Back to days of spinner baits & blue plastic worms

[possumal]

Since all the FNF members seem to really enjoy seeing pictures of the "Good old days", I thought it might be enjoyable for ya to visit the days when working spinner baits and blue plastic 9" plastic worms, usually by Lindy's (Al Linder) was my passion like predator hunting has been for the past 17 years going on 18.  It sure makes me miss my dear brother, Floyd, and a great fishing buddy, John Rankin, who has been dead about 20 years now.  Man, the times I had with both those dudes!

First, here is a picture of a one day catch made by John Rankin and your own possumal, on John Kerr Reservoir on the NC/Va. border.  We were using a spinner bait that was our favorite at the time, "Chain Lake Shaggy Dog", a 2 blades in line lure marketed by Bass Pro.  The lure was perfect for buzzing or bringing it back just under the surface across flooded willows, buck bushes and the like.  Catch John Kerr up in those buck bushes in the spring, and it was dandy.  Sorry about the quality of the picture as it was taken with a standard Brownie that John carried.  17 bass, none under 3 lbs. and up to 7 lbs. This was spring of 1972.




Next, is a picture of 38 bass caught in two days by yours truly and Charlie Webb, fishing out of Florence Marina on Lake Eufaula.  All caught on hellbenders, crawfish pattern. Total weight 152 lbs., with the 9 lb. one being held in my hand the biggest. He is also the 9 lb. largemouth in the picture of my two mounted bass in my "Man cave". This was taken in March 1970. Man was I skinny then!  





Next is a picture of part of the biggest string of bass I was ever in on.  Biff Carter, of Lexington, Ky., and I fished 2 1/2 days on Lake Newnan, just out of Gainesville, FL, after wasting 2 days on Okeechobbee with the wind blowing our brains out, and 1/2 day in the Ford dealership at Clewiston, Fla. getting Biff's brand new Ford pickup repaired.  Back wheel bearings on both sides went out at the same time. There was a total of 52 bass all caught on 9" Lindy's plastic worms. We were testing for Al Linder at the time.  Don't remember the total weight of the 52 bass, but none on this picture board are under 6 lbs. with the biggest just over 11 lbs. Spring of 1972.




Last but not least in my mind, is your own possum holding the two biggest bass my dear brother, Floyd, and I ever caught. We were fishing Lake Jackson just out of Talahassee, FL, which was formed out of  old salt pits according to the locals. The magazine all said that Lake Jackson would nearly disappear underground in time of drought, but would always come back strong when the water level got back to normal. Lot of bass around 20 lbs. were reportedly caught there. These two were 17 lbs. and 16 1/2 lbs, and we left them with a a taxidermist who lives in the area. He moved away with our fish and our deposit. I hope he drowned in one of those salt pits (lol). This was in 1970.




Here are the only two I ever had mounted (and actually got back). The 9 lb.l largemouth on the top right is out of that Lake Eufaula picture, and the 7 1/2 lb. smallmouth came out of lake Cumberland, caught on doll fly with pork rind at night with my brother, Floyd. We spent one night or one day a week on Lake Cumberland in those days. Did I mention how bad I miss him?

[FinsnFur]

Holy crap there's some real bucket mouths.

I guess I now I know why there's not many big ones left anywhere

Seriously though we have to commend our Departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Game, for the wonderful job they are doing in managing things. With the size slots, limits, seasons and things.

Fishing gets worse and worse every year.

[possumal]

Jimbo, I know what you mean about the management thing.  Catch and release was not even heard of in my "Bill Dance" days, and we caught stringer after stringer of big smallmouth on Lake Cumberland, Dale Hollow, Center Hill, and Smith Mountain reservoir.  Ate em all too without slowing down the fishing a bit. I was feeding 5 little possums then and had to give my wife a little something to eat too.

My brother, Floyd, and I would go to Center Hill, rent one of those heavy wooden rental boats, put our 18 hp motor on it and a small kicker motor (No trolling motors even invented at that time), and he'd handle the skull paddle on the front of the boat if the wind would let him, or I'd fire up the little kicker motor and just hold against the wind with it.  Those big smallmouths in big schools would come up and feed on shad on the surface, and we'd fish a "Cedar stump" lure, kind of a jerk bait made in that area, and catch anywhere for 10 to 20 of those big rascals in a day.  There would sometimes be maybe 5 or 6 other boats, mostly locals, who would know what was happening and they'd be doing the same things as us.

Dale Hollow at night with a black doll fly and pork rind (We made our own doll flies with a special mold designed by the famous bass fisherman, Billy Burns, and the hair was real honest to goodness prime polar bear hair.  It would come in to us about 5 inches long, and we'd tie the doll flies leaving it full length and then trim it.  We'd take the Pedigo black and white pork rind and take a fillet knife and slice it up real good on the top side.  That rig looked so real sinking with that polar bear hair breathing, and the body of the fly was mold designed to where it sat on the bottom with the polar bear hair and rind angle upwards, and every time you lifted that thing a little and let it fall, the breathing action of that polar bear hair and rind would start again.  You had to develop a good touch where you could feel them suck it in, and the big ones felt just like the stump bass in that regard. Things changed a lot when it was one of those 5 lb. plus smallies.

In my opinion, which many of today's bass fisherman would disagree  with, is that BASS did a lot of good for the fisherman, but they got rich doing it at the expense of propogating the sport too much, resulting in not being able to find a place to launch your boat sometimes. If they didn't have all the rules they now have, with as many fishermen as there are, there wouldn't be any good fishing at all.   

[alscalls]

Thanks for sharring those Al.....As I enjoyed them......

[possumal]

Alscalls Al, my W.V. pal, I wanted to post some of those pictures ever since I have been fooling around with forums, especially this one, but I miss my brother so bad that I just can't handle too much.  God blessed me with the best parents anyone could ever ask for, and since there was 13 years difference between Floyd and me, he ended up more or less being dad, brother, and best friend.  Dad was working so hard at the City Plant as a mechanic, 5 1/2 day week, that it didn't leave him much time. Being a mechanic up there was a lot different than working in a specialty garage.   He had to work on the big garbage trucks, police cruisers, police motorcycles, even changing tires on those big garbage trucks. Let me just say his grip being so good was not surprising.  Floyd took me to ball games, fishing, hunting, and taught me to pitch baseball, leading to high school  and American Legion ball with top players, state championships, and making lifelong friends that I am still close to. I don't think I will ever fully recover from his passing away. Glad you enjoyed the pictures.

[Todd Rahm]

Thanks Al, those are great pictures and that one has some honkers in it. 

[KySongDog]

Those are great pictures, Al, and even greater memories.     Thanks for sharing a part of your life with us.  

In my opinion, which many of today's bass fisherman would disagree  with, is that BASS did a lot of good for the fisherman, but they got rich doing it at the expense of propogating the sport too much, resulting in not being able to find a place to launch your boat sometimes

I have heard that comment from other fishermen as well.  I also recently heard it applied to predator hunting due to a certain new national hunting organization that just launched.  

[iahntr]

Very cool pics Al, and nice story too.
Thanks a lot for sharin em with us.
Scott

[weedwalker]

WOW !! Those are some great bass Al. The days of catches like those are long gone. There's so many boats out there fishing now it's hard to find a spot to get close to the bank.
Back in the day, the Manns 8" blue worm was my favorite. I still buy 'em if I find 'em in a store. And they still catch fish.

[possumal]

My neighbor went to Ky. Lake last fall and just literally killed the bass on crank baits down in the dam area.  Catch just the right wind on the areas he was fishing, and you can clean up on them.  Your best opportunity these days is early winter and right in winter.  A lot less pressure and less boats.  My brother and I used to just literally kill smallmouth in early winter on Cumberland and Dale Hollow.  They would jump all over Bomber Model A's in the fall starting about mid November. When the water got too cold for them to really chase baits like that, we'd switch over to either a black doll fly with black or white rind, or a white doll fly with either pork rind. It was so cold on days that we caught big bass that most guys would stay home, but we went as long as we could get there. Sometimes we'd throw that doll fly over the limbs on the outer part of fallen trees on deep banks, and just kind of twitch it once in a while.  One of those big old bass would damn near break your wrist when they would suck in that doll fly and head for the bottom.  I have always believed, and so did my brother, that if you hooked a 7 lb. smallmouth lip to lip with a 7 lb. largemouth or 7 lb. trout, the smallie would drown the other one.
      The last thing Floyd told me on Thursday evening, just before he passed away on Sunday morning, was "Brother, I sure wish we could get after those bass."  Laying there on his death bed and still wanting to go fishing.  He loved it more than anyone I have ever known, and both caught and lost more big smallmouth than anybody has any right to expect in two lifetimes.  Well, I can't see the screen on the monitors for my wet eyes, so I'll close for now.