Paul Lindner of Cyclone lures
APP did an article on him. Thought it was interesting.
Atom Stasher
Written by John Oswald @oswaldapp
May 8, 2014 | app.com
The Atom Striper Swiper was my version of the Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Range Model Air Rifle
? much desired, but forever out of reach.
Back in the day when I whined incessantly for one, they were a luxury item, about $5 apiece. That kind of
expenditure would mean a meatless week for my family. While my father had one, he knew better than to
invest such a sum in a lure that most certainly would be snapped off on a first cast or permanently stuck
on a Sea Bright jetty.
My surf skills were too untested for me to be trusted with such a plug. Suspecting larceny in my heart, he
kept his hidden away.
?Next year,? was the familiar refrain.
Paul Lindner, the builder of Cyclone Lures, also came from a family that prized the plugs, created by Bob
Pond of Attleboro, Massachusetts. ?My father and grandfather both fished with them,? said Lindner at
home last Monday. There he has collected more than 250 of the classic lures, most in their original
packaging.
Lindner, who is no slouch himself when it comes to crafting quality lures, already had an impressive
collection of Atom Lures when he became serious about it eight years ago. When I asked him exactly how
many lures he had, he replied that if you asked his wife, the answer would be too many. He said he didn?t
have enough.
Atom Lures hold a special place in the hearts of saltwater fishermen everywhere. Everybody fished them.
The story of the lure?s beginnings goes that Pond was fishing the Cape Cod Canal when he noticed a
fellow fisherman was landing big stripers while he was having no success. The bass were feeding on top
and the prevailing wisdom of the day was that they couldn?t be caught when that was happening. Yet this
one angler was having no trouble hooking trophy fish.
Pond was back at the canal when he came upon a beat up old lure that he guessed had been lost or
discarded by the other angler who was catching the big bass. Pond gave it a try and had similar success.
Working with wood and materials he had around his house, Pond created the first versions of his now
famous plug. This being the dawn of the nuclear age, Pond named his new company Atom Lures.
He first started selling his swimmers wrapped in newspapers to fellow anglers along the canal. Then they
became available to the general public in 1945. Atom Lures sold in stores from $1.50 to $2.25, a princely
sum at the time.
They were also available through the postal service in their own mailing boxes. The Striper Atom 40s
came in three colors: herring blue, whiting gold and silver and blue.
The plugs quickly caught on with saltwater fishermen not only because they caught fish, but also for their durability. They could withstand the beating delivered by the fish and the weather.
Lindner said it?s so hard to find lures in good condition now because guys fished them. ?They?re a lot of
Atoms around, but not in the best of shape,? he said.
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