The
2002 ORCA National Convention was held the week of May 27 through June
1, on the beautiful East Lansing campus of Michigan State University.
The convention headquarters was the Kellogg Center, a well located hotel
and convention center adjacent to the tree lined Cedar River and
spacious lawns of the varsity center where special events were held. It
was a great setting for a landmark event.
When a complaint sheet was posted
during Breakfast with the Board, the only comment about the convention
that was registered was that there were so many events and seminars that
one person couldn’t attend them all.
Special
Events:
The
second Antique Tackle Fishing Tournament
A small group of enthusiastic anglers gathered at
a small pond near Lansing, on Thursday morning, May 30. Bass could be
seen swimming in the calm waters, but they proved tough to catch. The
fact that 20,000 minnows had been dumped in the pond a week earlier
might have contributed to the lack of interest in the artificial
offerings.
Milt Lorens devised a strategy of fishing with a
fly rod for bluegill to amass a weight total built up a few ounces at a
time. He was nearly successful, but fell a few ounces short of his goal.
He was weighing 2-3.5 oz bluegill before anyone else even had their rod
rigged.
Dan Basore jigged his bucktail and eel
combination in a hidden corner a few minutes before quitting time and
pulled in a bass (shown above) that brought him the winners trophy. Fish were weighed
in by all the anglers, except for one. Bill Peters was skunked, but got
his revenge during the Antique Casting Contest. The winning weights
were:
· Winner:
Dan Basore, IL - 7.3 lbs.
· Runner-up:
Milt Lorens, OH - 6.7 lbs.
Tour of
the Heddon Museum
While the ORCA fishermen were hunting elusive
largemouth, a sizeable ORCA contingent took a bus downstate to the
historic town of Dowagiac. This group had a wonderful tour of the Heddon
Museum, owned by ORCA members Don and Joan Lyons. Joan acted as tour
guide. Many wonderful artifacts were seen, and it was a very enjoyable
trip.
Lunch was enjoyed at the Wounded Minnow Saloon,
after which the group visited the James Heddon Park. This is the site of
the Mill Pond where James Heddon is reputed to have tossed the whittled
stick that brought about a revolution in fishing lures, and propelled
Heddon into the fishing tackle business.
The bus returned to Lansing in time for the
afternoon seminars, and all seemed to enjoy the trip and the look at the
Michigan countryside. To the relief of most members there was no
sing-along.
Antique Tackle Casting Contest
Friday events started off on the beautiful green
lawn of the Jenison Field House Commons with the ORCA National Antique
Tackle Casting Contest. Competitors from throughout the country brought
out all types of tackle to
compete in this 4th annual event. ORCA
members cast all types of tackle from professional tournament rods and
reels to Tom Harwood’s Northwest ultra light rig (see photo).
This year’s events provided some drama as
Competition Director Bill Peters got his revenge on the fishermen and
decisively won the final spinning rod and reel event to successfully
defend his 2001 championship. Dan Basore placed second, while George
McCabe came in third.
Basore won the Non-Level Wind event with a score
of 89 out of a possible 100. In this event he used a Heddon bamboo rod
and Jack Welch reel. Basore followed up with a winning score of 95 in
the Level Wind event, where he cast with a Shakespeare Sportcast on his
Heddon rod. However, he fell to an 84 in the spinning event. Bill Peters
had hung close in the first two events, and scored a winning 95 in the
spinning event, which gave him a total of 274 overall to claim the All
Around Championship plaque for a second year in a row. Basore finished
268 overall. George McCabe was 3rd overall.
Peters cast the spinning event with a Mitchell
304 reel and a Montague 6’ tubular glass rod. He had used a B. F. Meek &
Sons and Langley 306 Plug Cast in the previous events.
Tom Harwood and Jim Scott provided a great deal
of interest with their tackle. Scott cast in the non-level wind bracket
with a Kiest Indiana reel, while Harwood showed up with a “Pacific
Northwest ultra-light rig”.
The
Second Annual Stu Lawson Old Reel Throw
The Reel Toss followed the casting contest on
Friday morning, and this year we had a moving target to throw at. The
originator of this contest, Stu Lawson (see right) bobbed and weaved his way through
the wimpy throws of most of the ORCA members until Nick Purdue of Ohio
took his toss.
Purdue is the 13 year old grandson of George
Canzeri, and a champion wrestler. Nick demonstrated another outstanding
quality of Meisselbach reels as he tossed a Takapart 138 feet. Lawson
ducked as the reel sailed far over his head.
Apparently in honor of the location of the contest,
more Shakespeare reels were thrown than any other brand, but also
honored were a Spin-It Master, Zebco, Ocean City, and J. C. Higgins.
Harvey Garrison demonstrated a new technique that
provides relief for aching shoulders in old geezers, with his sling. The
sling was made from an old stringer which certainly fit within the lack
of rules in this contest.
Seminars
Throughout the afternoon on Thursday and Friday,
ORCA members and expert guests conducted seminars for members in various
fields. These seminars lasted for about an hour each, and were well
attended. Anyone who chose to not attend, sure missed an opportunity to
enhance their reel knowledge. Subjects and instructors included:
· Casting
with Antique Tackle. Bill Peters is one of the great casters in
the US today, and we were lucky to have him as a member who can pass on
tips to those interested. At the awards presentation he announced that
he will no longer compete for the Antique Casting Championship, but will
help all members learn proper casting tackle and techniques.
· 
Reel
Cleaning and Composition. Len Sawisch and Lorraine Lawrence
discussed various materials used in the production of reels, and how to
clean, polish, or repair them. Lorraine is leading the discussion shown
to the right. A lot of discussion was held at this
seminar, and all should have benefited. It is hoped that this
information can be passed on to non-attending members in an article in
the Reel News sometime in the future.
· Pflueger
Fly Reels. Stu Lawson & George McCabe exhibited and discussed the
variations of the Medalist fly reel. Many of the examples displayed are
very scarce, and not often seen.
· Appraisals
for Fun and Profit. Andy Foster passed on some of the tips he has
learned in 15 years of attending shows and the buy, sell, and trade of
our hobby.
· Researching
South Bend Reels. Jim Madden introduced his new book on South
Bend reels and passed on much information about the various evolutionary
changes in these reels.
· The
IRS and Your Collection. Carol Dean and Ellen Sugrue Hyman, CPA
and Attorney respectively, discussed planning your estate and filing tax
forms, and the future of your tackle collection.
· Reel
Repair Tricks. Milt Lorens, professional reel repairman, passed
on hands on tips on tools and reel repair problems.
· Fakes
& Frauds. Phil White discussed the current and coming problems
facing reel collectors over counterfeits and fantasy items.
Meetings
and Meals
Any member with a gripe had several opportunities
to express their opinions. Open discussions were held and members were
encouraged to submit ideas for immediate and future consideration.
Breakfast With the Board.
On Friday morning all members had the opportunity
to sit down over a breakfast with the ORCA Board of Directors and
present their thoughts about ORCA. Sheets were posted on the walls and
members were asked to write down their best and worst things ORCA ever
did, and their best and worst personal experiences with ORCA.
The educational projects, separating ORCA from
the NFLCC, and Reel News were overwhelming winners in the best
categories. The annual meetings and the ORCA members were the most
satisfying experiences.
Other topics discussed between bacon and eggs
were annual memberships, ORCA colors, ORCA badge and membership cards,
ORCA brochures online for members to download and pass out, membership
drives, and the need to be cloned to attend all the seminars and events
that were held during this years convention. Most questions about these
subjects were answered and resolved to the satisfaction of those in
attendance.
Annual
ORCA Membership Dinner
ORCA members gathered for a fine dinner in the Big
Ten Room on Friday evening, and a great time was had by all. Dining as a
group brought the members together, and many new friends were made. The
membership meeting was short and sweet with reports from various
officers and an update on the new business plans for the coming year.
After the dinner, Eric Jeska, a grandson of Wm.
Shakespeare Jr. spoke about some of the myths about Mr. Shakepeare and
answered questions. It was very nice to get an insight into the man
behind the company.
The
Show & Auctions
The ORCA Convention stresses fun and educational
aspects of our hobby. The displays that were presented by our members
and the Wm. Shakespeare Jr. artifacts were a major contribution to reel
education for anyone who cared to look.
We were able to enjoy the first every public
viewing of some items. Members were able to see the lathe used to
construct the famous 1897 Shakespeare level wind reel, as shown in the
photo to the right, Mr. Shakespeare’s
personal tackle box, and dozens of other artifacts from the collection
uncovered in the MSU Museum archives.
ORCA members had some wonderful displays of rare
and unusual reels. The three judges selected Phil White’s display of
Meisselbach Okeh reels as this years winning display, with Andy Foster’s
collection of unusual level wind and tournament reels taking second.
George McCabe’s Pflueger Medalists came in third. There were many other
interesting displays that featured seldom seen items from our member’s
collections.
There were a great many outstanding reels that
were for sale at the show and during room trading. Many members went
home with wonderful additions to their collections. Some seen included a
Billinghurst fly reel, 2 Stockford reels, a #3 Milam, a rare Talbot box,
a Meek #34 in box, Julius vom Hofe 1st click reel, a Leaver reel, Hardy
brass Perfect with rod in hand logo, a Fredrick v Hofe 60 yd brass reel,
South Bend 2500 Presentation reel in case, a Bronson Reel O’Mine, and
many others.
Two auctions were held on Saturday during the
show hours, with a few reels coming in for sale, and some members
consigning reels for auction. Bill Muth did a great job as auctioneer,
as he sold an Otto Zwarg 2/0 reel, a Hardy Longstone, and a Langley
Dynacast. Items consigned by members included some very interesting
spinning reels - a Mepps Super Meca; and our very own ORCA reel.
A group of tired, but very satisfied ORCA members
made their way to their cars and airports in mid-afternoon on Saturday,
and all seemed to have a smile on their face. It was a great ORCA
National Convention, and most people can’t wait for the next one.
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