Throughout my 30+ years of tackle collecting I have noted how many collectors don't seem to understand the use of the tackle they are collecting, or viewing. When you realize that most of our current collectors started fishing with spinning or spincast tackle and plastic lures, this becomes understandable. 

On these pages we are going to post articles, advertisements, and other written tidbits from newspapers and magazines from the 1800s (and maybe a venture into the first decade of the 1900s now and then). Our hope is that these writings will give those who care to read them an idea of what it was like back then. These articles will all be archived..

Jug Fishing

       “Jack  Parsons, an old fisherman on Lake Bomoseen, Vermont, is responsible for the following story: While fishing one day he had an old brown stone jug that he was very fond of in the boat, and when taking a nip it fell overboard. A long time he mourned its loss and would fish for hours on the spot where it had sunk.

       “Some years afterward, while anchored on the ground and as usual fishing, he had a bite and pulled up twice, but did not catch the fish; the third time he hooked it, and, as he expressed it, thought he had the bottom of the lake on his line, but at length managed to pull up the line, and behold, it was his jug, but with a fish inside.

“When young the fish had been attracted by the whiskey in the jug, entered the mouth, and lived on the spirit until it was too large to get out. Three times he had dropped his line in the mouth of the jug, catching the fish the last time. Some of the liquor still left he poured out and drank, and then taking the jug on shore he made a fire, cooked the fish in its own juice and whisky flavor, and ate it with a corkscrew."

Forest & Stream, July 7, 1887 

Ans B. Decker's Prize Bass

DO LARGE MOUTH FIGHT?

The Story of First Prize Winner

by ANS B. DECKER

The last week of October was gradually growing to a close, and up to date I had not succeeded in landing a bass weighing eight pounds or over, which would be necessary for me to carry off first prize offered by Field & Stream. However, I had not given up hope, as in previous years of my fishing I had caught three large-mouthed bass weighing ten pounds and a trifle over, and I was pretty sure that there were left in Lake Hopatcong a few brothers or cousins of the whopper that I had already caught, or perhaps I might have the good luck to come in contact with their grandfather. One can never tell for sure what the catch will be when they bite right.

The 27th downed warm and cloudy, with wind in the southwest;... At 7 a.m. I was off, two lines trolling from the back of the boat and my casting rod laying across the seats in such a position that it could be quickly taken. I might here state that all the tackle used by me, except line and reel (Meisselbach Takapart, Ed.), was made by myself, and as it has always made a fine showing I was satisfied that I would get the best results from its use...

As I reeled in my trolling line one of the treble hooks on the "Troller" in some way or other managed to hook to a small yellow perch, which was about two-thirds the size of the bait. As I pulled him in I had to laugh to myself to think of the nerve such a fish had to tackle a bait almost twice the size of himself. After I had unhooked him and told him what a fool he was, I gave him a toss over in the shallow water and started to turn my boat around so as to get over into my casting grounds.

Splash! and something hit the water with a resounding whack, which fairly made me jump off my seat. Turning round, I could see a wake in the water in the direction I had thrown the perch, and I knew that he had gone to his happy hunting grounds..

Quickly grabbing my rod, fitted with my surface water bait, I gauged the distance and cast out about sixty feet of line in the direction which I supposed the bass, for such I surmised that he was, had taken. There was no result, however, and I inwardly cussed myself for having wasted time trolling when I might have been taking a try at the likes of the one which had just jumped. Well, "Faint  of heart ne'er won fair lady," so I decided to give him another trial, so, picking out a large boulder, which just lay under water about ten feet to the right of the first cast, I swung my bait around my head and let her go.

The bait no sooner hit the water than - Holy Moses - jumping-wildcats! No words can describe the pandemonium and hubbub which broke loose in that vicinity. The water around the bait fairly boiled, my rod bent double, and the row was on.

Around the stern of the boat like a locomotive, with the line switching through the water like a buzz saw. Would it hold when I snubbed him? No sooner thought than back he came, and I reeled frantically so as not to give him any slack. As he passed the stern of the boat he gave a mighty jump, and then I knew that I had a prize winner. As he came from the water he shook his head like an angry bull, and I could have sworn I saw a challenge of defiance in his eyes. Not a bit of line did I give him as he headed for the rock from under which he came, and around which I knew that he would wrap the line. As I pulled he sulked and stopped short like a log, and for a fraction of a second I thought he had gone. But no! Around he came, back for the boat; if he got underneath he was lost to the contest, but luck was with me and I held him with my rod bent as it had never bent before. Quickly grabbing the landing net, I passed it under him and hauled him in. What a beauty! As I looked upon this gasping, heaving king of the Sweet Waters I felt sorry that I could not return him to the crystal depths from which he had come. But, no; I was out for a prize winner, and I had him.

Quickly I rowed across the lake up to the Hollywood Hotel, where I weighed and measured him up while glasses clinked to the prize winner large mouth caught within forty-five miles of New York City. Date, October 27, 1911; place, Lake Hopatcong, near Sperry Springs. Weight 8 pounds 8 ounces. Tackle used, sassafras rod, made by myself; weight 8 ounces; length, 7 feet; line, Alta No 7; bait, Decker surface water, three single hooks, white color; Meisselbach reel.

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OK, I fudged a bit again, for this report was reported in the June 1912 Field & Stream magazine, but should be of interest of tackle collectors.

Fishing in the 1800's Archives