History of Eagle Claw Hooks: The Story Behind the Most Famous Stinger in History
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2023
- If you are watching this video, there is a good chance that you have at least one pack of Eagle Claw snelled hooks lurking somewhere in your tackle box. There is no telling how many core memories have been built using nothing more than a tub of live nightcrawlers, a few bobbers, and a pack just like this.
This pack hasn’t changed much since I was a kid, which may be why it is so iconic for anglers of any age.
Yet, while everyone knows photo, which has become a registered trademark of Wright & McGill Co. itself, I bet very few actually know who this man is. Well, in today’s episode of Retro Bassin’ we are going to dive into the History of Eagle Claw hooks and reveal the mystery man holding arguably the most iconic stringer ever photographed. Stick around…
I also want to give a big thanks to Stefan and the team at Eagle Claw who assisted with the information and photography used in this video.
Now let’s jump into the history of Eagle Claw hooks. As the company’s name suggests, Wright & McGill Co. founded in the 1920s, was formed by a pair of avid, young anglers by the names of Drew McGill and Stan Wright.
Both the product’s design and name were the result of one fateful flyfishing trip Drew McGill took to the upper Colorado River.
While the native rainbow trout were hungry and rising to flies that day, Drew McGill was having difficulty hooking them. Taking a break after a missed fish, he observed a pair of bald eagles flying above him before one of the pair landed on a dead cottonwood. McGill noticed how effortlessly the eagle’s talons pierced the weathered wood.
This gave McGill the idea to test the piercing ability of his own fishing hooks, and as he slid them across his leather creel the hooks made a mark but did not penetrate. He then used a pair of pliers to bend his hooks into a shape that closely resembled an eagle’s talon, and the hook swiftly pierced the leather strap.
McGill hastily modified all his hooks that way and was soon began hooking and landing trout he would have previously missing.
The talon bend was one of the biggest innovations in fish hooks in hundreds of years and in 1938 Eagle Claw became a registered trademark of the Wright & McGill Company, employing a growing number of workers in the Denver, Colorado, area.
By 1948, the Wright & McGill Co. owned and operated the world’s only automatic hook-making machines. The new machines barbed, shaped, eyed, and pointed the famed Eagle Claw hooks in one operation. The Wright & McGill Co. soon produced thousands of hooks per day on the new equipment. In addition to fish hooks, the company would expand to produce a line of flies, fishing lures, and fishing rods out of a pair of state-of-the art factories.
Now back to the mystery man on the package. I always thought this to be a photo of either Drew McGill or Stan Wright, but he is actually neither. The mystery man is actually an Eagle Claw employee by the name of Paul Mount who joined the company in 1938.
Among his other duties, Paul was in charge of arranging VIP fishing trips and 1942 he was tasked with organizing an excursion on the Colorado River with actor Dennis Morgan and eagle Claw founders Wright and McGill.
The fish represented the group’s daily creel of rainbow trout, the floppy hat owned by Drew McGill, and the “stringer” was actually an Eagle Claw Granger fly rod sold for $100 in 1942…one expensive stringer! Now, when you adjust for the rate of inflation, that is a 1,875-dollar fish stringer! It’s no wonder Drew McGill reportedly joked that Paul was not very particular with what he used to string fish.
With over a billion packs of Eagle Claw hooks sold since that day in 1942, Paul’s likeness could well be one of the most duplicated personal photographs on a consumer product ever.
Nearly 100 years after Drew McGill first observed the pair of eagles that inspired its design, Eagle Claw hooks remain a leading manufacturer of fishing hooks and fishing related equipment. But the next time you pass a peg of snelled hooks, now you’ll know the name and story of perhaps the most famous stringer of fish ever photographed.
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This is a beautiful episode. Chock full of fast-paced history, cool photos, great delivery and perfect editing. I've become enamored with old Wright & McGill tackle over the the last couple years, beyond their hooks and snell packaging. Picked up a few old Hijacker lures about a month ago, one with original box. Eagle claw has long been the gold standard in hooks, and every old tackle box worth its salt has at least one packet of W&M snelled hooks and a couple small plastic boxes of loose hooks in its bottom compartment. I wonder what became of Paul Mount? Did he stay with the company? How did he feel about that photo becoming so iconic? Would be an interesting story sideline in itself. And finally, HECK YES! I'd love to see a walk-through of that 1968 W&M catalog!
My dad used to get me a pack of Eagle Claw snelled hooks # 6 every week during the summers along the Delaware River! Man that package takes me back! 🤠 Thanks!
This is the best channel for all things Fishtory related.
60 years old and just learned alot ! Love these old stories! Thanks so much for the research!
Millions of fish Is the history. I've caught thousands probably on them in my lifetime my grandpa in his lifetime probably caught hundreds of thousands on exclusively eagle claw. Still in my boxes today. Awesome video brother.
Ha! This was fun. Takes me way back…just pulled up to the spot on my huffy, zebco 33 combo in hand, worm hooked and it’s go time.
You are the master of teaching me information that I didn’t even know I wanted to learn. Great stuff Chris
Great video, first hooks I ever bought. And to this day I occasionally buy them still!
O Ya !! Take us back in time Mr Peabody and show us that catalog!! 🤠
Watching thease videos are the Highlight of my week
These videos rock!
Them are the legends of the hooks I went through billions of them
Thank You for another great fishing history lesson. Thank You
I’m always on the lookout for Wright & McGill stuff when digging through old gear. Especially the rods.
i have seen that picture for almost 50 years and always wondered about it
Thanks for the history.
Back in the 60's and 70's 🤠
Eagle Claw rules!
Nice history thx for clearing up that photo
I picked up a box yesterday and guess what...found a few snellys! Yea buddy, always seems to at least one in every box we pick up! Thanks for the info! ✌️ 🤠