The Sandbar Footprints
Author: Floyd Roberts
Front Cover of Mr. Clyde A. Harbin Sr. "Sandbar Footprints" Hand Assembled Book
Inside Cover
"Bass Pro Shops" Harbin Registered Duck Calls
Mr. Harbin's Original Duck Call Collection
Mr. Rick Collins
Early in the morning of January 19, 2003 Rick Collins, Wildlife Operation Manager of Bass Pro Shops, Springfield, Mo. visited Clyde A. Harbin at his home in Memphis. The purpose of Mr. Collins visit was to finalize the Bass Pro Shops deal to acquire Mr. Harbin's remaining duck call collection.
Mr. Harbin also presented to Rick a gift copy of Old Fishing Lures & Tackle 6th Edition along with his hand assembled "Sandbar Footprints" book and donations of Hunt Items and Mr. Harbin's nine video tapes about antique lures. All nine video tapes were filmed by Phil Smith Productions which include volumes such as 1903-1916 Heddon Catalogues and the Heddon/Stokes Family Heritage.
Bass Pro Shops 83 Duck Calls & Donated Hunt Items
Above are 83 cataloged Duck Calls, Sandbar Footprints, call making items, parts, tools, reeds, retriever club pens, lariat parts, call collectors patches, business cards, and Oliver's Call catalogues that Bass Pro Shops purchased from Mr. Clyde A. Harbin.
Bass Pro Shops 83 Catalog Listed Duck Calls
Shown above are Bass Pro Shops 83 catalog listed Duck Calls. The yellow arrow points to two of Clyde's hunting friends designed 1949 duck decoys. The decoys are made on a Redwood base and duck body has glued on 3 inch dairy insulation cork board. They have Herter's duck heads that are hand painted and utilize Herter's brass hardware which holds the heads while having screw eyes for anchors.
In the Foreground are Clyde Harbin's Personal Duck Calls
Rick Collins of Bass Pro Shops is wrapping and packaging the Bass Pro Shops 83 calls and hunting items for safe storage and a later date pick-up.
Rick Collins inspecting and packaging the donated gifts of Phil Smith and Clyde A. Harbin's nine master video tapes such as:
- Antique Lures and Collectibles: An Overview
- Antique Lures: Over 40 of the Rarest
- Antique Lures: The Heddon Collection
- Antique lures: Heddon/Stokes Heritage
- 1903-1916 Heddon Catalogues
- Heddon Uncataloged Lures
- Heddon/Pradco Lure Collection I
- Heddon/Pradco Lure Collection II
- Heddon Historical Footprints
As Wildlife Operations Manager of Bass Pro Shops, Springfield, Missouri Rick Collins visited the Harbin home to purchase Clyde A. Harbin's personnel Duck Calls collection. After the purchase the Calls and the gifts of Sandbar Footprints along with all the Hunt items were stored in Mr. Harbin's garage due to be picked up after Mr. Collins returned from his Florida trip.
Rick Collins and Clyde A. Harbin visit to the Bass Pro Shops "Sportsman Warehouse" in Memphis, Tennessee on January 19, 2003.
After stopping for lunch at a Cracker Barrel on I-55 Rick suggested to visit the Memphis Bass Pro Shops "Sportsman Warehouse" first to see the Clyde A. Harbin World Famous Antique Lure Display. Mr. Collins was the creator of this display at this new Mempis Bass Pro Shops facility.
Clyde A. Harbin and Rick Collins by the essay board of the Clyde A. Harbin Sr. Lure Collection story. Bass Pro Shops featured this story at the Sportsman's Warehouse Store in Memphis.
Left to Right - Clyde A. Harbin, Charles Zside, Rick Collins Clyde just by chance met his long lost friend Charles at the lure collection and Bass Pro Shops Fish Tank.
Sons of Mr. & Mrs. Chris Barre, Sam 7 years old & Ben 5 years old of Jonesboro, Arkansas are looking at the "Mouse Lure Display" with Clyde Harbin
Clyde A. Harbin at Rick Collins display of the "Bassman" spinner Baits at the Sportsman Warehouse Fish Tank
Clyde Harbin at his two "00" handmade crank baits lure display.
The Bass Pro Shops Duck Call/Sandbar Footprints Acquisitions Finalized! Rick and Clyde shake hands at the Memphis Bass Pro Shops "Sportsman Warehouse" on this purchase scheduled to be displayed in the New Bass Pro Shops Bossier City, LA. outlet in the near future.
Sandbar Footprints
1952 CHAMPION CALLERS -- Winners in the turkey, crow and duck-calling contests at the West Tennessee Sportsman's rally are shown here. Left to right, they are: Marcus Miller, Marked Tree, Ark. turkey-calling champ; Clyde A. Harbin, Whitehaven, duck calling, and J. B. Buchanan, Memphis crow-calling winner.
Bass Pro shops, Springfield, Missouri acquired "Harbin" registered duck call #17 on January 19, 2003 which Clyde A. Harbin is holding in the above newspaper photograph. The CAH #2 call is hanging on a leather shoe string lariat.
Worlds Championship Duck Calling Contest - Stuttgart Ark. 1951 Finalist
Clyde A. Harbin and Ralph L. Nafziger tied for 4th place in the May 1951 Stuttgart Duck Calling Championship. Mr. Harbin's #2 Duck Call was used in this contest which was given to his son, C.A. Harbin II on August 22, 1999.
Ford Graham and Clyde A. Harbin were invited to work to set up the field trials and operation of the National Retriever Field Trial Club's National Championship Stake for November 17 - 20, 1960. This event was held at the August A. Busch Memorial Wildlife Area in Weldon Spring, Missouri.
Mr. Harbin used as an ornament on his1957 Ford Station Wagon
One of many duck blind types, shapes and pits used on the Mississippi River while hunting for ducks in the state of Mississippi at various water levels.
Mr. Harbin's fully equipped 14 foot Lone Star aluminum pointed bow boat. This boat is equipped with a 60 HP electric start Scott outboard motor, cable steering, custom cab, windshield, electric wipers, compass with canvas/pipe rigging for foul weather use in the Mississippi river. Clyde's faithful companion "Ace" is ready for the river hunt.
Tied on top the wagon is Mr. Harbin's 14 foot Fox River Duck Boat with redwood sides and 1 inch Cypress wood bottom powered by a 10 HP Johnson pull start outboard motor. Mr. & Mrs. Harbin's son, C. A. Harbin II at the age of 7 is going on his first duck hunt in the Lanquille river's flooded timber near Colt, Arkansas.
Ellie Polk and Clyde Harbin pose together for their start of the trip to the North Lake flooded Willow Tree area on the Tennessee side of the shallow water of the Mississippi River using their loaded Fox River Duck Boat.
Mrs. Harbin purchased this Herter's Duck Decoy on February 2, 2003 at a local flea market for $10. The bottom is marked: Herter's Inc. Since 1893, Waseca Min USA". The original Herter's went out of business in 1978. Not sure who made this decoy.
Above Photos: Dr. Montgomery's Reloads
As Retriever Dog Training requires live bird work...shooting live birds, Dr. Montgomery was kind enough to reload many 12 gage used shells as gifts for Mr. Harbin. This was many years ago (1950-1960) and these shell boxes are now rare collectibles. The 12 gage shotgun shells below the boxes are for a deer hunt Mr. Harbin attended on his "Wife's & Pa-Pa" Islands across the Mississippi River from Tallulah, Louisiana for Mr. Harbin's 1897 Winchester pump shotgun.
A few of the many dog tags obtained for the registered Black Labrador Retrievers Mr. Harbin owned and trained. Dr. Montgomery was their Veterinarian.
Black Ace of the Sandbars... Black King of the Sandbars... Black Queen of the Sandbars... Black Jack of the Sandbars.
3/12/61 Newspaper Write up
"Jack" is ready for Retriever Field Trial with Mr. Harbin's. Mr. Harbin's 1957 Ford Station Wagon
Mr. Clyde A. Harbin's Hand Written Duck Call Records
John Galella
P. S. Olt
Clyde Tweedle
Duck Call Catalogue #146 - Tom Turpin duck Call (duck stamped) Metal Reed/Wedge...BPS
Duck Call Catalogue #147 - Tom Turpin duck Call (duck stamped) Metal Reed/Wedge...BPS
Harbin registered Duck Call #22. This 1950 all Dogwood call was traded to Jim Fleming who is a Duck Call & Antique Lure Collector.
All the barrel "artwork" was done by Robert E. Ferguson a long bass fishing friend of forty-odd years of Mr. Harbin's. Mr. Ferguson also assisted in building all the duck calls (CAH #100-#119) made during 1993 thru 1996.
Barrel "Checking" by Clyde A. Harbin, Sr.
These pins represent various retriever clubs where Mr. Harbin or his trainers handled Mr. Harbin's dogs.
Pictured of a leather shoe string lariat with O-rings to attach dog training whistles, duck or goose calls. The Winchester hulls used in this lariat were a gift from Mr. John N. Olin, Chairman Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation in East Alton, Illinois. During the set up of the National Trials Mr. Harbin requested some Winchester shot shell hulls. A short time later Mr. Olin sent Mr. Harbin a Christmas card from his Nilo Farms and invited him for a duck hunt.
These are hand warmers that Mr. Harbin would use on his hunts.
Two turned barrels and one raw wood barrel block
Wood block that the insert tone board are turned from
Finishing Jig for the insert tone board
One of many turning knifes and holder of barrel for shaping
Wood pieces used with metal reed as locking devises in tone boards
John E. Jolly made these checkering tools from rat tail files for Mr. Harbin
Mr. Harbin's metal duck call reeds made from coiled Monel reed material
New and old styles of tone boards for metal reeds
Required Duck Call picture to display Duck Calls in the 58th World's Duck Calling Contest. This event was held in Stuttgart, Arkansas November 24-27, 1993.
Mr. Harbin's long time friend Robert E. Ferguson brazed up this stamp to stamp calls and "Buzz" bait propellers from samples made by Hank Werner. The large steel block is used as a flat surface to make a clean cut of the .005 Monel coiled stock
Reprint Duck Call Stamps
The "George Dickel" gift box was empty....Mr. Harbin used it to store item
Artwork by Robert E. Ferguson (REF) of the Bassman for one of his "Fits" on hanging up a fishing lure. Such as this has happened more than once while fishing behind Ed in the front of the boat. He covers every possible spot for bass. No wonder it is worrisome!!!!
Mounted Bladeplate Duck
This is a mount of one of three Canada Geese that were bagged by Clyde A. Harbin, John Doddridge (son in law) and C. A. Harbin II on a hunting trip to the Mississippi River on Sandbar out of Robinsinville, Mississippi.
1975 Needle work done by C. A. Harbin, II
Deputy Sheriff C. A. Harbin II poses with his trained narcotics detector dog. Narcotics dog "Bruno" finished 20th out of 136 teams entered in the 1996 National Narcotics Trials. Clyde and Bruno are now both retired.
C. A. Harbin II made this picture with his father on the return trip to their fishing trip at Mr. Harbin's cabin on East Lake (Old White River Oxbow), Holly Grove or Clarendon, Arkansas on April of 2001.
My Bait Shop Updates:
Here are some additional updates:
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Related Articles / Pages:
History Index: A quick index of all of our history pages. From Lure Lore and Fishing History sections to everything else we have on My Bait Shop dedicated to the preservation and education of fishing history.
Lure Lore: More great Lure Lore articles on My Bait Shop featuring in depth lure reviews and historical data. An ever-growing section started in 1997 and continued on today at My Bait Shop.
Lures For Sale: See what we have in stock at My Bait Shop for vintage lures. Our ever changing inventory makes this worth repeat visits.
If you have any further information on any of the items displayed on this page which you'd like to share, please send your comments to me and I'll update the page accordingly. Contributions of interesting items and/or unknowns are encouraged.
(Originally Published on AntiqueFishingLures.com)
Moved to My Bait Shop in 2024 and updated as applicable
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