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By Floyd L. Roberts

Mr. Clyde A. Harbin Sr. is famously known World Wide as The BASSMAN. He is registered at the United States Patent and Trademark Office as the "THE BASSMAN™". Mr. Harbin is the nation's authority on antique fishing lures and is the most well known Heddon lure collector in the world. Mr. Clyde A. Harbin has done over thirty years of research on the Heddon family and the Heddon company.

Click on the links below and learn more about The World Famous BASSMAN™

• Clyde A. Harbin Sr. Archive   Information from the archival material of Clyde A. Harbin Sr.  Many of these lure photo's were used in the first edition of Old Fishing Lures and Tackle by Carl Luckey  and many more famous books.
• BASSMAN™ Books & Video's  This page features Mr. Harbin's great Heddon Footprint book, a must for all Antique Lure Collectors. There are more of his great books and a complete Library of Videotapes all by The Famous BASSMAN. There is also a link to The Home of the BASSMAN™ a site designed by Dusty Doddridge, Grandson of The Bassman.
• Bassman Visit's Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops opened a new store the "Sportsman's Warehouse" in Memphis, Tennessee.  Bass Pro Shops presents a special lure exhibit at the new Sportsman's Warehouse Store in honor of Mr. Harbin.
• Clyde's Call's Collection Value Catalog  The Bassman™ has listed his entire RARE collection of Game Calls.  Be patient while this page loads up (3 minutes 20 seconds @ 56k) there are hundreds of Game Calls illustrated along with a collector value.
• Evidence Group's "Footprints"  The Evidence Group interviews Mr. Clyde A. Harbin Sr. in his Memphis home for their magazine article for Japanese readers.
• Famous BASSMAN™ Footprints    After I started to read and study Mr. Harbin's books and material I was intrigued by his accomplishments and involvement not only in the tackle industry but also as a very successful business man.  I decided to do my own research on The Bassman and write this page. 
• First All-American Invitational Bass Tournament   Learn about the Birth of the First All-American Bass Tournament later to become The Bass Masters.  Read about how Ray Scott came up with the idea of hosting a honest bass tournament.   Read about how Mr. Clyde A. Harbin helped Ray Scott promote this event and why the First All-American Bass Tournament was a success.
• Four Rare Heddon Catalogues  Now only through Antique Fishing Lures are Four Old and Rare Heddon Catalogues.  Most collectors will never get an opportunity to see just one of these rare catalogues.  Mr. Clyde Harbin Sr. (The Bassman™) has supplied me with prints and photo's of the 1911, 1913, 1914 & 1916 Heddon catalogues to put on my website so more collectors can have access to this Heddon information. 
• Franklin A. Alger lures   Franklin A. Alger of Grand Rapids, Michigan made a variety of lures around the turn of the century.  All of the Alger lures are considered rare and very difficult to find.
• Joe & Clyde Bartlesville Meet    Clyde Harbin and Joe Courcelle made their way to Bartlesville, Oklahoma NFLCC Swap Meet in 2004.  For many years Joe Courcelle invited Mr. Harbin to ride with him to the Bartlesville swap meet and this year Mr. Harbin accepted.

• Heddon "Iola" Wisconsin Footprints - Part I   This first part of Heddon Wisconsin Footprints offers new information about future publications of Mr. Harbin's "James Heddon Son's Catalogue" and "Heddon Historical Footprints" books.  Read about Mr. Harbin's involvement with Krause Publications and where Mr. Harbin leaves his Footprints. 

• Heddon "Chetek" Wisconsin Footprints - Part II  The second part of Heddon Wisconsin Footprints deals with The Heddon Factory and W. T. and Laura Heddon and how Mr. Harbin brought this knowledge to the city and towns people of Chetek, Wisconsin. 

• Heddon "Roberts" Wisconsin Footprints - Part III  Learn in part three of Mr. Harbin's Wisconsin Footprints the gifts to Floyd Roberts (Antique Fishing Lures Website Author) and the history behind the gifts.  Also news on Dan Basore from Warrenville, Illinois about his Chetek discovery.

• Holy Grove Footprints After many years of photographs and now a HP digital camera Mr. Harbin put together this handmade Essay book of his "Holly Grove Footprints".

• Jacob Hansen Lures   Jacob Hansen from Michigan made the Michigan Life-Like and Spoon Jack minnow.  His lures are considered rare and hard to find.  Follow this link to learn more about the Jacob Hansen Lures.
• NFLCC - The Beginning     These pages cover the beginning or the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club - Springfield, Missouri. I have studied and researched the early days of the NFLCC and in my own words documented the early days of the club the way I understood the events to have happened. The photographs were all taken and supplied to me by The BASSMAN. I enjoyed designing these pages and I am proud to present to you the The Beginning Years of the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club.

• Old Lure Japanese Story   This terrific page Features Mr. Tsutomu Wakabayashi an early Japanese pioneer that was in on the beginning of old lure collecting in Japan.  Read about Mr. Wakabayashi's early contribution to Japanese bass fishing and old lure collecting.  Read about Mr. Clyde A. Harbin's involvement with his close long distance friend Mr. Wakabayashi and much more.

• Old Lure Japanese Story - Part II     This section of the Old Lure Japanese Story contains information on Mr. Mitsuru Sato President of Glass Eye International and his involvement in old lures.  Terrific information when the EI Publishing Co. visited Mr. and Mrs. Harbin at their Memphis home to interview Mr. Harbin for an article in the Old Tackle magazine.  Interesting information when Mr. and Mrs. Harbin field tested Mr. Sato's Glass Eye Stick fishing rods.

• Old Lure Japanese Story - Part III    This part of the Old Lure Japanese Story deals with more Japanese old lure collectors that Mr. Clyde A. Harbin Sr. had communications with and aided them along their way of collecting old lures in Japan.  Here you will find many pictures from Japan along with information on the Heddon/Smith special lures.

• Old Lure Japanese Story - Part IV    Part IV the Final Chapter of the Japanese Story has information on The Florida Antique Tackle Collectors meets.  A terrific story with the footprints of Mr. Hiro Naito by Mr. Lanny West the Senior Director of Marketing and International Sales for PRADCO.  Information when Mr. Hashima Shoichi visited Mr. and Mrs. Harbin at their Memphis home. 

• Performance Package   Complements of Mr. Clyde A. Harbin Sr. this page offers twenty three 1970's lure catalogues and many miscellaneous one page catalogues.  Among these are PRADCO's Famous Brands such as Rebel, Heddon, Cotton Cordell, Smithwick, Creek Chub, Bomber and Arbogast.  This area offers over 311 printable Mint Condition Catalogue Pages. 

• Sandbar Footprints   The Sandbar page is a two story line page.  The first story is about Bass Pro Shops acquiring Mr. Harbin's Duck Call Collection and the second story is Mr. Harbin's Sandbar Footprints & Marketing Duck Calls.

• Tackle Collectors of Arkansas   The TCA is a newly formed club by David R. Stainaker.  Just like the NFLCC, ORCA and the FATC the TCA is an organization that promotes and supports the collection of antique fishing tackle and the preservation of its history.

• Tribute to Mr. Clyde A. Harbin, Sr.  My Tribute to Clyde A Harbin, Sr. the Bassman - January 15, 1916 - March 24, 2004

• Water Walkin' Blade Article  This article was written by Clyde A. Harbin Sr. sometime ago around 1976. Clyde never had it published and has given me permission to publish his story and now presenting for the first time anywhere the Water Walkin' Blade Story.

• Ye Olde Bass Lures by The Bassman™   Here you will find information on Heddon's very first and early baits.  Including the 1898 Heddon hand made Frog along with the early Dowagiac Underwater Minnow, The Missing Link lure, The Dowagiac Expert and The Heddon Night-Radiant Moonlight Bait.

  Tim Watts The Grandson of 

The Bassman

  The below photograph is from July 18, 19 &20, 1986 when Clyde A. Harbin Sr. (The Bassman) and Tim Watts attended the Natchitoches - Northwestern Folk Festival held in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  Tim attended the festival to assist his grandfather to field questions from the visiting public.  Tim is a lifetime member of the NFLCC and now as an adult is considered to be a top and very knowledgeable lure collector 

(left) Tim Watts, Grandson of the Bassman - (right) The Bassman

  Tim Watts alongside two large Philson tackle boxes that were used to conduct The Bassman's Bas-Tik-Neke Seminars.  

  Tim Watts inspecting one of the two Philson tackle boxes of 300 plus old lures that were used in The Bassman Seminars.

The Little Bassmam

The Little Bassman created by Mr. Carmen Baldacchin

  The Bassman Creation is a handmade sculpture made by Mr. Carmen Baldacchin of Toronto, Ontario Canada.  Mr. Baldacchin presented Mr. Harbin with his sculpture as a gift for his 85th Birthday on January 15, 2001.  Mr. Harbin named this beautifully crafted sculpture of himself The Little Bassman.

  Mr. Baldacchin met Mr. Harbin through e-mail contact this past November of 2000.  Mr. Harbin is helping Carmen with inquiries about old lures and other related fishing questions.  Mr. Harbin shortly gave Mr. Baldacchin a new nickname of "Bocar" which Carmen accepted and started signing "Bocar" on his artwork as his signature.  The Little Bassman is his first piece of artwork to have been signed "Bocar".

  The bulk of the material used for this sculpture is a molding clay called Fimo. After the Fimo clay is sculpted it is then baked in different stages in a oven.  Later the sculpture can be incorporated with other materials such as wood, wire and foil depending on the item.  Fimo comes in many brilliant colors and depending on the artwork painting may not be necessary.  After all this Mr. Baldacchin then puts on the finishing touches by painting the eyes, eyebrows and lips, etc. on his artwork.

  Mr. Baldacchin is a naturally gifted and talented artistic.  He is self taught in all facets of art and enjoys doing artwork as a hobby.  Carmen mostly does his artwork for friends and family.  Recently he has been doing sculptures on fishermen characters with their catches with fishing rods and lures.  

  Mr. Baldacchim made this piece of artwork because of his recent friendship he shares with Mr. Harbin.  To quote Carmen's wife she said Mr. Clyde Harbin is a "Fine Southern Gentleman".  

In Loving Memory of Carmen Baldacchin

E-mail Floyd Roberts from Bottom of Home Page

 Copyright © 2001 by Floyd L. Roberts

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