The Spoonpluggers Forum

Here's a video of when I spent a few days at Bucks Baits... Exactly 23 years ago today!!

Seems like yesterday....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THLSpYRi0w4

Spent a day there in 1980...Just about everything was the same as in your film.
Sharon (his daughter) was doing the painting and Buck was ticked cause the EPA made him switch from Lead based paints and he said the new paints weren't sticking.
Scott was too young to be doing anything.
He invited me to stay over for dinner in their home next door (as I recall).
Stanley, his son in law was able to rush me to the airport, since I lost track of time talking with the entire family.
Fond memories...cherish this video.

Jim,

Thanks for posting the video. Brought back a lot of memories. I, too, was there about 1980. Like to have never found the shop. It was non-descript at best, with trees and brush grown up all around it. No sign. No nothing. Had to call to find the shop to get directions (I had kept driving past, I was looking for a modern type structure!). Back then it was located behind and across the street from a bowling alley.

Touring Buck's Baits was like stepping back in time. Nothing changed much over the years and I was amazed at the equipment need and the amount of work required to produce a Spoonplug. Much more involved that I had imagined. Looking at all the equipment (Machines) in the shop I was again amazed at the genius of Buck Perry. Either he made or adapted every piece of equipment necessary to manufacture a Spoonplug. The No-Bo apparatus was particularly ingenious.

I, also, remember Mr. Perry fussing about the EPA requirements that prevented him from using paints he had used for years. The new paint did not stick well on the Spoonplugs, although the fish did not care one way or the other. (Scott at Buck's Baits uses a powder type coating that works very well and is EPA approved).

I made another trip to Buck's Baits just before the shop was moved and torn down, about '97 or '98. Still looked just liked it did back in 1980, with even more trees and brush grown up around the place. As the city of Hickory moved east toward Buck's Baits, which was a one time out in the country, the land became quite valuable and Mr. Perry sold his house and the plant site. Good to see the old place once again.

TN Dave