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:

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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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.

Tom sounds like a stand up guy with an incredible love for fishing and lures. Welcome to the site.:HappyWave:

Stripermania, I think if you have been around for awhile you can see a difference between a guy who gets into something just because of the $$ signs in his eyes, or one who truly loves what he does.

I learned that when we helped set up an estate sale for a family that had thousands of old records. Collectors came to that sale in droves, and all said how much they were into what they did.

Yet when I asked them a simple question about where they were when Elvis died, almost all of them but one had no answer. (Elvis was the musical icon at the time most of these collector guys were growing up. Anyone who had a passion for music and grew up in that era could have answered that question readily.)

The fact that they knew about the values, but didn't seem to have any passion for the merchandise that crossed their hands every day, taught me that there are lots of people out there who are all about the dollar signs. :rolleyes:







I didn't get that impression from speaking with Tom. He has develped a good reputation among tackle shop owners as a person to ask on the value of unknown items. One who will not rob you, but who will give you an honest assessment of what you have, even if it means not being able to buy that piece from you.

Some people would call that being foolish. :huh: I call it old-school integrity, which tells me he was raised by parents who instilled good values in their children. :clapping:

Here's some of the stuff I learned from him, testimonials from his customers, etc:

He comes across and has bought several lifetime tackle collections. When his friends ask him..."Tom how did you manage to do that?", his answer is...

"I always treat people the way I want to be treated in return. If you screw people over, then they won't deal with you again." :thumbsup:

Hey Dark, do you know if he appraises reels as well, or just the old plugs?

Does he appraise old rods, and does he get to shows outside of New Jersey?

DarkSkies,
It was really nice of you to start this thread about me. But, to tell you the truth it is kind of embarrassing. It's like airing your dirty laundry to the world. Being addicted to collecting old fishing tackle is not for the faint of heart; everyday it consumes you. For those of you thinking about collecting fishing tackle it is a great hobby! But if you decide to collect for investment purposes; you would be better off putting your money in a CD.
If anyone here would like to ask me my opinion [ which is what I call an appraisal ] about lures, reels, rods, etc. I would be more than happy to try and answer your questions. Although, I have been dealing in fishing tackle my whole life; I feel my knowledge is still somewhat limited.
Please remember: "collectables are only worth what someone is willing to pay." you may get more or less for your item!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by surfsters

DarkSkies,
Please remember: "collectables are only worth what someone is willing to pay." you may get more or less for your item!

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I don't have too many things that I collect but you are absolutely correct about things are only worth what people will pay for them. I have a doll worth $1000 if purchased from a collector. Unfortunately, I have only been offered $75. Will I sell it - NO.

I know someone else who has a very large collection of Hummels. Some are worth over $4000 each. Will she ever get that price probably not. They are treasured items which will be passed down to her children and grandchildren for many years to come.

Collecting is not for the weak at heart. You have to have a strong love for it. Please do not feel embarrased about the information posted about your collecting. There are lots of guys who collect lures and or all kinds of fishing tackle. You are creating a legacy of yourself for the fishing community and your children.

People who collect fishing tackle are highly reguarded and admired.

Shoreline B&T, run by Tel Clayton and his dad Tom. Nice meetin ya Tell. :HappyWave:

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Just a head's up to let you folks know that Tom has closed the store that he ran with his son. I am very bummed this happened. Tom was a good guy, one of the least pretentious guys out there. He has a passion for fishing and appreciates all types of it. This is definitely a loss to the surf fishing community. Sorry for your luck, pal. Hope things work out overall.

Sad news. He's one of a dying breed. Best of luck in the rest of your life, Tom.