Feb 1980 part 2

[site admin]

Sorry.. a couple of pages did not copy well.....

[GDS]

My Oh My, who is that handsome fellow on page 6 holding that Musky!
I'll have to dig up the leather bound, limited edition of the "Green Book" I got for catching that fish on the contest day.
Buck wrote about a page in that book, all I can remember now is "Don't let the hat fit too tight"! The contest was for the biggest
Walleye, Smallmouth or Northern Pike. Musky were not included, but were soon added!!!
I had a copy of that , but have not seen it in a while, thru 3 moves!

[Steve Craig]

Gary,
I well remember seeing your pic when that issue came out the first time. I was supposed to be on that trip and class, but had to back out due to a prior commitment.
That school was an awesome one.
Steve

[Kevin McClure]

Did anybody notice Mr. Perry's boat on pg. 78? Talk about traveling light! I'm envious. The strange thing is that this looks like a very small boat, so you would expect it to be full. Even Don Dickson, if you have seen some of his videos, had a full boat with stuff strategically placed throughout it. At least for me, it kind of puts things in perspective, sinse nobody caught fish like Mr. Perry did! I have way to much stuff on my boat! LOL

[Steve Craig]

Kevin,
If I remember correctly, that pic with Buck was a promotion picture for the boat, and the reason almost no stuff in there with him.
I had bought one of that very same design in March of 1979. It was a great boat.

Also, I believe we all tend to carry too much stuff with us.
I remember my first trip to Florida, and Tom Ferencek told me to get one trolling rod and one casting rod and my tackle box.
When he saw my box, he about fell out of the boat. WAYYYY too much stuff in it.
He then proceeded to grab a 3"x3"x8" cardboard box out of his truck and said that it would be my tackle box for the week! I put one spoonplug of each size in the box, one plastic worm, one spinnerbait,one jig, and a slip sinker or two. I fished the entire week with those items and didnt need anything else.
It was a great lesson for me, and Tommy reminded me of it at the end of the week!
To this very day, I am always removing tackle I dont really need to make room!

[GDS]

Steve you are exactly right about the promo shot of Buck in the boat. I think Tommy and Don had to almost force Buck into that boat, too fancy for him, imagine that! I also had that boat, then later went to a 15' troller. They were nice boats, but the craftsmanship and materials were not the best!

When we were on that trip, someone somewhere told Buck he couldn't catch a fish on a Clothes Pin. He was determined to do it and of course caught a pike on one! I believe there were just the 12 members of the Ohio Spoonspluggers at that class, sorry you couldn't make it!

Happy Birthday Kevin, any fishing presents?

[Bryan-AZ]

You know you had a good day on the water when your landing net breaks in half while bringing one in!

[TN Dave]

Gary and Steve,

You are right. Mr. Perry in the Spoonplugger boat was photo to be used in the sales brochure for the boat.

The boat was small, 13 1/2 feet. While the boat did handle easily, the quality of construction was sadly lacking. I had the whole rear section of the floor come completely out of the boat I bought.. The builder, Cronenwett, had used particle board for the floor, rather than marine plywood. Traded for a second boat, no warranty, got the shaft of the deal, and still did not end up with a better boat.

The 15' Troller model that Don Dickson used was of much improved quality...some are still in use today.

Good memories in those old articles....and a lot of good Spoonplugging information.

Note: I have an old photo of Mr. Perry's Haulin' Bass Boat from a trip to Florida...crammed full of stuff, old camera, rods, Spoonplugs thrown in a coffee can, the requisite coffe cup and spoon..looked like a real fishing boat.

TN Dave

[Kevin McClure]

Was this a Don Dickson boat that was having the quality problems? If it was, I bet Don Dickson wasn't real happy about it. This is a man that wore a suit at a fishing presentaion/class. A true professional from what I have seen and heard about him.

Thanks for the wishes, GDS. I got a new, high quality Dewalt cordless drill, which I'm using to work on the boat and a new fishing bag to carry tools and my soft plastics.

[GDS]

The boats were made by West Penn boats in Butler, PA. by Jimmt Cronowitz( or however Steve spelled it). I believe Don was helping promote them some. I had mushrooms growing in both of mine out of the floor plywood, of course I used mine 3 or 4 days a week too! Back in the day when I was young, single!

I also had the Boston Whaler they wanted to use as the mold for the Troller boats. Least I was told this by the owner in Pittsburg!

[Kevin McClure]

GDS, Thanks for the comeback and the good info. I know Don Dickson didn't actually make his own boats but I know he worked long and hard with a manufacturer to get the boat the way he wanted it: Size, weight and maneuverability, etc. In one of his tapes, he mentions this. He talks about going through several molds before getting it right. (Not sure if this was the same boat, but it has that look) I really admired Don Dicikson's dedication and attention to detail. I'm sure it took lots of patience.

[TN Dave]

Kevin,

The boat Don Dickson used, a15' version, was made by the same people, Troller Boats, Butler, PA. Owned by the Cronenwetts.

The 15' boat was just an improved version of the original 13 1/2' Spoonplugger boat. Don and Tommy Ferenck got the Troller Boat folks to build a bigger boat so they (Don and Tommy) could have more room for doing Spoonplugging training. The 15' boat could accomodate 2 students with an instructor. Also, the 15' boat was rated for a 40HP outboard which made for some what faster runs, especially with 3 folks on board. A 15 hp outboard on the 15' boat would have been way under powered.

TN Dave

[Kevin McClure]

TN Dave, Thanks for the info. In all sincerity, I always enjoy the history of Spoonplugging and those that went ahead of folks like me. Knowing that there were two sizes of the Spoonplugging boat is a good thing. I remember Don Dickson, on his Videos, talking about wanting to keep the boat as light as possible. I'm sure you have to balance that out with other things like fishing gear and having others in the boat. Steve, Fran and other Spoonpluggers were talking about that when they were giving me advice on purchasing a new boat. That you have to balance those things out: weight and maneuverability vs. practical needs. Thanks again. Kevin