A Unique Start: Gibbs Tool & Stamping Works.

As featured in the Fall 2003 edition of Reel Action Update put out by the Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia.

Seventh in a series profiling individuals and groups involved in Recreational Fishing

By Christine Conroy

Ruby eye wigglers, the Kit-A-Mat, the Gypsy: say these words and any angler who knows his, or her, stuff will think Gibbs fishing tackle. This year Gibbs celebrates 95 years in the fishing business.

Passing the love of fishing from generation to generation is an integral part of the sport. It would seem that Gibbs fishing tackle too has evolved this way, from the devoted hands of one angler to another and to another. From Rufus Gibbs, philanthropist and a man with the vision, to George Whately, the resurrection man who bought the languishing company, to Syd Pallister current owner, and himself son of a ‘fishing dynasty' family.

The history of Gibbs fishing tackle begins with the man whose moniker still lends itself to the company name, Rufus Gibbs. It was 1908 when Gibbs first hung out his sign in Vancouver for the Gibbs Tool and Stamping Works. An Ontario man by birth, Gibbs wound his way through Ontario and Quebec, the central States, and the US Midwest working and earning his apprenticeship. He eventually came west across the prairies and settled in Vancouver where he went into business with five cents in the bank. In 1915 Gibbs started producing fishing tackle.

The word "legendary" often appears in close proximity to Gibbs' name. For instance, he was known for his expert angling abilities. He earned 79 Tyee buttons in his lifetime from the Comox and Campbell River clubs with three of his top catches weighing in at 60 pounds and two 61-pounders. "In September 1936 Gibbs was made a Grade A, number one, all-time member of the ‘King Salmon Club.' To qualify for this honour, Rufus hooked eleven cohos and four Tyees in a couple of days fishing," notes one of the company write-ups.

He was also known for his "you-can't-take-it-with-you" attitude. His donations are estimated to have been around $400,000 over his lifetime and he gave to a long list of organizations. His contributions, as diverse as his interests include: Rufe Gibbs Boys Club, which he started in 1948, the Vancouver Aquarium in the 1960s, St. John's Church, and his hometown girls synchronized swimming team from Peterborough, Ontario. Many honours were bestowed on Gibbs, among them Good Citizen of the Year in 1959 and Freeman of the City of Vancouver in 1963. Add to Gibbs' renown the fact that he remained a bachelor all his life (despite being named Vancouver's most eligible bachelor in 1941), lived for 44 years on one floor of the Patricia Hotel until he moved to Vancouver's West End, and one begins to see the character that built Gibbs fishing tackle.

It is said that Gibbs himself would spend time on the factory floor spray-painting lures and baking them in the ovens at night. This same dedication Gibbs first showed in the early years can be seen throughout the company's history and into the present day.

Like Gibbs' founder, current owner, Syd Pallister likes to be down on the factory floor. He roams comfortably around the machines chatting with employees. He's happy to show the lures and spoons and flashers that Gibbs is famous for, and he'll provide information on different types of fishing nets. Over lunch he tells me his story and how he came to be owner of the legendary Gibbs company. To trace Pallister's place in the story we must go back to Rufus Gibbs and the year the tackle company closed its doors.

Following a labour dispute Rufus Gibbs closed the plant in August of 1965, though he didn't formally announce the closure until the following April. Gibbs died a couple of years later on December 11, 1968. It wasn't until 1970 that George Whatley, a successful businessman, purchased the company from the Gibbs Estate. He started the Northwest Tackle Company in 1962 in Kamloops, BC and owned the Thompson Valley Sporting Goods shop. Whately merged the Northwest Tackle Company and Gibbs into Gibbs/Nortac, which is the full name of the business to this day.

Whatley not only preserved the history of Gibbs by keeping many of the original lures and packaging, he also expanded the Gibbs/Nortac line. He developed the Kit-A-Mat, Koho, and the Minnow lures among others. Whately imparted his knowledge and skill as a fisherman into the company. In fact, when he was developing the Kit-A-Mat and Koho to perfect the lures he would dive under the water to watch their action. He also set up the line of Gibbs landing nets and lead products.

During Whatley's tenure as owner of Gibbs/Nortac the business was family run. "There were times when our entire family worked here," says Joanne Ward, Whately's daughter. She grew up working at Gibbs with her dad and is currently the Office Manager and Graphic Designer. Consequently, when Whatley decided to retire in 1989 it was important to him to sell the company to someone who would ensure its history and quality were preserved and continued. Enter Syd Pallister.

Back in the late 1980s Pallister, a Chartered Accountant, was the senior partner in a successful accounting practice and living in Lacombe, Alberta. He heard about the sale of Gibbs through another CA. The question then begs to be asked, why would a CA from the prairies be interested in moving his family to British Columbia and to become owner of a tackle manufacturer? "Because, I'd been doing tax returns since I was 18 years old," he answers. "And the thought of doing them for the rest of my life had lost its appeal." Pallister had the business skills to run Gibbs but it was his dedication and love of fishing that made it possible for George Whately to hand over the reins to him. Not only had Pallister grown up fishing, he'd grown up fishing with his grandfather, Len Thompson, owner of the prairies' biggest lure company, Len Thompson Lures. "Many years ago, Grandpa Thompson instilled a love of fishing and a love of manufacturing fishing tackle in me. So when I heard that the Gibbs/Nortac Company was for sale it seemed like a perfect fit," explains Pallister.

Under Pallister Gibbs/Nortac has grown to be one of the biggest fishing tackle manufacturers in Canada with a product line of over 8,000 lures, landing nets, sinkers and accessories. Like other enduring businesses, the tackle manufacturing business has changed considerably since Rufus Gibbs' days. "In the old days there would be a an ‘understanding' with the manufacturer. Now it's driven by the consumer," says Pallister. He defines this as "just-in-time" inventory. Instead of a tackle shop keeping standing stock in its back rooms, businesses nowadays only place limited orders. When they get down to the last one then they place an order, and they need it ASAP.

Then there are the foreign manufacturers that a company like Gibbs has to compete with. Pallister admits that the biggest cost is labour, especially when many of the competitors are overseas. However, he points out that the loyalty of the Gibbs' staff is irreplaceable. The company employees upwards of 45 people, some of whom have been there for over 20 years. Pallister describes the staff as "awesome."

Gibbs also relies on Pro Staff, and they are important on two fronts. First, when a product is in development Gibbs can test it by sending it out to a pro staff. Also, these people are often the top anglers in their area and they can generate a lot of interest in a product. "It's a big word of mouth industry, in all respects," Pallister states. Similarly, in the 1955 catalogue Gibbs wrote, "Many sportsmen have offered good suggestions which we have endeavored to carry out as much as possible." The pro staff concept: a new take on an old idea.

Gibbs continues to support and give back the fishing community in the same was that its founder did. Every year they sponsor the "Take a Kid Fishing" derby, a children's short story contest and have donated over $50,000.00 of merchandise to get kids out fishing. Gibbs is also actively involved with the Sport Fishing Institute of BC, the Communications Working Group for the Lower Fraser River Sport Fish Advisory Board and the BC Family Fishing Weekend Society. They list 30 organizations that have received support and donations from Gibbs/Nortac.

When I ask Pallister if he's concerned that fishing isn't as popular as it once was he responds immediately. "I say B.S. to that." He believes that the "baby-boom bubble" is going to kick in. "You know, when the knees begin to go, these folks are going to want something they can do, and fishing is still relatively inexpensive." He also points to the boom in recreational property and that fishing is a part of that lifestyle and that passing it on to the younger generation is also part of the tradition.

Pallister tells a great story about when he was a ten-year-old lad out fishing with his grandpa Thompson on the Nicola Bar. It seems that young Syd was far more interested in climbing up the old railroad bridge foundations and contemplating his position of "king, as in king of the castle." Grandpa Thompson, meanwhile, was pretty intent on another type of king, the fish kind. As of course, luck or fate would have it, it was young Syd who felt a giant tug on his line, so "large it almost jerked me off my lofty perch," he says now. Fortunately, his line broke and he didn't go into the water. "I'll never forget grandpa's reaction," says Pallister. "He's down at the water hollering up at me, ‘What were you using? What were you using?"And so it goes. The love of fishing is passed from one generation to the next. Pallister has passed his love of the sport onto his children and many others through Gibbs sponsorship. Anglers young and old will have tackle boxes full of lures and all sorts of fishing gear, and chances are, a many of them will be made by Gibbs.