What's it all about - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

bart · 11-26-2012, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canalman

Ron you're very lucky to have had the experiences you had and I think almost all of us would agree with what you've said about passing on the trade and tricks of it. Half the kids I see these days have the complexion of a bone Red Fin and talk about vampires and video games more than they do about building a fort, riding bikes or going fishing--it kills me. I feel like we're nearing the last great generation of fishermen and its not going to be because of a lack of fish like we all thought. It's sad, really sad. Fishing has run my life since I was 8 years old and I take a lot of comfort from hearing about or meeting people that might be more than twice my age that are still hammering it--I know this will be a lifelong passion and I do try to pass on as much as I can whenever the opportunity arises.

The bit you added about spot burning is an unfortunate side effect of the internet. The reason it was not a worry back in your younger years is because information didn't travel like it does now. There are hordes of "anglers" who spend their free time trolling these boards looking for someone to post a telling photo, or worse, a good report detailing where and how they knocked 'em dead last night. This is where so many of today's newer fishermen are being sold short by their own greed and need to prove that they can hang with the "big boys". They are not learning anything about why the fish are in spot A or how to locate their own hotspots. And unfortunately quite a few very good spots have been chewed up pretty badly by these occasional errant posts or revealing photos. In a time where so many owners of waterfront property appear to have skipped a few days in nursery school (No, they're MY LEGOS!) and access is dwindling by the day... location specific information simply has to be kept on the downlow in my opinion. And a great amount of care has to be given to choosing who this information is given to even on a person to person basis. It's crazy, and yes, you might argue that this behavior might suggest that I skipped the same days in nursery school--but I've seen what happens when too much info is shared and it's not pretty.

I wish I met Bob Pond and Stan Gibbs!

-Dave

I think this whole post pretty much nails it on the head. Well said...

I met Stan Gibbs' son (I forget his name, I think he had long white hair) down at the canal one day when I was probably 15 so this was 14 years ago. I was working a Gibbs pencil when he approached me and told me I fished the pencil exactly how his father intended it to be fished. To me, that was like the biggest compliment anyone could have ever paid me, especially coming from him.

Mike P · 11-26-2012, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bart

I think this whole post pretty much nails it on the head. Well said...

I met Stan Gibbs' son (I forget his name, I think he had long white hair) down at the canal one day when I was probably 15 so this was 14 years ago. I was working a Gibbs pencil when he approached me and told me I fished the pencil exactly how his father intended it to be fished. To me, that was like the biggest compliment anyone could have ever paid me, especially coming from him.

Both Bruce and "Eagle" had long white hair. Bruce is on the thin side. "Eagle" on the other hand, was, uh, a bit "rotund".

Eagle wore a lot of Indian jewelry.

I never saw Bruce around the Canal very much (he lives and works in Chatham), so it was probably Eagle.

FishermanTim · 11-26-2012, 03:09 PM

Back in the mid 90's, before I had fully switched from bait dunking to lure casting, I was fishing a bridge in Duxbury.
After having an epithany over night, I was approched by a local regular (Santa) who offered me one of his Storm Shads to try.
In my haste I proceeded to cast and snap off that lure and that was it.

Needless to say, I went out and purchased my own, gave him one of my new ones as a "return of the loaner" and thanked him for the tip.

Now I find myself donating some of my plastics every season to newbies that haven't fully learned rigging and fishing techniques.
Most times the receiving parties include kids that may not have ever caught anything, but are willing to try.

All in all it's a win-win scenario, as it gives me a reason to restock my own supplies for future trips.

bart · 11-26-2012, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike P

Both Bruce and "Eagle" had long white hair. Bruce is on the thin side. "Eagle" on the other hand, was, uh, a bit "rotund".

Eagle wore a lot of Indian jewelry.

I never saw Bruce around the Canal very much (he lives and works in Chatham), so it was probably Eagle.

Thanks for the info. For some reason I remember someone saying that his name was Eagle, but I don't remember him being "rotund" as you so eloquently put it

I was down at the east end if that makes any difference. I grew up admiring surfcasters and the pioneers within the industry, so I felt like I had met fishing royalty

Mike P · 11-27-2012, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bart

Thanks for the info. For some reason I remember someone saying that his name was Eagle, but I don't remember him being "rotund" as you so eloquently put it

I was down at the east end if that makes any difference. I grew up admiring surfcasters and the pioneers within the industry, so I felt like I had met fishing royalty

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that Eagle's given name was Stan Jr. Many, many years ago, he was walking across the Sagamore Bridge, when he claimed that an eagle's feather fell out of the sky and landed on his head. He took this as a sign from the heavens to explore his Indian roots, and took on an unpronounceable Wampanoag name. So people started calling him Eagle instead of the new name he chose, and he adopted it. He kind of always "marched to a different beat". I heard that he had a stroke and passed away a year or so ago. He put on a lot of weight later in life, and walked with a cane--suitably inscribed with Indian artwork. He may have shared his dad's interest (and skill) in woodcarving.

The third son, John, was the one that Stan designated as his lure making successor. But John was always more interested in fishing than in spinning wood. He sold the company twice. Once in the early 80s to a mail order place in Falmouth called The Tackle Box, and then finally in the late 1980s to Jim Griecci. Who, like John, was always more interested in his other interests, like skiing, than turning plugs. Then the current owners bought the company. John moved to Florida, and now makes custom bowling balls, or so I've heard. He also caught the distance casting bug. I think he still competes, though he never got quite as good as Ron Arra and Big Dave.