Times Union – Albany NY
By DAN HOWLEY, Staff writer
Sunday, April 27, 2008

“For more than five decades, Bob Mead has poured passion into creating detailed lures.

Bob Mead’s passion for tying flies started when he was a little boy, and by the time he reached his mid-20s, his work began to take on a realism that elevated it from ordinary to remarkable.

…Mead swivels in his chair by the workbench in his fly-tying lair, reaches up to a cluttered shelf and pulls out his original praying mantis. He gingerly lifts it from the glass enclosure in which it was posed on a twig. It looks so real, you expect it to turn its segmented head or raise its front legs as if to pray.

“I just turned down $1,500 for it,” says Mead, 65, who has filled countless orders to make ones just like it and donated many for auctions to raise money for conservation.”

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Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 11/2/07
BY CHRIS LIDO
CORRESPONDENT

“Some people collect baseball cards or model trains or figurines.

For Tom Clancy of Lake Hopatcong, collecting antique lures isn’t just about having an item in a box to show off; it’s about preserving history of the sport he loves.

…Ans Decker and Jim Donaly made names for themselves creating lures that outfished the competition, and to this day their creations are highly prized among antiques collectors. Well-preserved lures are worth in the $1,500 to $3,000 range, while some very rare editions have been appraised and sold for up to $10,000.”

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The Conway Daily Sun
Bill Thompson

“The interesting thing about fishing is all of the fascinating avenues that it can lead you to. Fishing is far more complicated than just catching fish. One avenue is the collecting of old or antique fishing gear. In the last few years the hobby has grown in leaps and bounds. Not that long ago it was possible to purchase an old rod or reel at a yard sale for a few pennies, but today even the most naive weekend entrepreneur is savvy enough to realize that old fishing gear may be worth big bucks.

…Names to look for are Heddon, South Bend, Creek Chub, Paw Paw, Shakespeare, and Pflueger. There are others, but these are a few of the more popular especially the Heddon Company.”

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