December Saltwater Lure of the Month: Boone Sundance Popper

December Saltwater Lure of the Month

Boone Sundance Popper

Over 70 years ago, a young boy in Charleston, South Carolina received a fly-tying kit from his parents.  This boy, Don Boone, had a natural gift for fly tying and was tying beautiful flies by the age of 12.  His father and his father’s friends loved his flies and would pay him small sums to make them flies for their fishing trips.  The more word spread, the more flies young Don would make.  And so, at the ripe age of 15, a business was born.

In 1953, Don moved to Florida and formed the Boone Bait Company.  He joined forces with his wife Vera and his friends Joseph and Arlyne Showalter, with both couples taking equal shares in the company.  Their first factory was an airport hanger on Highway 50 at a small airport in Orlando. The company quickly grew and became appealing to a businessman named Peter Foley from Norwalk, Connecticut who purchased the company and continues to be the president today.  Boone lures are now available in more than 65 countries and hold the distinction of being the first lure company to produce soft plastic baits.

The Boone Sundance Popper is one of Boone’s most popular saltwater poppers today. When worked through the water, it looks like a strobe light because of the mirrors on the body. Thru-wire attached to two triple strength Mustad hooks. The flash from the mirrors triggers the feeding instinct of game fish. The lure is made of solid space-age plastic that will not absorb water and has a stainless steel wire frame. Attached to the frame are added action and color. A Killer lure for Striped Bass.

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December Freshwater Lure of the Month: Dardevle

December 2015

Freshwater Lure of the Month:

DARDEVLE

The creator of the Dardevle, Lou Eppinger, was making his living as a taxidermist in SE Michigan at the end of the 1800’s.  When Eppinger’s business hit somewhat of a slump, he decided to sell lures alongside his taxidermy services in order to help make ends meet.  As the tackle end of his business grew, Eppinger soon began to experiment with lures of his own design.  While on a fishing trip in the Canadian woods, Eppinger took along a spoon he had handcrafted back in Michigan.  He was pleasantly surprised with the results.  Eppinger particularly liked the long distances he could cast his lure—even into a stiff wind.  On top of everything, Eppinger’s prototype actually caught more fish than any other bait he fished on the trip.

After quite a bit of tinkering, Eppinger’s first lure made its official American debut in 1912.  Initially Eppinger called his lure the Osprey.  Eight years later, Eppinger changed the name of his wonder-lure to the Dardevle after the Marines, who had been nicknamed the “Dare Devils” for their feats of bravery in the first World War.  Today, Eppinger’s trademark red-and-white stripped Dardevle is perhaps the most recognizable and omnipresent lures ever to hit the fishing scene.  Alongside his trademark paint scheme, anglers will find dozens of color and size combinations.  Although all the colors have their fans, FE is partial to the classic red-and-white.

Featured lure: Dardevle

Created by: Lou Eppinger

Created: c. 1912

Manufacturer: Eppinger Manufacturing Company

Type: Spoon

Technique:

While this lure is not considered to be the most versatile of all lures, as many anglers will confirm, it’s highly effective when others simply are not.  The Dardevle can be relied upon to be a good selection for a broad number of species when fished with a consistent, moderate to rapid retrieve.  If you haven’t used the Dardevle while trolling, you could be in for a surprise.

December Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hemmingway Caddis

December Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hemmingway Caddis

The Hemingway Caddis is a variation of the Henryville, developed by Mike Lawson, with a Peacock Thorax and a Blue Dun Hackle for both the collar hackle and the palmered rib. It was named for Jack Hemingway, son of Ernest Hemingway, who preferred this variation when he fished the Henry's Fork in Idaho as he thought the Henryville Special was a little too brown in coloration.

The Hemingway Caddis is often used within Sierran streams, particularly Spring Creeks and slow-moving waters. Lawson usually ties the Quill Wings with two segments having the convex sides facing each other with some overlap. This is a quill flatwing style. Often, you will also see this pattern tied with one segment in a "Tent" style similar to the Kings River Caddis.

Either way, the quill wings provide a very good caddis sillouette. The colors of the hackle and body can be matched to the caddis found on the water.

The Hemingway Caddis has a extremely realistic narrow wing profile, is heavily hackled for good skittering and its charcoal color tone matches many real caddis. This is an excellent pattern to pull out when you have a late evening caddis hatch coming off. The darker color really shows up well in flat light and the profile is a dead-on match.

This is a very realistic looking dry caddis. It will float well in both still water and fast bubbling streams. It truly is a pattern Hemingway himself would be proud to fish with.