Northwest Fishing Reports

Purchased at auction a box of fishing/hunting items. In this box discovered 36 sets of trolling flashers. Attempting to sell off several of these sets. I can identify all but one set. Trying to id the manufacturer and time period this set was made/sold. No markings anywhere. The brass rudder and swivel appears to be vintage. The solder work attaching the spoons is something I'm not familiar with. Any help here with some info/history/value?

Likely circa '50s - '60s.

Went from calling them a 'yard and a half' in the '60s to 'gang trolls' in the '80s. 'Pop Gear' was another moniker.

Not sure what they're calling them these days.

Not too fun to fish with BUT - effective - trailing a bait hook with worm or maggots while trolling. Too much tension on the line and rod, so much so that you can hardly feel a fish at the other end.

onmygame

Ok good to know info. Would still like to know what brand or other info on manufacturer so I can research a value on the thing. That would help me determine whether to put it up for sale or hang it on the shop wall. Any help appreciated.

In my opinion you should include it in your tackle and give it a try. That rig was designed for Trout fishing. About all our fishing is done trolling and just like about everybody else I keep up grading to the newest and flashiest blades, flashers and dodgers but there have been days that nothing seems to work to turn on the bite so I will go to an old Ford Fender gang troll or a Willow Leaf or something similar and several times I have started catching fish. I still have several trolling rigs that are 20-30 years old and the all catch fish. As far as resale value I think it would cost you more to ship it than what anybody would offer you for it. Good luck and stay safe.

I have to agree with what every one else has said. We used to call them gang trolls, large string trolling gear. There was a company called pop gear hence the nick name pop gear. They are still effective for catching trout, just not as much fun as mention before. It could be that they where home made by the way they where soldered together & the flasher have large bumps, not sure though. I have never seen any soldered that way before. In my opinion they are only worth around $6.00 at the most. I can still pick up pop gear brand & les Davis long string gear from $ 2.00 to around $6.00 at some of the flee markets & some of the used stores that have fishing booths in them on a regular basis. I would keep them in my tackle box for sure. Just keep in mine that they wouldn't work well with ultra lite poles or line. I keep one pole set up in my boat just for the long line gear when nothing else is working, but I also run 15# line with it to insure I will not lose it also. These are just my opinion only.
Butch Duke
Close to 12" of snow on the ground & still coming down, with trees & branches coming down all around at Kitsap lake.

Pop Gear, another starting point for my research. Also that homemade observation has been coming up quite a bit with people I show them to. May have to run with that if nothing else pans out. Not sure if this set will be on the auction block, need to know more about them. Have 10+ sets stored in the boat already plus the 36 sets that showed up in that auction box. I bid on it for the boxes of antique shot gun shells the fishing stuff was incidental. Just trying to thin out the flasher herd some. Thanks for the info.

The soldered wire attachment on the blades was pretty much the norm on very early(pre1900) metal baits and was used commonly into the 40's at least. The box swivel on the front of the troll was in common use until around 1930-35 before barrel swivels and McMahon swivels became the standard. Check the beads, I am sure they are glass, as plastic didnt really become commonplace until the end of WW2. Without a name on them no way to be certain as to exact age but as mentioned above gang trolls have never really gained any value other than being used.

Checked those beads they are glass. If they do have that kind of age I'll mount them on the farm house wall back in the Midwest. We have quite the collection of vintage hunting/fishing items on the walls there. As far as the rest if I can't sell off the excess (mostly Les Davis brand) I'll drop them off at Goodwill. Thanks much for the info.

Are any of the Les Davis brand the old BOLO pattern?

Full disclosure, you're talking to a bass fisherman here. I'm just now starting to catch up with this trout thing. If you mean by Bolo it has the V notch on the bottom of the blades, sort of an overlapping blade look, I don't think so. Do not remember seeing any of them. I'll go through the box again and check.

Hate to start this over but found another set that is built along the same lines as the above set but this has 2 to 3" willow style spoons. The spoons have "Jimmie Stanford" stamped on them. Any idea who this guy is/was and time period he put these things out? Google can't find him. All I get is facebook pages and stuff unrelated to fishing.