Know Your Roots!
The Striper Scrapbook is a bi-weekly online column that will be filled with information on the history of striper lures, tournaments, and the folks who helped create and grow the striper fishery that we enjoy today. Learn from the past and drool over photos from the glory days of striper fishing from the collection of striper historian Peter O’Neill.
Author Profile: Peter O’Neill
I am sure most people have watched Antiques Roadshow at least once. I have seen and watched every episode at least twice. I am passionate about collecting and have been collecting fishing memorabilia for well over 25 years now. As much as I enjoy collecting these antiques, learning about their history is just as enjoyable because I have been fishing all my life.
The earliest I can remember fishing saltwater as a child was when my dad would head for Cape Cod in every spring and turn the gas on at my uncle’s rental units. Afterward we would drop some hand lines down for flounder off the bridges or jetties.
I must thank my brother-in-law for keeping the fire going, as he would often take me out on his boat fishing for blues around the old target ship that was once half-sunk in Cape Cod Bay. For many years we would fish in different types of fishing derbies from Virginia to Maryland for stripers, blues and drum.
I started fishing the Vineyard Derby in the 80’s and have fished every one up to today. Some of my best striped bass fishing was in the late 80’s to early 90’s, fishing the Monomoy rips with a true Cape Codder, Neil, who lives in Harwich. We would head out about 10 miles to fish the rips around midnight. We would back the boat into the rip while dropping down eels, and that was some of the best and most exciting fishing for me, often catching 30-, 40- and 50-pounders.
I would have to say that the first fishing items I collected were vintage ice-fishing tilts or tip-ups. Growing up in New England, we all ice-fished every winter, so I was already very familiar with them. The next items I grew fond of were freshwater Surf Orenos. They were cheap, and also very large for a freshwater lure. After that I began collecting bobbers, then licenses.
But my true passion is for striped bass. I collect just about everything related to stripers, starting with vintage lures dating from the late 1940’s to just about anything – badges, club patches, trophies, club car toppers, and even pictures. I do this by hitting all the auctions in the area. Oliver’s was one of the first in Marlboro, Massachusetts. That later turned into Lang’s Auction, and they had a few shows each year. Every Sunday morning around 6 am, I would head out to the local flea markets, never finding much, but it’s always about the hunt, just like with fishing.
Over the past few years, I have also written a few articles on collectibles and I have showcased my own collection of lures, pins, and pictures at the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association Expo.
Anyone interested in contacting me can do so by e-mail:
Vineyardblues@juno.com
Peter O’Neill
Historian and Preserver of Vintage Striped Bass Memorabilia