NJ Custom fishing plug makers: A History

[DarkSkies]

Some of the best Custom plugbuilders on the East Coast came from, or live in, New Jersey. In this thread you'll get to meet and hear about them, from the smallest to the largest.

Let's hear what you've got. Even if the guy built a few plugs and never really wanted to become commercial, it's still part of fishing history and merits talking about.

So don't feel your entry or post is not significant if the person you're posting about isn't nationally known. Post up and let's see it, anything you want to post regarding NJ plug builders, from 1900 to present day.

[DarkSkies]

Please if you use info from a copyrighted source, cite the source. I do reserve the right to edit where I feel it's appropriate.

Articles, pics, comments, all are welcome within the above parameters.

To promote harmony here, there will be no critiquing or bashing of a guy's plugs. If you don't like them, that's fine, but this is not a review thread. It's an attempt to document a history of plugbuilding in NJ, and I appreciate any help you guys can offer. Thanks guys and girls.

It's gonna be a long winter, I think this could be an informative thread.

[DarkSkies]

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.

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!

[DarkSkies]

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.

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! )

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

[DarkSkies]

Tom has quite an extensive collection of pics and documentation about antique plugs, the pioneers who made them, and the old-time salts who fished them.

Take a look at his page, and click on any of the links to further explore some of the old time names you used to hear thrown around the tackle shops as the guys sat around the wood stoves for a morning of BSing after a tough night of fishing.

http://www.shorelinebt.com/id3.html

[DarkSkies]

Background:
Stan Gibbs was an old-time plug maker from Buzzard's Bay, Mass. The business he originally started in the 1940's, having changed hands several times after he first sold it in 1972, is still running today.

He was known for several specialties... among them the Canal Special Pencil Poppers, 3 1/8z pencil poppers designed to give him an edge in the Cape Cod Canal, his plug testing grounds. There was also a 5 1/4z popper designed specifically for Canal use.

He's also responsible for such innovations as the "Cast-A-Lure", Mackerel paint finishes, differently designed bottle poppers and bottle darters, the California special pencil popper, at 5+ oz one of the heaviest pencil poppers at the time.

However, the original pencil popper he improved and personally marketed up and down the Stripercoast was arguably one of his most successful plugs.





Originally, he had friends that made and were using a similar plug, and got their approval to design and market it further. Stan Gibbs pencil poppers gradually gained popularity and respect in the fishing world because they casted farther than anything else you could buy at the time.

From an original start where young Stan, an avid fisherman, made a few plugs at a time for friends, finished with nail polish as a sealer, he grew a little every year. His first big runs of pencil poppers were around 1946, when his production numbered into the hundreds. He branched out as his different plug lines began to gain popularity.

He started visiting other states as the personal ambassador of his company, to market his plugs. This story begins when one of those trips took him to NJ in the late 1950's, when he visited Cap Colvins B&T in Seaside Park, and some other old-time NJ shops.

Fishermen, who had only been used to slinging bucktails, tins, and some very light wooden plugs, raved how these "pencil poppers" could get out further and cast better in strong winds. They began to see that the pencil poppers gave them an edge, and the rest is plug building history.

[DarkSkies]

Captain Colvin's B&T was one of those places where you would go after a hard night's fishin. All the old salts would be there warming their cold fingers up.....warming their toes....comparing notes...and tellling fish stories and tall fish tales.

It was a great place to be while it was there. All sorts of fishermen passed through his doors, some famous, some not so famous.

I found this article on the NJBBA site.
http://www.njbba.org/i/newsletters/07May.pdf


We also have a promotional thread telling you about them and what a NJBBA membership offers.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...read.php?t=643


Read the story, and visit their site as well. They could always use a few good members, and will be at most of the major shows this Spring.

Cap Colvins Bait and Tackle Shop, Seaside Park


Pencil Popper – The Beginning
By: Bob Lick

Today any caster and
cranker worth his salt likely
has at least one Pencil Popper
in his plug bag. To my
knowledge, I am the first
person to ever cast a Pencil
Popper in Jersey waters. Let
me explain.

During the late 1950’s I
kept my old 1929 Model A
Ford beach buggy behind
Cap Colvin’s Bait and Tackle
Shop in Seaside Park. Cap’s
was considered headquarters
by many in the Seaside
area.

As I was only twenty
years old I was a less experienced
“regular.” In those
years Barnegat Bay would
often come alive with bass
from late April into early
June. Bucktails were the
primary lure used until the
original Rebel plug hit the
scene.

Despite their easily straightened
hooks the Rebel, along
with the bucktail, became
S.O.P. on the flats behind
Island Beach where I would
fish in a 14 foot plywood hull
skiff.

One day, after fishing a slow
morning session, my partner
Hal and I returned to Cap’s
for a late breakfast and to
bemoan the slow fishing.

While we were engaged in
“regular talk” a large man
walked through the door. No
one in attendance knew the
gentleman except Cap who
greeted him warmly. Cap
then introduced his
“regulars” to Stan Gibbs.

Since a very early age, I had
been reading my Dad’s copies
of Saltwater Sportsman
from almost issue number 1,
so my brain went, “Wow, Stan
Gibbs!”

Stan was on a sort of plug
marketing visit to Cap’s. After
general fishing conversation
he pulled out a funny looking
plug he said he was developing.
It was white, skinny, and
about 5-6 inches long. He
said he was thinking of calling
it a “Pencil Popper.”

Stan went on to explain you
could only work the plug correctly
if tied directly to the
line and you were able to pat
the top of your head and rub
your belly at the same time.
His instructions were to whip
the rod tip rapidly while reeling
slowly.

What happened next is one
of the highlights of my fishing
life. Stan held out his prototype
lure and gave it to me.
Why he chose me, I’ll never
know. Maybe he felt like helping
a young guy out.

Later that day Hal and I
were again on the water casting
the normal bucktails and
Rebels, again without much
success.

I got the idea to
experiment with the “Pencil
Popper.” You wouldn’t believe
what happened. On almost
every cast I had bass attacking
the lure while Hal went
fishless using the normal
offerings.

Feeling sorry for
him, I let him use the lure
after I had quickly caught my
limit of ten. He proceeded to
limit out.

Seeing our action a
Seaside Park resident friend
motored near us and hollered
over, “Bob, what the
hell are you using?” I responded,
“Pencil Popper.”

His response was, “What the
hell is a “Pencil Popper?”

From that day on my nickname
among the gang was
“Pencil Popping Bob” which
lasted a long time. We would
joke: “if you put a Pencil
Popper in Barnegat Bay the
bass would come from
Sandy Hook to jump on it.”

Stan Gibbs and I stayed in
contact via phone reporting
on each others fishing successes,
or lack thereof.

Years later he loved to hear
me tell him of some of my
great wet suiting nights in
Montauk using his Darters or
Bottle Plugs. Stan was a fine
gentleman, and I describe
him thus: “If you don’t like
Stan Gibbs, you don’t like
anybody.”
I consider myself fortunate
to have known him.

[DarkSkies]

I can't even imagine fishing without pencil poppers in my plug bag. They help to telegraph if there are any fish in the area when the temps are warm enough.

It's understandable why these old-time fishermen went nuts with this "new" innovation.

[DarkSkies]

I found this article on the NJBBA site.
http://www.njbba.org/i/newsletters/07May.pdf

We also have a promotional thread telling you about them and what a NJBBA membership offers.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...read.php?t=643

Continuing……Later that
same year my Dad had a
heart attack. During his
lengthy recovery period he
needed something to occupy
his time. What better way
than to sit in front of his
lathe turning out Pencil Poppers?

The next spring Dad, my fishing pals, and I had an arsenal
filled with two different size Pencil Poppers of many
colors. Dads Poppers caught like the Gibbs.

And finally….. Years later while fishing a beach in
Maine, just as the sun was up, on a mill pond calm
ocean, I was working a large white Gibbs Pencil Popper.

I had retrieved the lure about a third of the way when I
saw the dorsal fin first, followed by the entire back of a
giant bass lift out of the water behind my plug. I don’t
have to tell you how my heart began to beat. I kept the
rod tip bouncing, but slowed the retrieve to almost nothing.

I can still see it today, like slow motion. The bass
slowly closed on the plug and there was a giant swirl as
the bass inhaled the popper. That fish hit the scale at 45
pounds, and, although not my biggest bass, it is certainly
one of my favorite memories.

Pencil Poppers have produced good catches for me of
both bass and bluefish from Maine to North Carolina. It
is an exciting lure to fish.

Tight lines.



*******************************
I want to thank Bob Lick for such a great read. I met several NJBBA governing members at the last Spring shows, and they are a great bunch. I met Paul Harris and Ron Valentino.

Like I said, don't hesitate to stop by their booths at the shows, and see what they're about. Great people.

[hookset]

Lefty Carr, McFadden, Hull, etc --- Dark your remarks about Joe yesterday rang true to my ears. Here is some stuff that Joe Pallotto had to say about these guys, thought others might like to read it as well.



With apologies to the poet Lord Tennyson, it’s nearly fall and every fisherman’s thoughts turn to stripers. And with that, the means to catch them. For surf anglers around here, that means plugs.

Every tackle shop you enter has a wall or two covered with brightly colored wooden or plastic lures of various shapes, sizes and weights. There are swimmers, poppers, needlefish and more, all designed to catch bass and the attention of anglers looking for the next sure thing.
And like the actual fish these lures are made to mimic, plugs have spawning grounds as well.

One such place is the Asbury Park Fishing Club.

It is here that local legends Lefty Carr, Bill McFadden, Gene Amato and many more shared ideas, tested their creations and influenced a whole new generation of plug makers.
“There is not a lot of jealousy here,” Joe Pallotto, president of the Asbury Park Fishing Club said. According to Pallotto, the club’s great camaraderie fosters an atmosphere where members help and encourage one another.
Bill McFadden, one of the club’s well-known craftsmen was known as Lips McFadden because he supplied other plug turners, including Lefty Carr, with the metal lips used on their lures.
“I would take orders for everybody,” McFadden said.

McFadden was one of the first in the club to get into lure building and he did so out of necessity. There weren’t a lot of needlefish around so he decided to make his own. In fact, the first lathe he used still sits in his Ocean Grove basement.
Pallotto remembers when the club used to get a booth at the Asbury Park boat show and Carr would sell his plugs for $5 a piece.
And it is among these fisherman that a new group of plug makers emerged. Anglers with skills, talent and passion for fishing and the art of plug making.

http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/f...p-on-plugging/

[jigfreak]

Pallotto remembers when the club used to get a booth at the Asbury Park boat show and Carr would sell his plugs for $5 a piece.

Yeah, back when the price of gas was $1/gallon. Those were the days.

[ledhead36]

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.

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! )

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

Shoreline store is no more. Don't know if he is a victim of sandy or the economy. Anyway you look at it it sucks. Hope to see him at the shows this spring.

[7deadlyplugs]

I think it is awesome that there are so many guys who arent happy with the standard fare available and had the drive to build their own. Must be touch to make a living at tho.

[7deadlyplugs]

Yeah, back when the price of gas was $1/gallon. Those were the days.

Does 1.50 a gallon count? Paid that the other day, felt great.