Do you love big bluegill?

OLD MEN AND OLD GEAR

BACK IN THE DAY when I was a kid and my older brother got the bug for fishing I think I know were he got it from.
We lived on 3rd. street in La Salle Illinois and across the street from us was an old man. He was a fisherman and of course back in those days it was all about bass.

I believe the gentlemans name was Bill Mc Fadden if memory serves. Bill lived in an old one story house and it had a front porch , NO SCREENS IN THOSE DAYS, too expensive. He was retired and looked to me to be in his 60's then when I was a kid growing up in the early 1960's . He would sit on his front porch in the evenings and watch cars go by on the main drag , which was also US ROUTE 6. Lots of traffic in those days because route 80 hadn't been built yet, but was under construction as I recall.

Of course my brother struck up a friendship with Bill and they would sit for hours talking about fishing and so forth. I remember Bill hauling out an old Metal tackle box full of lures and old bait caster rods etc. Bug had bit my brother by then and the game was on.

Every week my brother and I , would visit the local Ace Hardware store were all the treasures of fishing and hunting world could be found.

ALL THE OLD TACKLE WAS BEYOND DESCRIPTION. All the major brands were represented there. Shakespeare, Garcia, Heddon, Daredevil, Cisco Kid, L&S, Creek Chub, Weber Flies and poppers, Wright & Mcgill, Johnson reels, Mitchell reels, and guns like Browning , Remington, and finally Stevens.
Above the fishing lure display counters was a rack overhead. On it was always at least a half dozen fish heads on display . They were all Northerns Mr. Stein the owner of the store, had caught in Minnesota were he went fishing every year.

HE had dried em out and then varnished them and to a kid they looked intimidating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Behind them on the wall mounted high, WERE A KIDS PRYING HANDS CAN'T GET AT EM , was a pair of bluegill mounted . they looked like monsters to me . They were and were also caught in Minnesota .

Once Mr. Stein got down one of the northern heads so I could look at it closer and I was amazed at how sharp the teeth were! THe old man said kid don't put your hand in there cause you won't get it back!!! There were even a couple crappie mounted somewere behind the counter as I recall.

My brother of course read all the magazines of the day at our local library , TOO EXPENSIVE TO HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO THEM!!!!!!!
WHEN THE FINISH MINNOW came out, NOW CALLED A RAPALA , my brother had to wait six months to get the very first one in our area. They had a list of folks waiting to get em because of all the hype that had been created about them.
Since then he and I have used countless Rapala's and I still favor em when I do fish for bass, which is seldom now.

TOO BUSY CHASING GILLS AND RED EARS!!!!!

HOPE I never loose those memories of my youth and the stories the old man across the street from us and Mr. Stein told me .

PRICELESS

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Charles Van Thompson on May 21, 2012 at 9:25am

Ya Dave, going to the hardware store was always a nice stop for a young kid. I remember being in a trance at the knife display. I could stare at that display like it was a tv set with a good show on. I don't remember too much of the fishing or hunting items, but that knife display was something.

Permalink Reply by Leo Nguyen on May 21, 2012 at 2:10pm

Wow, you see how much experience and expertise you have accumulated over the years? If you have mentioned to me about the names above 18 years ago, I would have gone, "What the freaking crap are you talking about?! Fishing gears are the same, regardless of where they're from and who made them." Same thing with clothing. Imagine me don't care about the costs or brands, where all my clothes were $0.99 to $5.99. Clothes aside, of which I would still wear $0.99 t-shirts, and pants if they have any, fishing gears were a new shining star at the end of the dark tunnel for me.

What I know about fishing gears since my childhood barely count for one tiny sand on the entire beach. HOLY MOLLY! Shakespeare was my first gears to set out during the swapmeets' hunts for upgraded gears. Wright & McGill was the next in the local Dick's Sports. Then Remington, and Brownings, and I stopped short at Shimano during my college years. No more cash since college life can kill a full time student. 2nd and 3rd job got me into Plueger, Garcia, and moving into the Bass Pro Shop products. Man, fishing is freaking expensive.

Permalink Reply by LAWRENCE RATTI on June 6, 2012 at 8:39pm

MY FIRST FISHING REEL WAS A BRONSON BAITCASTER AND A 5 FT. SOLID FIBERGLASS ROD WITH A SHORT CORK HANDLE, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL ROD WITH RED GLASS IN THE LINE GUIDES.I STILL HAVE ONE AND USE IT ONCE IN A WHILE. LIFE WAS A LOT MORE DOWN TO EARTH THAN IT IS NOW. WHAT HAPPENED? I SOLD NEWSPAPERS TO GET MY GEAR,NOTHING WAS FREE. IF YOU HAD A ROD AND REEL, A FEW HOOKS AND A COFFEE CAN FULL OF RED WORMS,AND A BANK TO FISH FROM YOU WERE A HAPPY KID. LATER IN LIFE I GOT CAUGHT UP IN ALL THE GEAR AND HIPE,NOW I AM BACK TO A CANE POLE AND A CAN OF WORMS.IT DON'T GET NO BETTER. AMEN.

Permalink Reply by DAVID L EITUTIS on June 7, 2012 at 8:09am

FIRST OFF LAWRENCE WELCOME TO MY GROUP and proud to have you as a member here.
I guess the old addage that what's old is new and what goes around comes around and the full circle has been completed. Ya know things were simpler years ago, at least it seems that way to me. I have nothing against technology , but I do watch it closely to make sure the gear doesn't become the focus instead of the fish as the focus.

Going back to basic gear is alot simpler than todays gear of course. Personally I don't want to go back to the stone age of cane poles cause I'm too old now and will settle on old gear slightly in the Neanderthal era!!!! by no means modern but vintage is in alot of cases more durable than todays offerings in rods.

Yep like you I funded the fishing habit with paper route money also and had a greater respect for the gear then, than people do now . Apparently some folks just look at gear as stuff to be simply replaced when the need comes up.
You are absolutely right on about the simplicity of your gear and happy for you to go back to your youth and what it meant to you.
Glad you are here and look forward to some more of your input!!!

Permalink Reply by Vince Fusco on June 28, 2012 at 6:27pm

My fishing buddy and I each bought Bronson Spincast reels at a 5&10 store back in the very early 60's. I wish I still had mine. We would ride our bikes down to the store, and all but drool over those reels. We collected soda bottles to pay for our reels. I am not sure just how much they cost but I am sure it wasn't more than a couple of bucks. Back then we rode our bikes everywhere. We would fish a harbor off the Mississippi River that had several old wooden barges that were taken out of service and falling apart. We caught a lot of Bluegills around these old barges, and once in a while a small bass. Reading about your Bronson reel brought back some good memories to me.

Permalink Reply by DAVID L EITUTIS on June 28, 2012 at 6:35pm

THOSE WERE THE DAYS VINCE!!!!!!! We used to have a canal here called the ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN CANAL and as kids we were down there lots of weekends during the summer trying to catch crappies by the old pilings that the barges tied up to. Didn't have any minnows , just some cane poles and a coffee can full of worms ! IT was high tech for us then, but had a ball and caught a few fish even!

Permalink Reply by jim cosgrove on June 27, 2012 at 9:25am

great story david,brings me back to growing up on the south side of chicago.we had to take a bus to bus to fish and believe it or not it was not uncommon to see people on the bus with rods and buckets of fish.we go to the park lagoons and sneak into the golf course and cemetary ponds.there was at least one bait shop in most neighborhoods back then.rarely see kids fishing on their own anymore .usually younger kids with their parents.can't compete with all the vid games and such.very few smal bait and tackle shops around.very few hobby shops either and god forbid a kid might want a shotgun.i got my first one when i was 12.was allowed to keep in my closet,never shot at anything but a duck ,pheasant or rabbit.

Permalink Reply by DAVID L EITUTIS on June 27, 2012 at 11:05am

HEY JIM GREAT STORY OF THE PAST and I appreciate you posting it. No one could probably get on a bus now with fishing tackle , much less a bucket of fish!

I"m sure the local TACTICAL UNIT would be called and the culprit kids removed at gun point from the public transportation at gun point!!!!!!! Sick world we live in when the police , GESTAPO, up in the city can respond to any and all such events.

Aren't you glad you don't live about 35 miles northeast of were you are!!!!

Yep when I was a kid there were at least 6 tackle stores in my town and I visited em all on a regular basis , when I had paper route money burning a hole in my pocket!

They are all gone now and it's a shame too that our kids will never relive those days of yours and my youth and memories.

Permalink Reply by Leo Nguyen on June 27, 2012 at 11:18am

Amen to that. We live in a sick world nowadays. It's filled with insecurities, greeds, and selfishness. We need to teach the next generations the old values that have benefits our human race for millenia: sacrifice, dilligence, willingness to share, and discipline.

Permalink Reply by jim cosgrove on June 27, 2012 at 12:05pm

one of the reasons i like to fish public water is i only see other fishermen and women.we all for that short period of time that in common.it is rare to pass another angler without a'how ya doing,doing any good',or something about the weather etc.everyone seems relaxed yet focused on the fishing and the scenery.

Permalink Reply by DAVID L EITUTIS on June 27, 2012 at 5:54pm

YEP LEO HOW RIGHT YOU ARE. I guess it would be easy to say the kids today have it so much better than we did , but I just don't believe it and here's why.

We take for granted the memories of the past of simpler days , but that's just the way it was then. We never thought much about what we'd do when we grew up and got a real job etc. Can you imagine for a second the stresses and anguish the kids go through today on a regular basis.
GOT TO GO TO COLLEGE SO WE CAN GET A GOOD JOB, PIC THE RIGHT WIFE SO HAPPINESS WILL FOLLOW US ALL OUR DAYS, RAISE A GOOD FAMILY WITH THE RIGHT VALUES.
Leo for me at least I'm glad I won't be around 30 years from now beccause if stuff doesn't change on a fundamental basis , the kids of today are DOOMED!!

IIIIIIIIIIIF you raise your kids right with values etc. you can only hope for the best because at every turn today are temptations of unimaginable proportions on a daily basis for our kids and grandkids !

Sorry for venting Leo but I have way too much time on my hands and think about my poor grand kids daily and what they are going to go through in their lives ahead.

In the GOOD OLE DAYS all you had to worry about for me was making my Dad mad and not to sass, especially elderly folks! That was the ultimate mistake at my house .

Another worry was what bait would I use for Bass next so I could try and catch one as big as my older brothers fish! AAAAAAAAAAAAAALOT SIMPLER THEN MY FRIEND , but we just can't go back.

Permalink Reply by Leo Nguyen on June 27, 2012 at 6:01pm

Amen brother. Amen. My kids are well acquainted with the "Don't make dad mad." When mommy said, "Your dad will be mad at you.." they look at her as if the world just stopped for a moment. However, I do treat them with utmost respect and love, of course, with strict discipline. The proper value of the past is getting passed onto them.