlantic coastal waters. After creating the legendary Atom plug used with success by so many anglers, Bob devoted his life to preserving striped bass for future generations. It is our job now to carry his legacy forward. Thank you, Bob Pond, and may you rest in peace. - **** Russell."
We at Stripers Forever share those sentiments
Bob Pond and Stripers Unlimited
Bob Pond the Surf fisherman
Bob Pond through the eyes of others
Bob Pond and the Atom Lure Company
Russ Wilson the fishing columnist, outdoorsman, and conservationist
Slice of life timeline:
1. 2010 fond references to Russ are still turning up everywhere, even in E-bay auctions:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rigged-Eel-J&J-T...20232003r28997
"The 11 inch J&J TACKLE signature eel is my personal favorite....before there were plastic eels.....we would search long and hard.....looking for...potting....and fishing for just such eels.....
The late (GREAT) Russ Wilson.....a life long friend used to call them "cupcakes"......because according to Russ....that is how large fish thought of...and treated them.......They swallow them as if they are cupcakes.....Other old timers called them "shoe string" eels.....regardless of the name.....they are deadly."
2. Russ was a prolific writer. He wrote for the NJ Fisherman, Bergen Record, and others:
A. Date: 10-25-96
RUSS WILSON
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
SANDY HOOK BAY FILLED WITH STRIPERS
By RUSS WILSON
Date: 10-25-1996, Friday
Section: SPORTS
Saltwater anglers who are hooked on striped bass should take
advantage of the outstanding action that's on tap in lower Sandy Hook Bay.
Bayshore tackle shop owners and party boat and charter boat skippers who are on the water daily say the lower bay is loaded with bass, and most of them are big enough to keep.
B Date: 06-04-1993, Friday
RUSS WILSON
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
06-04-1993
SANDY HOOK A HOT SPOT FOR FLUKE AND BLUEFISH
By RUSS WILSON
Column: SALTWATER FISHING
Area saltwater anglers planning a trip to the Jersey shore this
weekend will have ample opportunity for a good catch of bluefish or
fluke.
1990 SWS seminar:
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/15/sp...l?pagewanted=1
"If you are still a bit uncertain about how to woo various species of marine fish, you may want to attend a session of the Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series, which comes to the Northeast this month and next.
The series has a staff of well-known angler-authors whose offerings are augmented by local experts at each seminar location.
A seminar is scheduled for Feb. 24 in the Montclair (N.J.) High School auditorium .... In Montclair, they will be assisted by Russ Wilson, Gary Caputo and Pete Barrett...
1980's fishing off Roosevelt Ave in Long Branch (as told by Finchaser)
"Russ and I used to take live herring from the flume, run it down to Roosevelt in our station wagons with small tanks set up.
We would fish the herring to the right of where that famous graffiti is on the old CG station. Right off the sand, sitting on the backs of our station wagons, waiting for the hit. Russ was a great guy. We had lots of good times.::fishing:
Russ Wilson notable quotes
It seems Russ was known for his from-the-hip statements and direct talk...
"That's as big a size as this fish gets."
A lot have wondered about how that quote came to be. Back in the 70's and 80s, there were terms far worse than googan. "Googan" hadn't even been invented in NJ yet.
There were people who would wander down to the docks with fishin poles, but they never seemed to catch. Since they were dilly dallying at the docks so much, they were called "Dillydocks". :bucktooth:
This term still exists today among the old-school guys.
There was always a lot of goofing going around back then. If one of the surf guys was fishin somewhere and caught a fish, some of the questions the dillydocks would ask would be:
Wow, how old is that fish?
Old-timer answer...It's as old as it's gonna get! :D
When Russ was asked
Wow, how big does that fish get?
His answer was...It's as big as it's gonna get! :rolleyes:
(Russ was known for bein a little GROUCHY sometimes. Some even said that he and Finchaser were like 2 peas in a pod. :argue: :HappyWave:)
Good times.
RIP Russ
Re: Legends of the Salt... Saltwater Hall of Fame thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
7deadlyplugs
Three plugs that I count on the most in the Fall? .......
The second plug is the Beachmaster Eely, a jointed plug that's a smaller version of the giant Cheek Chub Jointed Pikie. Several years ago, I had to send away to a tackle shop in Connecticut to get several of these plugs. I do not know when they are planning to manufacture this plug again. The Eely Plug has a lot of action although it doesn't swim like an eel or anything in the ocean but the bass love it. It does a jitter bug when you reel it in. It's a surface swimmer and like all surface swimmers it extends your fishing time from before dark into daylight hours. Of course it works well at night. The big plus is that because it is a surface swimmer, it isn't prone to gather a lot of weed on the retrieve. I always use this plug or the Danny plug described below when a lot of weed is around. My most memorable catch on this plug was a big blue I estimated at about 23 pounds. He was an easy release so back he went. The color I use is black with 3/0 treble hooks and I use a slow retrieve.
Some interesting things Al Bentsen was saying about jointed plugs.....they may be a PITA to cast but they can produce some action when the fish are not feeding aggressively.
Re: Legends of the Salt... Saltwater Hall of Fame thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DarkSkies
Originally Posted by 7deadlyplugs View Post
Three plugs that I count on the most in the Fall? .......
The second plug is the Beachmaster Eely, a jointed plug that's a smaller version of the giant Cheek Chub Jointed Pikie. Several years ago, I had to send away to a tackle shop in Connecticut to get several of these plugs. I do not know when they are planning to manufacture this plug again. The Eely Plug has a lot of action although it doesn't swim like an eel or anything in the ocean but the bass love it. It does a jitter bug when you reel it in. It's a surface swimmer and like all surface swimmers it extends your fishing time from before dark into daylight hours. Of course it works well at night. The big plus is that because it is a surface swimmer, it isn't prone to gather a lot of weed on the retrieve. I always use this plug or the Danny plug described below when a lot of weed is around. My most memorable catch on this plug was a big blue I estimated at about 23 pounds. He was an easy release so back he went. The color I use is black with 3/0 treble hooks and I use a slow retrieve.
Here is a BM Eely. Pic from May this year. The plug really wiggles. Little big for the fall/winter?
http://rocksimpson.com/images/2012_4_21_SB.jpg