was a good read and brought back lots of memories. The sports editor didn't quite go back far enough in the history of fishing tubes but it was still a good article. Bob Brown didn't invent the tube, although as George said in the article, he perfected it in Oklahoma. I had an elderly neighbor put me in a tube and teach me to fish from one as a young teen in the 50s. He and I spent many a day in Black Fork Creek catching bass and crappie. They were almost as good as Bob Browns later ones and were made in Ft Smith, Ark by the Tucker Duck and Rubber Co. As I recall from conversations with Bob he used one of the Tucker tubes for a pattern when he made his. I used one for many years before getting one of Bobs. The big coolers full of large crappie were one of my favorite things at the annual Tackle Show back then. Bob took many of them from Thunderbird. I have one of the new ones now but haven't fished from it in some time.

This article didn't mention it but brought back another memory from him. He primarily used one jig in either 1/8 or 1/4 oz. It was a brown head in the style that some now call a walleye head. It had sparse brown bucktail over white and he used a small pearl colored worm trailer that had a thin flat tail. I bought a bunch of those over the years and they are all gone now. I have looked and looked for a jig to duplicate it and cannot find exactly that. Most have different heads and way too thick bucktail on them. I could probably tie one myself and come close but with my now arthritic hands it would take me forever. The large crappie loved them. Those were good times.