Spoonplug Maker Dies

Creator of the Spoonplug dies at 90.

Elwood Perry, a soft-spoken Southerner who translated his almost preternatural ability to catch fish into a finely tuned philosophy, a lucrative business and a personal legend as outsized as any fish story, died on Aug. 12 at his home in Taylorsville, N.C. He was 90.

What an awesome loss to the fishing world.

On July 24, 1954, Mr. Perry, before dozens of witnesses, cast a silver Spoonplug 30 times and landed 30 bass, an informal record.

Quoted once about wives who complain their husbands take them on fishing vacations:

“How did I ever get married to a woman who can be so selfish as to complain that she has no respite from cooking and washing dishes if we take our vacation at this fishing paradise?”

Honey, pack the bags and the car, we are heading to the lake!