second. He is the man who wrote of the bass, “I consider him, inch for inch and pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims.” A physician by education and training, Henshall devoted most of his life to the study of fish, and particularly bass. He was the first to raise bass in a domesticated setting, and he wrote extensively on the sport. But Henshall wasn’t just some academic; he was also one of the finest anglers of his day. In the late 19th century, he designed the rod and reel that became the standards among bass anglers for more than 20 years.
Heddon (1845-1911) was a turn of the century Michigan lure designer and manufacturer who created some of the best and most popular lures in fishing history (like the Zara Spook, Lucky 13 and River Runt). Today, Heddon lures are among the most sought-after by collectors. Heddon didn’t just revolutionize the hard bait industry, he was the primary force creating it.
Lucas (c. 1897-1975) was the first dyed-in- the-wool bass angler to become fishing editor of one of the “Big Three” outdoor magazines when he joined Sports Afield in 1946. At the time, bass ranked
SPRING 2016
a distant second to trout among anglers and media. Bass were lowly; trout were lordly. Lucas changed that. In addition to his extensive magazine work, in 1947 he published Lucas on Bass Fishing, a practical how-to book and a must-read of the era. He was the public relations man for the sport just when the sport needed him, and he paved the way for giants like Ray Scott.
An argument ¾ and
a good one ¾ could be
made that these three
men should have been
the first three inducted
into any meaningful bass
fishing hall of fame. They
were the pioneers and
stage setters for what we
have now.
Unfortunately,
they’ve been forgotten
by the very institution
that should be telling
their stories at every
opportunity. Bass fishing history is not as easy to come by as it should be, and the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame hasn’t made it any easier.
In the fall of 2012 I ran into one of the hall’s board members at a media junket. He was proud of the class of inductees for the following year and asked what I thought of the group. I told him I thought they were fine, but that the hall should focus on some glaring omissions before anyone else was inducted. I mentioned Henshall in particular.
You can imagine my shock when he said, “I’m not familiar with him.”
He was serious.
I stifled a gasp then tried to help. It was unfathomable to me that a hall board member would not have a better grounding in the history of the sport. I offered a pretty thorough rundown of
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