About a year ago I was able to purchase luremaking equipment from a longtime friend of Butch Ward.  The name may not mean anything to you if you are not from this area but the guy is a legend.  He basically invented winter fishing and some of his fishing partners helped advance the sport that you may not even know about.  Lefty Craig who is in the freshwater fishing hall of fame fished with Butch all the time.  While I am trying to confirm provenance I believe I am in posession of some flys that were personally tied by Lefty. I  will have to ask his name but another fishing partner of Butch is one of the original creators of the jet drive for outboards. Right now I don't have all the facts but from what I am told he was an engineer for Mack trucks here in Hagerstown.  I know own the original molds that belonged to Butch along with the equipment he used to make weedguards, etc. Honestly I have hand made tools that I don't even know what they are used for? I feel like most of this stuff should be in a museum instead of my garage. 

 

For reference most tournaments I fish on the Upper Potomac river 10lbs for 5 fish normally wins. Butch and a buddy went out on new years day once and brought in 10 fish for like 52lbs which I think is still a local record.  My best in 15+ years is 16-4 for 5 fish and the best I know of was like 19 even for 5.

 

Allen 

 

Allen, are you referring to the late, great Lefty Kreh?

 

 

Yes, Lefty Kreh is who he is talking about. Butch Ward's tackle is kind of primitive by todays standard but it is kind of incredible what he was doing. There wasn't internet and very little in the way of tackle making supplies. You had t0o go to an old tackle shop that maybe had a few molds and some jig hooks. The hooks back then wouldn't have stood up to todays super lines. Heck, even the mono we have today would have been tough on those hooks.

16 hours ago, Will Wetline said:

Allen, are you referring to the late, great Lefty Kreh?

 

 

 

Yes,  I mispelled his name. 

 

Allen 

Never met Butch Ward, but I did meet Lefty Kreh a few times as a kid and a young man (also Bill Burton who was a well-known angler in Maryland back in the day). 
 

I use Lefty Kreh’s leader knot on all my braid-to-leader rigs. That, and his loop knot, are classics that have stood the test of time. 

When it gets cooler I am going to go through some of the stuff I have.  Hopefully someone can tell me what it would be used for but I now know how Butch made his famous jigs and can make them using more modern methods.

 

Allen 

Cool stuff Allen.

Here is some of Butch Wards jig heads these are about 30 years old.

 

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