rock-a-roo jigs

[walleyescrounger]

I have been doing alot of research on these jigs. Steve Stanford aka redman has a lot of history documented on these lures . However do to photobucket some of the documented photos are gone.
Has anybody heard from redman i know he went back to Iowa to help out family. I know there's members that are close friends . If anybody can give me advice on getting more historic information I would appreciate it. As being a amateur fishing historian I would like to compile the great story of Jim Stone Cap Kennedy Steve Stanford.  It is my ultimate goal to press a mold into aluminum and tye the patterns of the iowa Great Lakes.
Sincerely Neil Austin
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Master fly tier and jig maker. Iowa's first Mr. Walleye. Originator of the world famous Rock-a-Roo. My friend and mentor. You may be gone but never forgotten. Save me a place in the boat.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]- [/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Steve Stanford[/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/font][color=666666][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Added: Feb. 5, 2016[/font][/color]

 

[redman]

Neal sent you a email.  There is a thread on here on how to press a mold. You may have read it but the operation is as described. Here is the thread http://www.jigcraft.com/jigcraft/showthread.php?tid=2976   .I will have to post all the old pictures or maybe do new ones.

To everyone else new digs are ok. Good summer deer got part of the garden. Once again chasing the wiley walleye in the Des Moines river. The rocks love the jigs as well and some days better than the walleye. Tying most of the jigs on a 1/8 oz round head with a 1/0 sickle hook. The round heads work well among the rock and boulders in the river while at the dam still use the redman/ Rock-a-Roo head. Outside high blood pressure and a few minor aches and pains from old age am doing fine. Miss the big Texas crappie couldn't find any in the river. Catfish are fair nothing like what I had in Texas.

Everyone take care and all the best.


Redman

 

[walleyescrounger]

Redman
Thanks for your email. I'm glad your doing well and are able to fish for your walleye.
It would be greatly appreciate if images could be resent on pressing molds and patterns
of rock-a-roo jigs. I'm curious do you whip finish your heads or do you use another method
like Jay Wirth uses on has NY Barumba heads?
Neil

 

[Hawnjigs]

Since I spent most of my life 4,000 miles distant from my current Midwest home, had to look up details on the Rock-a-roo.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/...cle_b4ee42ad-ed71-5a4f-ba11-26bb1b20bd53.html

Is the name an abbreviation for something?

 

[jiggerjohn]

Hi Redman, Glad to learn that you are fine & out fishing!! I've thought of you often, and fondly recall your great posts and priceless information,photos, and history! I sincerely hope that you'll HONOR us with more gems in the near future!! I'm also looking forward to Neil's write -ups into the history of rock-a-roo jigs!

 

[redman]

Hawn I have wetted a few lines with Larry. I was much like Cap and was a shoreline fisherman most of the time for walleye. Yellow perch we always were on the lake either on Smith's Bay or up in Echo Bay. L. C. Hackett, Don Reason and Dewey Olson, Cap and I would be out at gray dawn when they started their fall feeding frenzy. Three boats not more than 5 feet apart on the rock ledge. We would all take a limit. Three or four days we would have our possession limit. It would be a month or two before we would go back out and do it again. You had to know where the rock ledge was or you would not catch a fish. Otherwise we would work the waters close around Arnolds Park for walleye. Stop by Jim Stone's for a shot of J.B. before going home.

Those were good times for a young man. Regardless of whatever happens to me in the future. I consider myself a very lucky person to have lived the life I have. Some of the experiences were priceless. The people were strong and colorful characters. Hopefully I am doing the same for some of the younger sportsmen I am encountering.

Redman

 

[walleyescrounger]

Redman 
You are a intrigal part of this whole era of rock-a-Roos and hold the special accounts that paint a pictorial image of what it was like to walk,tye jigs,mold make,bend streamer hooks etc with the men that shaped you. Thank you for sharing your accounts I feel blessed for your time in sharing this with us.
Neil

 

[Hawnjigs]

Redman, were you the jig head designer and maybe supplier for the original Rock-a-roo jig?

Being a fan of Google maps noticed that Humboldt is over 100 miles from L. Okoboji - will you be up there for the fall walleye run? Also noticed that Okoboji probably has a LOT more boat docks & traffic than the good ol' days?

The Des Moines River dam tailwater off N 15th St looks awesome on Google Earth view - is there water access thru the forest?

 

[redman]

Hawn NO I was the designer or supplier. That was mainly Jim Stone. Jim had been living in Illinois and was a bass fisherman. The Shannon company was developing their twin spin lure. Jim in this back porch shop developed the method most of us today used to made jig heads. He made many mold for their Twin Spin lure.. This was back in the late 1940's. After he came back to iowa after selling two dry cleaning businesses he started fishing Lake Okoboji for small mouth bass then walleye. It was this period the early 1950's that He and Cap became close and Jim supplied the molds for Cap later for Paul Wieland and where be taught me and that is where I got my knowledge. He also developed the open wire frame bobbin for lacy Ghee at Wapsi Fly Company. Jim was a stock market genius that's where he made his big money. He never married but had lots of lady friends. A very tall and handsome man into his 80's

I live three blocks from the dam. On 11th.. street two blocks from mother. I can keep a close eye on her at 90 she is still in amazing good health and mind is getting a little shaky but with ice and snow don't want her breaking a hip or worse. The water you see thru the woods is a old mill race. Was dug back in the 1870's. No I won't be going to Okoboji to fish this year anyway. No lake access anymore and their walleye population is way down. Think I will do just as good right here at home.

Redman

 

[LedHed]

Great hearing from you Redman and life is treating you well

Hope you can revive the photos for your thread;
http://www.jigcraft.com/jigcraft/showthr...p?tid=2976
We need to preserve it!

 

[hookup]

The link to Led's thread "Not found" - sad, allot in that thread - good to see you still posting

Hawn - great find on the rock a roo article - looks like a tube jig w/ feathers and some hair

 

[AtticaFish]

........pictures are missing from PhotoBucket (think they went to paid subscriptions?) but the thread is still there......

Link: Mold Questions For Redman



Did put his jigs in the showcase way back in 2012 so have a few pictures saved..........

Link: March 2012 Showcase

 

[hookup]

Thx Attica

Nice jigs

 

[walleyescrounger]

JThe I have been able to find some images of molds and other images that have been posted here or other dark recesses of the web. Enjoy

 

 

[walleyescrounger]

4[/ATTACH]View attachment 4walleyescrounger pid='117884' dateline='1506053059']JThe I have been able to find some images of molds and other images that have been posted here or other dark recesses of the web. Enjoy

 

[walleyescrounger]

JThe I have been able to find some images of molds and other images that have been posted here or other dark recesses of the web. Enjoy

 

[walleyescrounger]

Sorry about previous replies I'm learning how to post images on this forum.
Here are images I've been able to recover from the web.

 

[walleyescrounger]

More pics. I've added some slim jim jigs and very not refined Rodger Coffman tie to show the true art to a well tied streamer fly.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I think that the Tear Drop mold by Do It pours a similar head to the rock a roos style head. I really like seeing some of these oldies type jigs and folks like Redman weighing in again. Need more pics to perhaps get me going again. Going to pour some jigs today.

 

[slammingjack]

Those are so sweet guys!