Four Wooden Fishing Plugs by Stan Gibbs of Cape Cod, circa 1960s

This purchase includes all FOUR wooden plugs in photos. All made by GIBBS in Sagamore, Massachusetts (Cape Cod).
Stan Gibbs primarily used sugar pine (white pine) when he manufactured his famous wooden plugs in Massachusetts and never resorting to plastic lures.
Wooden fishing lures are called "plugs" because early artificial baits were literally carved, whittled, or turned out of simple cylindrical blocks, pegs, or "plugs" of wood.

Conditions of all four are excellent and all have the original painting and patina.
INCLUDES:
One 6.5” Gibbs Darter (White)
One 6.5” Gibbs Pencil Popper (White)
One 5.25” Gibbs Polaris Popper (White)
One 5.25” Gibbs Polaris Popper (Blue)

Stan Gibbs founded his angler bait company in 1945 in Sagamore, Massachusetts.
Living right next to the Cape Cod Canal, Stan used his local waters as a testing ground to design heavy, long-casting wooden plugs that could be casted to feed striped bass far out in the turbulent currents. What started as hand-whittled shapes crafted on a small lathe in his home's root cellar, grew into an iconic surfcasting brand. Stan never patented his designs-which include legendary models such as the Pencil Popper, Darter, Polaris Popper, and Casting Swimmer. These Gibbs models became the blueprint for modern topwater plugs for fresh water and saltwater fishing.
The company used carefully selected high-grade tree stock sourced from the Pacific Northwest. Gibbs specifically chose this wood for its natural buoyancy and reaction in water. His plugs cannot be synthetically duplicated by plastic still to this day. Each of Gibb's plugs went through a rigorous, old-school process involving roughly 50 to 55 distinct handmade steps:
First the wood stock is shaped and turned on lathes. Then holes are bored into the wood to house internal counterweights, tail weights, and belly weights, ensuring the specific sink rate or surface-popping orientation.
The hardware used is stainless-steel through-wire systems, swivels, and screw-eyes. These are installed to handle hard-fighting fish such as stripers, bluefish, and tuna.
Once weighed, the raw wooden bodies are sealed, primed, meticulously hand-painted or airbrushed, and fitted with realistic classic features. Finally, heavy duty split rings and high-quality hooks are also added by hand before direct distribution to independent tackle dealers. After running the business for decades, Stan sold it to another “Cape Codder” to continue the handcrafted products. Over the years, ownership transitioned through various New England craftsmen before being acquired by Dennis Ryan and Dan Smalley, who integrated production into their woodworking facility in Cumberland, Rhode Island where GIBBS LURES are still manufactured. Sadly, the fishing legend and old “Cape Codder” Mr. Stan Gibbs died at Liberty Commons Nursing Home in Chatham (Lower Cape) at age 89 from natural causes.

FISHING HUMOR-
Why did the artificial worm break up with the spinnerbait?
The worm felt the relationship was just going in CIRCLES!!!

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STANDS IN PHOTOS NOT INCLUDED WITH PURCHASE OF THIS ITEM!
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