Dotting the “I” – A Fish Story
With the recent inductions of Mike Iaconelli into the All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey Hall of Fame, and Rick Clunn into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, the sport is on a bit of a roll when it comes to gaining wider recognition. I’m in favor of taking it far and wide – after attending nearly a dozen Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, I’ve come to realize that the times when we celebrate the sport’s history are generally among our happiest times off the water – there’s no bickering or sniping, just across-the-board reverence for where we’ve been and where we should be headed.
That’s why I was excited to hear from my friend Jack Wollitz about his efforts to organize the Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, which should announce their first class of inductees on May 30 of this year. The nominating committee consists of Wollitz, Mark Hicks, D'Arcy Egan and Doug Clifford along with veteran anglers Ray Halter, Bill Byers and Rich Carter, who also was executive administrator of Ohio's Office of Fish Management and Research. They have big plans.
Even though Ohio is one of the 20 or so states where I haven’t fished, every state or region that has produced fishing greatness has something or several somethings to distinguish it. When I think of Ohio, I think of the great Ohio River anglers like Bill Lowen who made it big on the national stage. I think of the culture of balsa baits that resulted from that tough fishery. I also think of the access to the Great Lakes for smallmouth, and the state’s history as an industrial hub that led to major tackle and equipment advances.
I’m not an expert on the history of bass fishing in Ohio, so take this with a grain of salt, but here are some people I’d like to be nominated and then inducted based on my experience in the bass world:
Joe Thomas – Reading his book (with Tim Tucker), “Diary of a Bass Pro,” was a big part of my introduction into the world of professional bass fishing. I subscribed to Bassmaster before that, but until reading the book I had no idea what the life of a professional angler was really like. It was decades before blogs or social media, so he was a trendsetter, and I’m sure that somehow influenced my decision to become a writer.
Fred Arbogast – Like many of you, some of the first lures I ever bought with my own money were among Arbogast’s legends, including the Jitterbug (pretty sure I never caught anything on it) and the Hula Popper, which produced quite a few bass for me. He’d worked for Goodyear and BF Goodrich, a couple of the Rust Belt’s legendary companies that produced so many other innovations.
Gary Dees – One of the first “secret” or regional baits I bought was Gary Dee’s D Bait,” back when you had to order them with a form and a check. I read in Bassmaster about “worming a crankbait” during tough times on tough fisheries. Later, I wrote a feature on balsa culture for Outdoor Life which featured other Ohioans, but even though I never met Dee he was the one who represented the genre.
Steve Clapper – When I first started writing about fishing, Clapper seemd not only to be the mentor for many of the Great Lakes hammers, but also the one they seemed to fear the most on big water. He won BFLs (then Red Mans) and also an FLW on the Detroit River and was a master of running the rough stuff. I remember him telling me about the “High Five” propeller as one of his key tools.
Who did I miss?
If you’re a fan of Ohio fishing, or just bass fishing in general, be sure to lend them your support.
