Shovel Nose Louie

re-paint louies 040.jpgAll shovels that I have seen are made of plastic, are 5 1/8 inches long. Have seen a couple 6 inch too. Minser also made the tomic looking plug also, they came in a six pack cardboard box like the tomics did.
 
According to one of my sources the original wooden Louie plugs weren't all shovel-noses but they did make some for commercial trollers which were discovered by sporties and came into use.

Once plastic came in most Lucky Louies were standard sized but some shovels were also made, but they are not plentiful.

He claims you can see a distinct rise along the back towards the front in a shovel-nose versus it being very flat for the standard size.

I now believe I don't have any shovel-noses although I do have a couple of old wooden plugs I need to dig out.

Now in post #20 I think the box and the plug are mis-matched as that plug doesn't look "Pearl Pink" to me, although it may have faded or something.

And in the last pic I'm doubtful as to them being shovel-noses too.

I'm still learning though.


Take care.
 
Nootka Assassin said:
View attachment 19338

This a plastic 5 1/2 louie, notice the slight slant on nose compared shovel in my last post.
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Yes the "hump" on your shovel is apparent.

Does the shovel give more wobble or a different speed of wobble?

RE color, the left row in "Wonderbread" or "Tomic 158" is a very effective color on this side of the straits and is usually the first color I run when pulling the down riggers.
 
You might see these louies also.They are the same size as a shovel but have a different head glued onto the body these are called "stubbys" the front face is flatter than the last post. Did you also notice that shovels and stubbys are much fatter.


re-paint louies 048.jpg
 
I'm learning a lot and just had a chat with Troy about shovel-noses vs regular and in all the years he's been involved with handling or owning a couple hundred plugs as well as having sold dozens, he says he has never seen a wooden shovel-nose and believes they were all plastic when first made.

Apparently they were originally made with the commercial trollers in mind but they, (trollers) couldn't troll slow enough for them to work well.

Rowers then found them and they could work them slowly enough to have them be productive.

And the shovel-noses do have the slight hump around the front of the plug to allow for the greater surface area.

Thanks for the pics you guys. I really like them.

I now think I've got one "stubby" amongst my motley assortment but no actual shovel-noses.


Take care.
 
Dave H said:
I'm learning a lot and just had a chat with Troy about shovel-noses vs regular and in all the years he's been involved with handling or owning a couple hundred plugs as well as having sold dozens, he says he has never seen a wooden shovel-nose and believes they were all plastic when first made.
.
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You and Troy must be too young.....come on you Campbell River Tyee club members help me out on this!
Lucky Louies were made of wood over50 years ago. You are certainly right, the Shovel Nose was not ever used by the Commercial Fleet. There were more Tyee taken out of Tyee Pool way back then with this WOODEN plug (had to be wooden not plastic)...just ask Head Painters Lodge guide at that time Mike Rippingale. I do believe Mike is still alive and kicking maybe in Port Hardy, last I heard....his kids are probably on this blog??
 
gone fishin said:
You and Troy must be too young.....come on you Campbell River Tyee club members help me out on this!
Lucky Louies were made of wood over50 years ago. You are certainly right, the Shovel Nose was not ever used by the Commercial Fleet. There were more Tyee taken out of Tyee Pool way back then with this WOODEN plug (had to be wooden not plastic)...just ask Head Painters Lodge guide at that time Mike Rippingale. I do believe Mike is still alive and kicking maybe in Port Hardy, last I heard....his kids are probably on this blog??
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Troy would love to see a wooden shovel-nose Louie he says 'cause he's never seen one yet and he's seen hundreds of plugs, fished here for decades and caught numerous Tyee.


I think he's older than I and I'm 70, but given I'm about 300 yards from the Tyee clubhouse and as more old guys show up I'll see what else I can find out.
No doubt many Tyee were taken with wooden Louies in the past, but they weren't shovel-nosed, or so I'm being told.

Anyway, it's fun to check this stuff out and learn a few things too.



Take care.
 
Dave H said:
Troy would love to see a wooden shovel-nose Louie he says 'cause he's never seen one yet and he's seen hundreds of plugs, fished here for decades and caught numerous Tyee.


I think he's older than I and I'm 70, but given I'm about 300 yards from the Tyee clubhouse and as more old guys show up I'll see what else I can find out.
No doubt many Tyee were taken with wooden Louies in the past, but they weren't shovel-nosed, or so I'm being told.

Anyway, it's fun to check this stuff out and learn a few things too.



Take care.
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From left to right....shovel,5 1/2 wood,wallace,5 1/2 plastic,louie that looks like tomic and stubby. You look close at this shovel on the far left you will notice that it has a notch at the bottom of the hole where line goes through.This notch is the same as the louie that looks like a tomic has a notch also. This shovel had hardware that connected to the hooks also. You might come across this style of shovel also.re-paiant 001.jpg
 
Nootka Assassin said:
From left to right....shovel,5 1/2 wood,wallace,5 1/2 plastic,louie that looks like tomic and stubby. You look close at this shovel on the far left you will notice that it has a notch at the bottom of the hole where line goes through.This notch is the same as the louie that looks like a tomic has a notch also. This shovel had hardware that connected to the hooks also. You might come across this style of shovel also.View attachment 19353
Click to expand...

Two of the plugs in the lot of 20 that I received today are plastic shovel nose. Very easy to see the bend in the lip profile if you hold a straight edge against the plug.
The front groove is made deeper, thus the resulting lips have the 'bend". You can also see the deeper groove in Nootka's shovel by comparing the two plugs on the left.

My plastic shovels also have both the hole for the bead chain and a slot for the flat tow bar. Several of the other plugs are standard plastic Louies, the also have the hole and the slot.

I will try to put up some photos later.
 
Meet Rose. The reason for the interest in the Lucky Louies.

Almost heaven: Wood Boat, wood oars, wood reel. Just need the proper wood plug!

ry%3D400


ry%3D400


Rose has wind power also.

ry%3D400
 
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That is a great little boat. If you want to go with the all wood theme how about an old collectable cane or bamboo rod? - Or reproduce a new one that might not be as fragile to go with the wood reel and plug. Mahogany tackle box ?? Old wood frame net??
 
Rockfish said:
That is a great little boat. If you want to go with the all wood theme how about an old collectable cane or bamboo rod? - Or reproduce a new one that might not be as fragile to go with the wood reel and plug. Mahogany tackle box ?? Old wood frame net??
Click to expand...

Working on the bamboo rods, I have a couple to restore.

I like the wood frame net idea. Laminated local maple and spruce perhaps.
 
Mike R. is in Campbell River. The local plug gurus are Morris T. and Mike G. AWESOME collections!

The shovel is desired by tyee rowers as it has a broader face, so it wiggles more (better action) at slower speeds. When you are rowing a couple of 250lbers, battling passing boat wakes and a westerly wind, it's tough to maintain much speed in a rowboat. Lyman's, tubby tomics all work.

The plastic is better if you are rowing a bunch of tides, as the wooden plugs (especially the older ones with the older finishes) will absorb water and get heavier, so less wiggle.

There are a few guys in CR making their own plugs, both plastic and wood. This is really great, akin to tying your own flys!
 
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