From million-dollar lures to crimes against angling, tackle trader John Stephenson has seen the lot over the years. But what really takes the bait when it comes to collectible gear?
How did your love of collectable tackle start?
I’d always been an angler, but my introduction was with repairing older rods. I got quite handy at re-whipping rings. As a reward for mending a rod, an elderly chap gave me a Saltssar wooden sea reel – and it was that item that changed my life forever and made me a collector.
At some point I had so much tackle, I sensed an opportunity to sell it rather than just amassing more! I gave up my job in Kwikfit and opened a shop in Stoke with my wife called The Tackle Exchange. Early on, there were days when I wondered “what on Earth have we done?” but I’ve never looked back.
What’s the most valuable single item you’ve ever seen?
The “Million Dollar Lure” by Mackdaddy. It was made with over three pounds of gold, diamonds and rubies.
Amazingly, someone actually fished with it! This had to be done under insurance, for only half-an-hour with a 500lb steel leader.
Anglers certainly love a novelty item, but what are some others that stand out?
Beer and booze-themed lures always seem to do well, especially Irish and American brands. You also find well-endowed mermaid lures and other shockers – such as a horrendous caricature of a Jamaican chap in a barrel, designed to catch bass!
We’re guessing scarce items are worth most, but what’s the most prolific larger tackle item ever made?
The Mitchell 300 reel must be up there. At peak production, they were making 25 tons of them per day, and produced 33 million in total! Landmark reels, for example the one millionth or ten millionth, were specially gilded and engraved, and are worth a small fortune. I saw one make £25,000 at a Belgian auction.
Mitchells were coveted for their reliability by past generations, but what’s the worst reel ever?
That’s easy – the Allcock Stanley Reel, which I wrote a book about. Tackle development is often one step forward, two steps back, and this was a stinker! The idea itself was noble, a reel the average guy could afford. Sadly, the mass produced result was horrible.
It had a spool that turned backwards, a totally unreliable cork washer and a shepherd’s crook component for line lay that actually wrecked the gears. As bad as it was, we should be grateful to Stanley – because the torpedo boats he designed in wartime were more reliable!
You’ve had some strange experiences at tackle shows, but is it true you were once paid to be as aggressively Scottish as possible?
Indeed! I once did several US tackle shows a year a
