Losing a Legend

Ask just about anyone you know who the father of “Structure Fishing” is and you’ll probably hear names like Bill Dance, maybe Roland Martin. Ever wonder who came up with all the terminology we fishermen use today? Ask again and you might hear Tom Mann, one of the Lindners or any of the other legends in our wonderful sport. One man alone however owns the distinction of being the true “Father of Structure Fishing”. That man is Elwood Lake Perry. Known to his many friends as simply, “Buck”. “Buck Perry?” you might ask. “Never heard of him.”. Well pull up a chair and let me give you a little insight into arguably the greatest fishing mind we may ever know.

Born in Hickory, North Carolina in 1915, Buck grew up like most of us that have an intense love of the outdoors, fishing and hunting with his family. However from that day in March, 1928 when he turned to his father and said, “Dad, you know – the deep water is the HOME of the fish.” the fishing world would never be the same. Break, Breakline, Brushline, Contact Point, Drop-Off, Fan Cast, Migration Route, Point, Bar, Presentation, Structure, Cover, Deep Water Sanctuary. Buck coined all these, and many more phrases back in the 1950’s, and in so doing forever changed the way every serious angler from that point on would approach the unknown, underwater realm. But rather than running down the typical list of biographical facts about Buck. I’d like to share with you the influence he had on me and my family as a person, fisherman, and friend.

My family first met Buck Perry back in the early 60’s when he was introduced to my uncle Glenn Smith by a mutual friend and former Nashville Attorney Tom Coleman. Buck’s concept of trolling for bass and other species was relatively new at that time. His philosophy known as “Spoonplugging” and the terminology he used to describe the How’s, Why’s, When’s, and Where’s of bass behavior was groundbreaking and very intriguing. A friendship was born and by the mid 1960’s, with the help of Tom, Glenn, my father Romie, grandfather Daddy Frank, uncle Randy, and small group of Charter Members the “Tennessee Spoonplugging Club” was formed. The T.S.P.C. was built on the ideals and fishing principles of Buck. It was a fishing club the likes of which had never been seen before. It was a family oriented club that believed as Buck did, that information should be shared by fishermen, not hoarded like some classified military secret. This was a refreshing change, a change that resulted in bringing a whole new demographic of fisherman to the club.

Old, young, male, female, experienced, and novice fishermen were what the Tennessee Spoonplugging Club’s membership was comprised of. Instead of club tournaments, the T.S.P.C. had club trips. The club members would spend a whole weekend fishing whatever lake they chose to visit for that trip, and everyone was invited. At the end of each day all 100 or so boats would get together and share what, where, and how they caught fish that day. The next day they’d go out and everyone would share in the catching. Most of the time the trip would conclude with a huge fish fry where all the members and their families would come together and fellowship over a feast of fish, sweet tea, and all the fixin’s. This concept was so successful that before long the club grew to be over 3,000 members strong, an unheard of accomplishment at that time for a fishing club. At its peak, the Tennessee Spoonplugging Club was the largest fishing club in the country.

You can travel the country and hear these exact same stories about Buck and his influence on people, and fishing, time and time again. Buck told it like it was, and he never pulled any punches, because he knew he didn’t have to. He knew without any doubt what was and what wasn’t important as it pertained to being a great fisherman, and he never backed down from a debate. With that said, he never thought he knew it all. One of his favorite sayings was that the day you think you know it all as a fisherman is the day you stop becoming a better fisherman. He believed that you should learn something new every time out on the water. It really got under his skin how the mainstream fishing industry would manipulate and misinform fisherman, especially those new to the sport. I believe to this day that his dislike for tournament fishing and his outspoken stance against the hype, and misinformation that the mainstream fishing industry was pushing (and still is today) on the average fisherman was the only reason his name never achieved household status in the fishing world. But let there be no doubt in your mind, that same mainstream fishing world that tried to discount Buck and his theories was more than happy to use his knowledge and terminology to their benefit.

But as in most cases, the truth, and what’s right will usually win in the end. Buck ventured all over the country teaching his theories and silencing his critics. It’s hard to tell a guy he’s wrong when he’s bringing in stringer after stringer of monster fish on a lake you’ve fished all your life with only moderate success, and believe me he did this so many times it became humorous. His reputation began to grow and in 1974 all of his years of work culminated into what is known simply as the “Fishing Bible”. His book titled “Spoonplugging”, is beyond any imaginable argument, the most important piece of work ever published about fishing. I’m of the opinion that this offering should be required reading for anyone that has any desire to pick up a rod and reel. I’ve got copy #24 of the First Edition that was signed and given to my father by Buck back in the early 70’s, and it is on my “Save in case of fire” list, along with our photo albums, and the family Bible. If becoming the best fisherman you can be is important to you then you have no choice but to visit his site BuckPerry.com and pick up some of his educational material.

Probably his greatest gift he gave to all us fishermen was the fact that he shared his knowledge willingly with anyone that wanted it. He deeply believed that fishermen should always help one another. This theory is largely, and sadly a thing of the past for the most part these days. Even with all that he gave to the sport of fishing he was never fully appreciated or recognized until finally in 1984 The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame enshrined him as their 24th official inductee. Buck had a huge following. He was a rebel in every sense of the word. He was never afraid to go against the grain, a typical personality trait for most innovators. All fishermen owe him a debt of gratitude. At the very least we should all recognize him for what he did for our sport we love so much.

Unfortunately we lost Buck Perry on August 12th, 2005. At the age of 90 Buck went home to his wife who he always referred to lovingly as “Bud”. Buck may be gone but fortunately for all of us his legacy lives on, and his knowledge is still there for anyone who wants it, and after all “Knowledge… is the key to fishing success!”