Cliff Buchan
News EditorAlan Bakke canít say for sure when it started, but his love for fishing tackle probably saw its start in the streams and rivers near his childhood home in Westby, WI.
As a boy, Alan was fishing with his father, Victor, by the time he was 5 or 6 and he had his first fly rod by the time he was 8. If he wasnít fishing with his dad, young Bakke and his pals would bike off to local hot spots after school and fish until dark, often times waiting for a ride home from friends or family with a pickup truck.
During his college days at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD, Bakke would often find time to fish on his trips home. His father, Victor Bakke, would put the son to work at his gas station in Westby but would often give the young man time off to take a Westby senior citizen fishing.
Bakke, 61, has never lost his joy for fishing. Today, heís the proud owner of an antique fishing tackle collection that numbers more than 6000 pieces. More than 75 percent of Bakkeís collection is on permanent loan to Gander Mountain in Forest Lake.
Many memories
Many of Bakkeís fondest memories of life float back to his days in Westby, a town of 1500 residents located southeast of LaCrosse and a scant 20 miles from the Mississippi River.
ìHe loved to fish,î Bakke recalls of his father. ìHe was an avid fisherman. Heíd been fishing all of his life.î
In his gas station, Victor Bakke sold live bait and carried an inventory of fishing tackle. Sinkers were made at the Westby business in the 1950s and Alan Bakke helped make the product as a kid.
The two would often fish the many trout streams near Westby and on the Mississippi the pair would work the backwaters for bass and catch walleye and muskie in the main river.
ìThat was a time when you ate everything you caught,î Bakke said.
Bakke lost his lifelong best fishing buddy in 1971 when his father died suddenly. He was just 60.
ìWhen my dad died, I got his tackle,î Bakke said. There were 30 to 40 lures in Victorís tackle box.
A skilled wood worker in his time away from his insurance business, Bakke used his fatherís tackle for the center piece of a coffee table display case to permanently house the lures. But his fatherís lures were not enough to complete the coffee table case.
The need for more lures to complete the display case launched what has become a new hobby for Bakke.
15 years in the works
For the past 15 years, Bakke has worked steadily on building what is today one of the largest private collections of old fishing tackle in Minnesota.
When Gander Mountain announced plans to build a store near Forest Lake, Bakke contacted store officials who were eager to provide space for his collection. Today, Bakke has 32 cases filled with fishing tackle and fishing accessories on the walls of the Gander Lodge.
Bakkeís display also includes his collection of motors, paddles and fishing nets.
His selection of lures, bobbers and tackle box treasures at Gander Mountain feature many of the most sought after collectible lures, including Heddon Bait of Dowagia, MI, and Cheek Chub of Garrett, IN. Both companies made lures that are in great demand by collectors today, Bakke says.
As a true blue Minnesotan today, Bakke says his main focus is now on Minnesota made lures.
Since diving full steam into the hobby 15 years ago, Bakkeís efforts became so successful he formed his own company, Paul Bunyan Bait Co. The name is a spin off of the bait company that operated from 1937 to 1981. When the business name fell open under public domain, Bakke was quick to registered the name for his hobby business.
ìI have the largest Paul Bunyan Collection in the country,î Bakke says.
The Gander Lodge display contains 12 full cases of Paul Bunyan only lures and bait. Bakke says he was quick to adopt the company as his main focus because the tackle was made with quality workmanship and the products can still be found today.
His collection of Minnesota items include lures made in numerous areas of the state, including Brown Brothers of Osakis and a Stillwater company.
Collectorís efforts
Bakkeís collection at Gander Mountain has lures that date from the 1890s to around 1960. His oldest piece is a spring hook made in 1844.
After 15 years of collecting old fishing tackle, Bakkeís hobby continues to grow. He has become well known in hobby circles and is often contacted by other collectors and individuals who know of his interest.
He also relies on the Internet and the website ebay to find new prizes for his collection. With 6000 pieces in his collection, he has been able to stockpile duplicates that can be used in trades for other wood and plastic lures not in his collection.
On occasion he will buy an entire collection to secure one needed lure. In one case, he purchased 99 lures from one collector.
ìThere were about 10 pieces that I wanted,î Bakke said. ìHe would only sell if I bought the entire collection.î
As he continues to build his collection, he always looks for lures that are still in a box. ìIn collecting you want the bait in the box,î Bakke said. ìSometimes the boxes are worth as much or more than the bait.î
The display at Gander Mountain has opened new doors for Bakke.
Now, with a safe and secure location to display the bulk of his collection, Bakke is able to share his hobby with the public. No longer are the collection pieces stored away in every available closet and space in Bakkeís Forest Lake home.
And that has made one very happy person, Bakke says, talking about his wife, Kathy.
By having the fishing tackle on display, Bakke is also opening new lines of communication with the public. He has already received leads from the public on additions for his collection.
As an expert on collecting, Bakke now has a venue to share his knowledge with the public and those interested in collecting. He conducts monthly seminars in the Gander Lodge.
For information on when the sessions are offered, go to the Gander Mountain website at: www.gandermountain.com.
With individual pieces of tackle that can range in value from $1 to $1000, Bakke believes his collection is a worthwhile financial effort, but also a way to preserve an important part of the past. He continues the collection despite the good-natured ribbing he sometimes receives from his family.
That ribbing started, he says, not long after he made that first coffee table display and case and developed a strong interest in building an even larger collection.
ìIt wasnít long and I was hooked on the hobby and there is no pun intended,î Bakke says with a smile. ìMy family thinks Iím a bit crazy, but Iím not.î
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