![]() I was a budding taxidermist and Mr Turbeville alwaysĮncouraged me in my work.we had quite a few interesting conversations.I still have a picture of him holding that big bass replica in the front room.He offered it to me once. I worked in the pattern shop that did A bit of work for bomber bait.we talked about all sorts of things. Mr Turbeville took a liking to me and let me have free run of the place. I too hung out at bomber bait back in the early seventies. There must be some truth to his claim, because sales of the unadvertised, unpromoted artificial bait have extended into Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, New Mexico, Arizona, and, of course, all over Texas. He admits the most of the ideas fishermen have about pet plugs are just plain superstition, but that when it comes to the bomber, it delivers. It's just a report on a plug that, Parker says, will catch fish when others won't because it goes down deep, it wiggles, and it floats. This may sound like an advertising plug, but it's not. The paint used has been tested and won't crack. It's a special type and Parker won't tell where he gets it. A worked dips the head into the yellow ink, applies to the lure, then dips the other end into black ink and dabs it in the center of the yellow. They're made or painted on with a common nail. But it's still mostly hand work, like the eyes, which are of two colors-yellow with a black iris. New machinery has been invented in Gainesville to speed up the process of manufacture. Each individual lure requires about 24 hand operations before it's ready for sale, and has about eight different bits of wood and metal attached. ![]() They make it in one basic design, but in three sizes and 17 colors. Parker says the bomber will go down as much as six(teen) feet, "down where the fish are," and while being reeled in, will remain about ten feet under water and "wiggle like hell." ![]() Fishermen will realize the value of both. It was designed to get depth, and to wiggle under water while being retrieved. It has been changed and improved upon (Parker, one of the owners, is a science teacher in high school) but it's still a lot like Wham's old bomber. The original design was whittled out by Ralph Wham three and a half years ago. They have applied for a patent for both design and name-"The Bomber"-but in the meantime produce over 1000 bombers a day and are 400 dozen behind in orders. In Sherman, a man makes what he calls the "whopper stopper."īut the largest such factory we've seen is the Bomber Bait Company in Gainesville, owned and operated by Ike Walker, John W. Over in Uvalde, Art Sansom and Hub Eoff have developed an artificial lure they call the "wonder bug," made of cellophane, colored nail polish and odd lengths of wire. It probably was made in Texas.Ī fast growing Texas industry has followed in the wake of increased interest in fishing-the manufacture of plugs, lures, flies and various types of artificial lures.Ī gentleman in San Antonio makes such attractive flies that some women fishermen wear them as ornaments on their dresses. Pick out your favorite plug, the one you've had the most luck with, and take a good look at it. Texans Responsible for Most Fishing Plugs - Good and Bad It also notes that by Spring 1947 they were already making 1000 bombers a day - a significant output for a lure that had yet to see national advertising! And one also has to love the title of the article-a Texas title if there ever was one! ![]() ![]() It was able to date the origination of the Bomber, a plug invented by Texan Ralph Wham, to the fall of 1944. I ran across this fascinating article published in the Pampa News dated 04 April 1947, and it gave some interesting early history on one of my favorite lures-the Bomber. ![]()
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