Question to owner of a boat named Dud's Plug?

[Sharted]

Does anyone know the guy that is operating this boat? I would like to get in touch with him. :grin:

[David Johnson]

Sounds like Dudly Nelson.

[Sharted]

Thanks Dave, I don't think its Dudley, He looks way older than him. Great picture of the vehicle in the river!

[wootersen]

Nice Moniker



Does that mean what I think it does ?

[Sharted]

No :smile:

[SPAZZ]

:whazzup:

[ssteelheadsteve]

I believe Dud Sr. past away last year.Apologies If I am wrong.Dud Jr. is really starting to look like his Dad these days if I can believe recent photos.Search Ifish Dud Nelson,Dudley Nelson.Dud Sr. was the guy who gave me the idea to nail salmon heads as high up on a post or pole as possible.Excellent entertainment on a s l o w day.If you try this be sure to keep YOUR cat indoors where it should be in the first place.

[Jennie@ifish]

I can get you in touch with Anthony, if you like. He is the owner of the Dud's Plug.

Just e mail me.

Thanks,
Jen

[spinner53]

Let's see um fish heads on a pike pic's ??

[Paddlefish]

No, let's see more pictures of the boat! (Way cool, as I recall.) [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Jennie@ifish]

The original Dudley Nelson. [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

I showed it to Bill and I thought he was gonna cry. He loved him, so much! :smile:



Those were the days...

Jen

[Jennie@ifish]

And now...





Photo taken by Jennie, last springer season, 03

Jen

[ 01-30-2004, 03:55 PM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]

[GutZ]

Jenny;
Are those Fish on stringers hanging over the side?

[Jennie@ifish]

I wouldn't doubt it, but I do not know.

Here is the famous "fish Back Road!"



[ 01-30-2004, 03:53 PM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]

[Paddlefish]

Probably the right time to remember the original Dudley Nelson.

I never had the pleasure of meeting him but he was "my kind of guy:" always thinking, always innovating, always trying for that new angle for those Willamette springers, in particular.

Speaking of history and memorabilia, anybody got an original "Dud's Plug?" It was, as I recall, a metal lure which looked somewhat like an inverted Flatfish. Must have been in the mid 1960s. (?)

Then there were the Full Nelson and Half Nelson spinners: three spinner blades or two, respectively, aligned one-above-the-other to spin in unison. (Caught my first Willamette springer in 1975 with a homemade replica.) :smile:

Heck, Bill Monroe has probably written of Dud and his son, unless my memory is totally . . . always a possibility.

Oh, and thanks for the photos, Jen.

[Jennie@ifish]

From Dud's Nephew:

Jennie:
I can't answer Paddlefish but I 'll relate this to you.
Dud always invented stuff. Beside his Lure's he invented the Very First Compound Cross bow. He had a patent
On a spud gun and I don't know what else. His first lure was the Original Dud Plug. It was made of plastic and was red
In color. I haven't seen one in Years. Dudley has the patent somewhere in his stuff. Then he made the metal Duds Plug the
One he is famous for. Dud build his own Faceting machine out of an old 78 record player. He took an old washer machine motor and mounted it on an Antique Hutch. His mom was an Antique dealer. Bill remembers. I have the old Faceting machine
In my shop. If you looked at it you would wonder what the Heck. It's got an old hand drill for an arbor and a gear of some
Kind for an indexer. It is crude. Dud built this long before Armature Gemologist got around to making them. This thing is an
Invention of it's own. You should see the Stones he used to cut with it. I am a pac rat when it comes to family stuff.
That old machine is sitting in my shop covered with old fishing gear. Ever since I was a small boy I can remember going down his basement stairs smelling his pipe. He used to smoke Half and Half. Dud would be sitting on his Stool gluing
Sparkle on his Duds plugs or fooling around with a Long Bow. Did I mention he used to make Long Bows ? Oh I think before the Dud's plugs he made the Half Nelson and then he made the Full Nelson. Oh Yeah did I mention Dud was a Wrestler and a boxer. He has trophy's sitting in the Case at Oregon State University where he won the Triathlon and I don't know what else. That's how the name Full Nelson and Half Nelson came from. Half Nelson was two spinners linked together so they would
Spin in unison. If you put two spinners on one wire the will move opposite, so Dud figured out how to link them together.
Two spinner equal a half Nelson Three spinners equal a full Nelson. Those spinners were Fluted and I think I gave my last one away to a collector.
Back to the Faceting machine: From cutting stones, Dud got the idea to add facets to his Blades. He had the man next door build him the Dies and presto. He started making the Nelson's faceted Spinner blades with a Hootchie tail. I caught many salmon with them and they are still my favorite. He made tons of other stuff too. Dudley has all his old presses and
Dies and I am hoping someday soon he will fire it all up and make a few lures. But he doesn't sound too excited to do it for some reason. Well that's his prerogative and I'll respect that.
I will take some digital pictures of what Plugs and spinner I have if you want. I might be fun to post them. Sometimes when I am out in the boat people will come up to me and ask for these lures. I have only a couple things left so I won't be handing out anymore. Dud used to pass them out on the river for free to anyone that asked. It's funny !
I have had people come up to me at the coast or on the boat ramp that reckognise the boat and they say things like
" I have one of those Dud's plugs at home in my tackle box and I caught fish with it " " I will never give it away"


One thing I will say about Dud. He was a very happy man. I have never seen him when he wasn't smiling and happy.
Everybody loved him. I sure miss my Uncle Dud. Dudley said he started Fishing the Willamette when he was Twelve years old.
I haven't Calculated exactly what year that was but it was somewhere in the 30's. He used to row the Willamette with a rod
In the boat and Catch fish. Can you imagine that ?


Dud was Bill Hedlund's Best Friends father and Bill has been part of the family ever since I can remember. In my mind
Bill was always Dudley's best friends which makes him speciel to me also. From what I have seen of Bill he is a great
Guy.


Thanks

[Sharted]

Thank you everyone for your comments and information. These are the type comments that make this a web sight people enjoy and want to be a part of. Jennie I would like to get in touch with the new owner. It is such a neat boat.

Smiles
Doug

[pearl]

I have one of the old Dud's Plugs out in my shop. It was given to me by Steve Koler many years ago as Steve was mentoring me on the aspects of Willamette River Springer fishing. If memory serves me correct Steve was Duds Nephew.

I had the please of fishing with Dud Jr. a couple of years back in the N Coast Rondezvous and I was able to listen to alot of history on the Duds Plug and springer fishing in general.

If I get a few minutes I'll take a picture and post the old plug.

[WHO'S BELLS RINGING?]

I USED TO BOWL WITH DUD SENIOR IN THE POLICE LEAUGE. HE WAS A CAPT ON THE PPB. GREAT GUY WITH HIS BIG CIGAR,. PLAYING WITH HIS DUD'S PLUG. HALF NELSON' FULL NELSON AND ALL THE OTHER WORKS OF ART OR NEARLY WORKS OF FISHING GEAR.

[Jennie@ifish]

Jennie:
Here are some variations of the Duds Plug.


The one on the left is a Standard Duds Plug. The next one over is a Wounded Herring designed to flip over to give it the appearance of a Herring that has been
Tail slapped by a Nookie. Notice the lead wieght crimped on the bottom. Pretty clever don't you agree. The third one is a Hammered version probably for Trout or Steelhead.
The far right was when everyone started expirementing with tape and glow in the Dark stuff. There are many more variations. Dud started adding expoxies to make the bodies thicker. He even made a prawn version that they painted up with pink paints to make it look just like a prawn but it wiggled. And he added rattles. I don't have copies
Of these but I am sure Dudley does. Oh and yes he did make Herring wraps and Anchovie wraps. He thought of everything. <<MVC-574S.JPG>>


I forgot to grab a Hootchie Spinner and will send some pictures tomorrow along with some other photos of Dud landing a springer.


Let me know if you have had enough.


Steve Koler is Duds Nephew as I am also. Steve's Mom, My Mom and Dudley's Mom where all Sisters.


Die hard Willametter River fisherman. It's in the blood.

[Buck]

I knew there was a reason I hung on to my original Dudley Nelsons. My Dad, "Coon Island King" (boat name: Filbuck), knew Dudley pretty well from the water and learned more than a few secrets from him. If my memory serves me right, my dad, Dudley, and another guy were on a Portland TV show back in the 50's when my dad owned and operated a sports store in West Slope. I remember meeting Dudley, but frankly, about all I remember is he was another one of Dad's buddies who caught a lot more fish than I did.

[Abalone]

Hootchie Spinner. Notice the facets on the blade. This thing really sparkles in the water.

# 6 Blade for Tillamook, CR etc. I caught many Nookies on this pattern.

[ 01-30-2004, 11:08 AM: Message edited by: Abalone ]

[Abalone]

Fishback Road !

[ 01-30-2004, 11:09 AM: Message edited by: Abalone ]

[Abalone]

Dud with a Springer. Big Mike in the Bow. ( This guy is Six Foot Eleven inches tall ) He is great for
cleaning Ceilings. Who's that guy in the Middle ?




[ 01-30-2004, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: Abalone ]

[boomer]

Who is in the boat upriver?

[Abalone]

Couple of Rubber necks I reckon !

[Sharted]

Hey Abalone, It sure was easy to lure you back, IT's amazing what fond memories can do for the fisherman inside. I hope that offer to fish in the cadillac is still good? Your pictures are awesome.

Doug

[Abalone]

Sharted ! Does that mean what I think it does ?

[Abalone]

That' s a funny story about the Gillnetter.

As it turned out Duds Grandaughter married a Gillnetter.
And then last summer at the Wooden Boat show I parked the Duds Plug right behind and old
wooden Gillnet boat. I didn't have my Camera but another club member took pictures. I wish I
could find that guy, it would make a neat wall hanger.

Dud would laugh !

[Sharted]

It means that I'm waiting for the Dogwoods to blossum. So I can net your next springer, and watch it escape through the hole in the bottom.

Memories

Just remember Quatsino!

[Joe Schwab]

Dud Jr. and I worked together for 9 years out of Portland. Dud Sr. took me fishing a couple of times and introduced me to the Dud's plug. I had a dozen of them and they all caught fish. I would not use anything except for a long time till I ran out. Dudley, I need some more!!!

I was fishing out of Clatskanie one spring and hooked a nice springer right in front of a gillnet boat that was sportfishing. I landed it and the old gillnetter asked me what I was using. I told him it was a Dud's plug. He asked if he could see it so I threw him one and told him to keep it. Later that day my motor conked out and he came along and towed me back to the ramp. Refused any money. He did comment though and asked me "Isn't Dud Nelson the guy who hates gillnetters?" I told him Dud didn't hate gillnetters just gillnets. He smiled and said "well he sure makes good lures"