When I think of Cape Cod Massachusetts, I think of a few things.... the birth of my son in Hyannis, my time there at Otis ANGB as an F-15 Mechanic, fried clams at "Thompson's Clam Bar", the Summer tourist crush, and fishing the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay.
It's during this time in my life, living on Cape Cod, that I learned of two local fishing lure legends Stan Gibbs and Bob Pond.
For this post, I will focus on Stan Gibbs and write two more separate articles bout Bob Pond and the Cape Cod Canal.
First, Stan Gibbs....This man.
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| Stan Gibbs in 1953. More on this photo later.. |
It's hard to impress upon others throughout the country and the world, what life on Cape Cod is like, but Stan Gibbs is to Fishing on Cape Cod what Ted Williams was to baseball in Boston, a local figure of legendary status. Most around here would say, "If you don't know who Stan Gibbs is, you likely aren't a striped bass fishermen"
Born in 1915 and raised in Easton, Mass., Stan Gibbs relocated to Sagamore in 1945. Initially, he earned a living as a professional fur trapper, catching local mink, muskrat and raccoon,
He was a bigger guy and actually looked a bit like Ted Williams, and was referred to by most locals as a true Cape Codder. He made his living off the land and as a muskrat trapper, archer, woodcarver and fisherman. He kept his activities private and seldom shared where he was going or what he doing. Having moved close to the canal, Stan ended up spending a majority of his time at the canal, perfecting his art of angling and love of the sport. He would use this skill and knowledge of fishing to create lures, called "Gibbs Lures" in 1946.
The first Gibbs lure Box style "add distance to your cast"
Stan seemed to know every nook and cranny of the canal, from Sagamore to Bourne and Buzzards Bay. Nobody knew the canal better than Stan Gibbs. He worked out of his shed and could test his lures in the canal a short distance away. His lures contained a heavily weighted center that allowed them to be tossed long distances from shore, which was a necessity if one were to fish there in the canal. Stan knew how important it was to reach breaking fish that were out of the reach of other lures and soon word spread as it does in these sleepy New England towns, and his first customers were local fishermen.
His hand crafted fishing plugs that worked so well for him became the foundation products of this new enterprise. Names like Polaris Popper, Casting Swimmer, Pencil Popper, Needle-fish, and Darter are still common names along the canal and Popponesset Beach. Many others have been added along the way as new designs were developed and proven. Each plug had its own distinct characteristics, but common throughout was the ability to cast considerable distances into the wind. Since his first lure, Stan Gibbs plugs have been a staple on the Cape Cod Striper fishing scene - making Stan a local legend.
The Polaris Popper
Gibbs Casting Swimmer
After two decades, Stan sold his lure making business in the early 1970's and at that time, he was producing 35,000 lures annually. He continued to be a staple on the Cape Cod Canal and fished there into his elderly years..
Gibbs died on Tuesday February 3, 2004 at Liberty Commons Nursing Home in Chatham at the age of 89 and at his request, his ashes were scattered into the canal that he fished and called home for some 60 years. You can still fish "with" Stan today, along the canal...
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| "The Fisherman (L) and Stan Gibbs c.1953 (R) |
