Stan Bogdan, Famous Reel Maker Retiring

Originally published on March 6 2010

Local to Chuck's Tackle Box is famous reel maker Stan Bogdan who had decided to retire from reel making. Stan's reels are known throughout the world as one of the all-time best fly-reels. Stan had originally lived in Nashua most of his life and moved to the town of New Ipswich, NH in his later years, moving his shop here and living out the rest of his life a stones-throw away from Chuck's Tackle Box.

I had made several stops to his house in an attempt to secure an interview, but never got an answer at the door.

The detailed inner-workings of a Bogdan Reel.

$198.00 - $264.00 for a Bogdan was a deal - now fetching $2,000-8,000 per.

A Full Story from "Salmon Junkies" FEBRUARY 12, 2010:

I read last week that reel maker Stan Bogdan is retiring and closing his business in New Hampshire. While his name may not be well known to most people, in the world of Atlantic salmon fishing he is a giant. 
For those not familiar with his work the Bogdan salmon reel is considered by many to be the Cadillac of fishing reels. His new reels sell for a impressive price of around $2,000. That is if you can find one to buy. The waiting list is over three years.
 Now I’ve never seen a Bogdan reel, let alone fished with one, and my name wasn’t on the waiting list. But I wish it was. Would you catch more salmon with a $2,000 reel compared to a $100 one? Not likely. But, if you admire precision craftsmanship, and well made equipment, there is no denying that Stan Bogdan built great reels.
 

Apparently Stan Bogdan is now 92 and his son, who took over the business several years ago, is in his 60s. With no one interested in taking over the reel making business they are completing the last of their orders and closing up shop.

It has been quite a run.

Stanley Bogdan and his son produced about 100 reels per year in their New Hampshire shops. (Ruben Perez/Globe Staff/File 1982)


Stan Bogdan was a young machinist when he made his first fishing reel back in 1940. Over the years his business grew and his reels were eagerly sought by entertainers and royalty. Baseball great Ted Williams fished with a Bogdan reel, as did Bing Crosby. Demand was always high as only 100 reels were produced by the shop every year. With a long waiting list it is no wonder that second hand Bogdan reels are highly sought after, and demand a high price. Higher, in fact, than a new one. When a new Bogdan salmon reel was selling for $2,000 a used one demanded $3,000 . A rare model could run up to $6,000.
Apparently every part of their reels, with the exception of the springs, was made in their small machine shop. The main attraction of a Bogdan reel, besides its good looks, is the smooth drag which allows a salmon to take line without any starts or stops that can cause a fish to break the leader. The Bogdan drag system consists of two brake shoes which bear down on a disk. As the reel turns the shoes slow it down. The drag is adjustable so you can set it for the size of the fish you are after. At one time Stan Bogdan sold 15 models from small trout reels up to larger reels for salmon. While Stan Bogdan may be retiring his reels will continue to be fished on salmon rivers around the world for years to come. A fine tribute to a great craftsman.
 Tight Lines.

Don Maclean

UPDATE:  

Stanley Bogdan, Maker of Much-Coveted Fly Reels, Is Dead at 92

NASHUA  NH. - Stanley Bogdan, a maker of fly-fishing reels so coveted that anglers were willing to spend years on a waiting list to buy them at prices far surpassing the next best thing, died March 27 in Nashua. He was 92 and a lifetime Nashua resident.

His death was confirmed by his son, Stephen. (see update at bottom regarding the death of Stephen)

In fly fishing, in particular fly fishing for the mighty Atlantic salmon, owning a Bogdan reel signals high seriousness about the sport and, not infrequently, significant disposable income. Many expert anglers consider it the finest reel ever made, a synthesis of incomparable engineering and aesthetic elegance.

Yet few fly fishermen, unless they have spent time on the classic salmon rivers in places like Quebec and the Maritimes, get many chances to see a Bogdan, let alone dare to dream of owning one. In a sport that is already expensive, most are content to pair their fly rods with any number of fine reels that will provide many years of service for a few hundred dollars.

A new Bogdan, on the other hand, ranges in price from about $1,500 for the smallest trout reel to about $2,400 for the biggest salmon reel. Hand-tooled by Stanley and Stephen Bogdan in their shops in New Hampshire — originally in Nashua and then in New Ipswich — Bogdan reels could not be rushed. Only 100 or so have been produced a year, and it has not been unusual for buyers to wait three or four years for delivery.

“Almost from day one, there has been The Waiting List, a sort of secular purgatory on the way to achieving tackle bliss,’’ Graydon R. Hilyard wrote in his biography “Bogdan.’’ “How long must you dwell therein, who can tell? As the dreaded list has never actually been seen, your position on it can never be determined.’’

As a result of his work, Mr. Bogdan was frequently invited to spend time with some of the wealthiest people in the country, fishing for salmon on the privately controlled rivers of Canada.

“It’s an ego trip for me to go to Canada and fish with these guys,’’ he told the Globe in 1982. “But I have to go there to be recognized, and when I’m back here, I’m nothing, it’s back to the salt mines.

“I certainly wouldn’t be invited up there if I made clothespins.’’

Its salmon reels are what S.E. Bogdan Custom Built, the company’s official name, is best known for. What sets them apart and makes them so expensive is their innovative system for controlling “drag,’’ the adjustable resistance by which a properly handled reel tires and ultimately controls a powerful game fish.

Stanley Bogdan invented a braking system for his reels that allowed for drag of extraordinary smoothness and strength, greatly decreasing the chance that the fish of a lifetime would be able to strain and break an angler’s line. A Bogdan may not help you hook more fish, but it will help you land more of the fish you hook — and much more stylishly.

Stanley Edward Bogdan, one of four children of Polish immigrants, was born on Dec. 16, 1918, in Nashua. Like his father, a machinist, he had good mechanical aptitude, and after finishing high school he went to work at the Rollins Engine Company in Nashua, a manufacturer of steam engines. From an early age he had a deep interest in fishing, hunting, and the outdoors. His entry in his high school yearbook was prescient, noting that the young man “could work miracles with fishing tackle.’’

For years Mr. Bogdan made what reels he could on the side while working as a machinist and raising a family. His big break came in 1955, when he entered into a deal to provide reels to the original Abercrombie & Fitch, that era’s big retailer of high-end sporting goods. A few years later he struck a deal with Orvis, and gradually word spread that there was no fly-fishing reel quite like the one being made by the friendly, smiling, occasionally contrary Yankee in Nashua.

Mr. Bogdan’s wife, Phyllis, died in 1995. In addition to his son, Stephen, of New Ipswich, he leaves a daughter, Cheryl Doughty, of Palm Bay, Fla.

Stephen Bogdan, 61, started working with his father in 1973 and became the company’s sole owner in 1996.

Stanley Bogdan, a passionate and accomplished angler in his own right, was devoted to the Atlantic salmon and pursued it on the sport’s best rivers. “He was a very, very good salmon angler,’’ said Bill Taylor, president of the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

Last September, Stanley Bogdan, at 91, caught a 32-pound salmon on the Grand Cascapedia River in Quebec. “I believe that was his last fish,’’ Stephen Bogdan said.

From the Nashua Telegraph: 

https://jj.nashuatelegraph.com/news/local-news/2011/04/03/local-fly-reel-legend-dies-at-age-of-92/

A great Article from "Spinoza Rods" here:

https://www.spinozarods.com/blogs/from-the-workbench/45862339-stan-bogdan-in-memoriam

Further Dismay as Stephen Bogdan passes away this year 2021:

Obituary

Stephen Robert Bogdan

April 29, 1949 ~ August 15, 2021 (age 72)

Stephen Robert Bogdan, 72, died peacefully Sunday, August 15, 2021, at his home. He is the beloved husband of Sandra J. (Houle) Bogdan to whom he was married for 36 years.

Stephen was born in Nashua on April 29, 1949, and was the son of the late Phyllis (Mason) and Stanley Bogdan. He received his education in the Nashua School System. He proudly served his country, in Vietnam, until he was honorably discharged from the United States Army.

Stephen was instrumental in the success of Bogdan Reels and continued the legacy that he and his father created. In his free time, he was an avid fly fisherman. He and his wife, Sandy, could always be found fishing together in many locations, especially in Canada. He also loved to travel to his condo in Florida where he enjoyed taking walks on the beach. Stephen was also known amongst his friends as the BBQ King, hosting many parties at his home, his friends and family would rave about his grilled chicken. Above all, his most cherished time was spent with family and friends.

In addition to his wife, Sandy, he is survived by his sister, Cheryl Doughty and her husband Carl of Palm Bay, FL, his godsons, Derek Cabral and his wife Virginia of Lunenburg, MA, and Ryan Sevigny of Hudson NH; he is also survived by nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great nephews, and several close and dear friends.  Stephen was predeceased by his niece Debra Doughty and his brother Stanley Bogdan Jr.

Relatives and friends are invited to Stephen’s visitation on THURSDAY, August 19th from 4 until 7 PM at ROCHETTE FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, 21 Kinsley Street, Nashua. His Funeral will be held in the Funeral Home on FRIDAY, August 20th at 10:30 AM. His interment will follow in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Nashua. Donations may be made in Stephen’s name to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, D-H/Geisel Office of Development, One Medical Center Drive, HB 7070, Lebanon, NH 03756-0001. 

https://www.anctil-rochette.com/obituary/Stephen-Bogdan

My Logo, Bullies and Vindication

My Logo is pretty simple. 

It was created by me and, in my opinion, accurately reflects my passion for vintage fishing lure collecting and my side hobby. While I do own a tax-id for "Chucks Tackle Box", the truth is that it is simply my hobby. I do not deal in large volumes of tackle or lures and in any given year, if I don't place a piece of tackle in my collection, I typically contact others I know who collect what I have, and finally sell it locally, or on my Etsy account. I don't sell on eBay any longer because of their constant attempts at control over my bank accounts and in any given year, I probably sell less than 2k in lures. Suffice to say, I'm the "little guy".

Being the little guy has never mattered to me in life. I more apt to stand my ground in front of men who are three times my size and will not budge. Id rather take my lumps than lose my dignity. I don't digress to bullies. I hate bullies and will always battle a bully - and that exactly what I did when a well-know big fish in the pond decided to take note of my logo.

For the record, my logo predates the bullies logo which they now use. In fact, I believe that they stole queues from my logo and in doing so, attempted to blame shift to bully the little guy, me!

First, the logo:

I have a background in art and graphics, and have a brother who is an accomplished sign artist, so its in the genes, but the logo above is really simplistic. Its not a masterpiece, but does what I need it to do.

Imagine how flattered I was when a well-know tackle house, decided to email me and threaten legal action over my logo. Knowing that I had created it myself, and now seeing that someone had the audacity to assume it was stolen without asking first, really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm a pretty decent and fair person, but I have "0" tolerance for other people's BS. I try to be fair, and expect others to be fair with me...but when a bully fires an unprovoked shot across my bow, I tend to lose all respect and an go for the throat especially when I know I've done nothing wrong.

I created my logo some time ago, around 2004, which predates the nemesis's use of the same "composition". For the sake of pettiness, lets just say that their name rhymes with "Bangs".

Ok, so your fish logo is going one way and mine is going the other.... other than that, I'd say this is a good case of "The pot calling the kettle, "Black". Going back ten years or so, The accusation was that I was using a photo they took and incorporated it into my logo. That was blatantly false. They never asked first, just accused me, and then I begged them to slander me. 

Allow me to prove my case.

I live locally to Boxborough Massachusetts, the former sight of a popular auction that use to take place there. At one time, one of the revered "Haskell Minnow" lures was going up for auction, and I had the pleasure of seeing this historical lure with my own eyes. It was resting on a plexiglass lure stand on the top shelf of a locked glass case.  I was so enamored by the lure I took several photos of it. It would fetch $104,000.00 at that auction. Several months after the auction, and thinking about the lure, i decided to create a logo using one of my photos. So for the first time, I will show you how I did that....

The Haskell Minnow as photographed

This was the only useable photo of the group that I had to work with. The others were at wrong angles, or had reflections that negated their use. Notice that even this photo has problems, the lures stand is visible on the body of the lure and there are other obstacles in the background that would otherwise prohibit use of this photo in my logo. That's where technology and graphic art comes into play.

First let me draw your attention to the seam of the lure (which allows the tail of the Haskell minnow to Spin) which happened to lie exactly at the point where the right side of the lure stand holds the lure. This is the most important part of this story and I will explain shortly.

Ok, so everything needs to "go" but the lure itself. So, by using paint commands and cloning, I am able to rid the photo of all he background static.

 Here you can see, I'm working a neutral color to essentially paint over the background and I've successfully eliminated the left lure stand against the lure by cloning other parts of the lure to make it disappear - the right side of the lure stand is more difficult.

Some detail work near the tail showing the removal of background extremely close to the body lines of the lure... painstaking work here so as to not remove the outline of the lure while tackling the other outliers and images. This has to be done around the entire perimeter of the lure and at great magnification. "Cloning" allows me to use already established patterns and colors to copy parts of the lure to other areas of  the work... Remember that seam? 

Here I've been successful at removing everything except the Haskell Minnow itself. The seam posed  huge problem and although I was able to clone other parts of the lure to eliminate the lure stand, in the act of doing that, I was unable to salvage the seam. In the photo above, you can see that the seam has been blended out of the lure. This is what differentiates my Haskell logo from the others and proves that my logo is an original and not generated from any photo except the one shown at the beginning of this post.

The image is still a photo that has essentially been painted over and masked using digital tools. it's still a photo and the background (although removed) remains "solid" - meaning that the lure is attached to the Manilla color and not a free entity, or a floating image all by itself.

Lastly, to isolate the Haskell Minnow by itself,  I use the "Transparency" command to make the entire background disappear entirely resulting in the lure (its body outline) to be the absolute edge of the image. The Haskell Minnow is now able to be incorporated into text and superimposed over it...again, my logo:

It's an exact match and the seam is not there, proving that this is an original logo and something that the bullies should have simply asked before accusing someone. They believe that they are the sole proprietors of vintage tackle imagery, and they are not, as I've shown here.

Since the creation of MY logo, they have subsequently came into using a similar logo after the fact. 

So, while they accused me of using their photo, they were engaged in stealing my original design for their use, and figured that since I must have stolen their image, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on. 

They were wrong. 

while I had good mind to return the favor, I'm not petty and imitation is the biggest form of flattery.

They know the truth.

"WEC" - Crankbaits by William Edward Chambers

Balsa crankbaits have a mystique about them, especially the ones of yesteryear. Several major tournaments have been won on old Bagley balsa crankbaits. The Big O was a staple among tournament anglers for years, and it still stays hidden in the secret arsenal of savvy competitors.

A fine example of a WEC crankbait.

The norm for the last several years has been to manufacture plastic crankbaits with the advent of injection molding. Of course there are still great wood crankbaits like the Rapala DT series, Bagley and others, but in recent years custom balsa crankbait makers have garnered an almost cult following, no lie.

East Tennessee has long been a hotbed of shallow wood crankbaits. Lee Sisson, Jim Bagley and Boots Anderson come to mind. While there aren’t many, there are a few custom crankbait makers out there, including one well-known name....

Ed Chambers, the owner of Zoom Bait Company, is a true tinkerer. He’s always working on some new idea, whether that’s in plastics or in his crankbait company, WEC. WEC literally stands for William Ed Chambers. Terry Brown joked that it meant Winning Easy Cash. Chambers got a big kick out of that.

Chambers has been carving and painting crankbaits for many years, and his WEC baits are another labor of love for him. He wants a crankbait to be a certain profile with a certain action with a certain paint job, and he goes to work to make something that doesn’t exist on the market. While he has automated many of his processes, he still paints every single crankbait and engraves his initials and the bait’s name on every bill. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider the WEC operation makes 31 different models of baits, and each bait can have as many as 55 steps just to paint a finished crankbait. Then there is the matter of cutting the balsa, smoothing the crankbait, inserting hook hangers, bills, line-ties, weights to balance the action, hooks, paint, engraving and packaging. 

Because each bait is so incredibly labor intensive, Chambers only puts out about 4,000 crankbaits a year, but because he puts so much attention into each bait, everything about it is precision

yet uniquely personal. He lays at night thinking about how to improve line ties and lip

angles to make a bait swim or act a certain way. He has bins and bins of crankbaits,

parts, lips, hundreds of different size insert weights, hook hangers, wire hangers for line

ties and more in various rooms of his WEC facility. In fact the facility itself is something

special.

The WEC plant is where Zoom originally started. It’s basically built like a gypsy colony.

As the demand outgrew their machines, they had to make more space. Originally

starting in an old horse barn, they poured a slab foundation and put two injection

molding machines together to get the shop started. As they added machines, they’d pour another section of concrete. As they filled the barn, they added on to it. As that addition filled, they’d add another building or trailer and then deck and cover walkways between the buildings. When Zoom finally moved to their current plant, this became a place for Ed to start his other hobby – crankbaits.

Ed Chambers hand paints each WEC Crankbait 

Now the wings are separated by function. Everything from cutting, priming, painting,

inserting lips and packaging are in all different areas of the colony. Our favorite part was

Ed’s famous test tank. It looked like nothing more than an old bait tank for keeping

minnows, but it sort of fits with Ed’s simple philosophy of identifying a problem and putting a simple solution to it. When he wanted to see how effective a crank was on a laydown, he literally put a 2x4 in the water at an angle and swam his crankbaits over the log with a half a rod and some monofilament.

Chambers keeps his own private tackle room at the WEC Plant, and it’s plain to see that

the owner of two incredible bait companies is just a common fisherman like the rest of

us. As we went through the plant, Chambers would stop and show us things that were so

cool, we had a hard time keeping a straight face and not smiling like little kids on a shopping spree in Toys R Us. He pulled out a tray of finished crankbaits all painted but hooks yet. Then upon closer inspection we noticed the bills were missing “I leave the bills out until the very end,” Chambers said with a sly grin aimed at Eddie Wortham and Chris Baxter, two of his lead guys at Zoom and very avid anglers. “Otherwise some of these baits might accidentally walk out of here.” We all got a big chuckle out of that. Chambers’ laugh really shows the fun and love he has for making crankbaits. That’s something we as avid anglers love to see in any company – a true love for fishing and the products they make. 

Basically from what we could gather, a WEC crankbait is first cut from an automated

machine that Lee Sisson built but Chambers later revamped and reworked to do what he

needed it to do. He inserts a metal die into the middle of the machine. Two rotors follow

along the contour of the die and the machine cuts two halves of balsa to precisely

match the die. Then the weights and hook hangers are inserted. Then the baits are smoothed of all

their rough edges. From there each bait goes to be primed. Then the baits are allowed to

dry anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. Then the baits move to the paint room where

Chambers hand paints every single crankbait. After that, he has some help with hooks

and packaging, but not until he’s etched his initials and the crankbait’s name into the bill.

Ed Chambers stands next to one of his crankbait carvers

Ed Chambers etches every bill with his initials.

We asked him how long it takes him to make a crankbait. But he had a hard time quantifying it because it’s all done in batches. First a batch is cut. Then a batch is assembled. Then a batch is primed. Then each bait is individually painted. Then each bait is signed. Then each bait is hooked and packaged. It might take several days from start to finish for a bait to be approved for shipping. Because he keeps such tight controls on everything and the baits have been tuned to perfection in the water, he can be assured that the customer is getting the finest creation he can make.

We’ve thrown the Tapp and E2 a bunch. In fact, the Tapp was the first custom crankbait I ever bought. So we had been familiar with his baits. But we had no idea how much he cares about the workmanship of his crankbaits. You have to absolutely love it to dedicate the amount of time he has perfecting each model and constantly improving his paint jobs. As a special treat, he pulled a small beer flat from a closet near his paint room. In this flat we saw very unique looking shallow running crankbaits. “We haven’t decided for sure on the name,” Chambers said. “At first we were going to call it the Willy. But then we called it the EZ. Maybe we’ll call it the Big EZ. Reach in there and get you a few.”

I salvaged this story from the internet and don't recall the name of the individual who captured this history. Email me to credit. I'd be glad to know.

Since first reading about the History of Zoom baits and Ed Chambers, I came to learn that Ed had since passed away in May 2018. The following is directly from the Zoom Bait Website and is added here for a comprehensive look at Ed Chambers, his Company and the history of  Zoom.

Iconic Lure Designer, Ed Chambers Sr. Passes Away at Age 78

May 8, 2018

It is with great sadness, founder of Zoom Bait Company, William Edward Chambers Sr. passed early Tuesday morning. Chambers, a famous iconic lure designer, was diagnosed with a rare form of Mantle Cell Lymphoma. After undergoing treatment for a short time, complications arose which eventually took its toll.

Mr. Chambers was a fighter his entire life, as he would never settle for anything less than perfect. If a good mousetrap existed, he’d find a way to make a better one. Striving for perfection is how he built Zoom Bait Company. Chambers started Zoom in his backyard as a hobby, which included countless hours after his day job. It began in a one-horse barn with sawdust floors. This became the foundation and backbone of Zoom Bait Company, which was founded in 1977.

Zoom was family owned and operated since day one. As the saying goes, behind every man is a great woman. Faye Chambers stood by his side making countless sacrifices in the early days as the company was just getting started. Often, she was found on the living room floor bagging worms and loading their station wagon, so she could deliver them to UPS.

The company began to grow with the help of close friends and fellow fishermen from the Athens Bassmasters. Eddie Wortham, while still in high school, was the first employee hired by Chambers. Today, Wortham still works at Zoom as General Manager.

Shortly after Chambers started the company, Zoom experienced another growth spurt. Chambers son, William Edward Chambers Jr., while still in school, stepped in and began running routes delivering worms with Wortham, across the southeast.

In 1988, Chambers realized that his hobby had turned into a big business. At this point, Chambers believed it would take the entire family to make this work. Eddie Jr., graduated from UGA and returned to the family business, while younger sister Kym pursued a nursing career. Kym graduated from college and worked as an RN for several years. Eventually, she joined Zoom to fill her mother’s shoes, when Faye decided to retire.

Chambers was a humble man, who never saw himself as famous. He was completely content working seven days a week seeking constant perfection. This was evident in his second hobby, making handmade balsa crankbaits. W.E.C. Custom Lures was his passion. W.E.C. was first born around 1992 and, by the mid 90’s, was in full swing. With the help of close friends, Chambers developed many crankbait models that are highly sought after to this day.

All who knew him will miss Mr. Chambers, but for us here at Zoom, we are honored to have had such a wonderful leader, mentor and friend.