Have been busy

I've been too busy working since the beginning of this year, but now I'm feeling I've passed the most critical time. Now, I'm preparing for my fishing season 2017, and would like to go out for fishing as soon as possible.

Here's my album in Jan-March.

Last fishing, cancelled

As always, we were planning to go to the last fishing trip on 29th Dec to enjoy jig-fishing in the Sea of Japan, but this year the weather didn't permit. It was too bad for us not to be able to prepare fresh fish for new-year dishes, but we have to give it up. I packed up my jigging tackle until next time.

Now, let me show you a few nice items I recently got.

The first one is a Musky Jitterbug in red coachdog color. This color is one of my favorites among Fred Arbogast lures, and I'm feeling very happy to be able to add one in my collection.

I also got a yellow coachdog one. I have had one (the back one), but got a variation in the same color code (near side one). I was not thinking these two would have the same color, but according to serious collectors of Fred Arbogast lures, the difference derives from the production eras.

I could renewed my cold-season waders during this off fishing season. I wanted a pair of stocking-foot ones, but it was very difficult to find them here. Then I decided to purchase rubber-sole ones instead. Due to large size of my feet, I had to choose XL, which is a little baggy around my body, but it's ok because I only use them in early spring and late fall. I'm looking forward to try them in the next fishing season (hopefully in March).

Nice box

Today, I received some lures from a good US friend of mine. I'm happy with them, and let me show you them.

Storm Shallo Mac lure in fluorescent rainbow color (Storm color code: #68). This looks like a saltwater fish named as 'rainbow runner'. 

An old rotary topwater bait named 'Top Kick'. I know nothing about this bait, but it looks like a bug and I believe good for summer topwater fishing.

A nice crisp box for Heddon 9540 (Chugger Spook) was also enclosed. This box is marked for CRWS color. How lucky I am, I have one without a box in my collection!

 

Reinforced-rig Zara Spook

I often use old Zara Spook lures these days. Among them, I like to cast ones with reinforced-rigs, which are so called "Second version Zara Spook" in Japan. Of course I like their dog-walk actions combined with brisk diving, but the reason I chose them in summer is...their snag-less shape and weight. Branches and leaves of overhung trees are so thick and dense during this season, but these baits are very hard to be caught by them. If you use lighter lures, they're easy to be snagged. These Second version Zara Spooks are the heaviest among similar Zara Spook lures (except for larger Super Spooks), and most snag-less, I believe. I'm now wondering which ones to put into my box next.

       

Smith's PG

Have you ever heard about Lucky 13 lures painted in Japan? They're called 'Smith's Factory colors', which Smith co. (Japan) import the authorized lure blanks from Heddon and paint them in factories in Japan. The colors are re-created authentically as old Heddon colors, and look very beautiful. 

I find a new color, PG (Golden Shiner), for this year, which I like very much. I almost mail-ordered one or two, but I thought I needed to check my inventory before it. I didn't know, but I have a total of five PG's in my boxes! It seems I should forgo to buy this time...

My type

Wood lures are not as homogenous as plastic lures, so I believe collecting "my own type" is more important.

Regarding Heddon Basser, my favorite ones are 'Heddon (not Head-on) Basser' with a little rounded body. Most of these have so-called heavy duty rigs and come with a shorter jaw.

I pay much attention to glass eyes, too. I like large-pupilled eyes. They look mischievous but tender. Like Jennifer Beals or Phoebe Cates (I was a big fan of both when I was a teenager).

Of course, this kind of the earlier models are premium.

Eye

I've recently bought some vintage wood lures. Some of them are for my collection, and others are for fishing. Today, I changed boxes for them today. Like hermit crabs, my lures always require a larger box as they increase in numbers. 

Old glass-eye lures always lure me, and I can't help gazing at them. All of my lures are not in excellent condition, but you can see how beautiful they are.
 

These are ones that I'm planning to use for fishing in this coming season (below). I think I have to check the hooks of them, and change some if necessary. 

 

S8500

I asked one of my good friends in the US to find wood lures to fish with (not for collection) for me. In the beginning of this year, he sent some to me. I started clearing them, and have been trying to repair the paints and hardware. I felt very strange about one of them. It is a Heddon Basser (#8500), but all three hooks are mounted on the belly with bar hardware and it has no tail hook. I was thinking one of the previous owners changed the hardware and the position of tail hook.

However, when I checked Tom's website (Lure Lore), I found a different series number in Heddon Basser. Yes, code number S8500. According to the information there, it is the code number for Saltwater Basser, and the bar hardware and positions of the tail hook are peculiar to S8500. I'm very happy to know mine is one of them.

Below are other lures that I cleaned and refinished. I'd like to go fishing with these in the next fishing season.

 

good day, good encounters

I visited my friend's fishing tackle shop today, and spent hours there. What I got are a used canoe paddle, CCBO Wigglefish (reproduction model), NIP Johnson's Silver Minnow Weedless, a new floating tube, and so on. I have several Wigglefish lures in the same color, but I wanted to have one for fishing. I met many people and had a good time there.
 

Large Mouse

I seldom cast Japanese lures while I bass fish, but have been looking for some (not so many) for my collection. One is an Alpha and Craft Large Mouse in original size in gray mouse color. I once had one in the early 1990s, but I've lost it. 

In the end of 2015, I happened to bought a used one from a seller, and have been looking forward to it. I received it last week, and when I opened the package, I got disappointed. I found it a Large Mouse Big, not one in the original size that I wanted.  

This bait, however, is a battle-scarred veteran and I like the teeth marks very much. I decided to keep it in my collection. My collection journey will last.

Pictures

I've just uploaded some pictures of my lure collection on my Instagram pages.

Merry Christmas

Basser

I'm getting more and more interested in Heddon Head-on Basser lures. I've never used them for fishing, and would like to know how differently they work from Lucky 13's.

 

Rough paint

It's getting colder and colder, but I'd like to have a few more chances to go fishing during this year. I also started off-season routine, listing and organizing my reels, rods, and lures in the boxes and drawers. It is time-consuming, but interesting.
 
I got some wood lures for starters. I like old wood lures. Some among them are painted very beautifully, I'd rather say graciously, such as old Heddon lures. On the other hand, some are painted roughly ( I mean "simply" ) and have rustic appearance that I also like very much.

These are NIB Gilmore wood lures, Super Jumper, Large Jumper, and Hoodler. Their painting scheme is simple, but looks attractive for me.

Fred Arbogast made some wooden rustic lures, too. These (below) are named 'Scudder'. They're big but I believe good for bass as well. Older ones have dent eyes, while newer ones have plain painted eyes. Of course I like older ones much better. 

Wounded Spook, a transitional one?

Today, I received a Wounded Spook in silver shore color. Looks different from other ones? Yes, it has silver scales on the back and belly. It must be one of the transitional Wounded Spooks made during 1970-1971, when the painting method of eyes (black pupils) were changed from hand-stumping to air-spraying. These lures are often called "one-year Heddons" and I haven't seen many of them.

Good product

I went fishing in a flat shallow farm pond early in the morning today, but got skunked again. I could get no vital reaction from fish. Nothing, at all. Anyway, the sky was clean, and I saw many typical fall clouds in the sky as well as on the water surface. Lily pads are now dying, suggesting my bass fishing season will soon be over. I'd like to one or two more nice bass before I finish this season.

By the way, I finally found a good chemical product to restore faded plastic parts of my rods and reels. Unpainted black plastic parts often get faded, and turn white or matte across the ages. Fox example, knobs, bodies, and spools of ABU reels, Fuji reel handles, and so on. I had often polished them using compounds, or oiled them, but they were not improved.

This product (cleaning re-conditioner for black parts of cars) is a revolutionary one. I got interested in applying it to many of my old fishing tackle, and I found it can be applicable even on brown plastic. I'm very happy to see my reels and rods look sparkly clean. I should have tried it much earlier.