As part of the Museum’s 2023 Winter Lecture Series, Dr. David McKee spoke on Jan. 30, 2023, about the History of Tackle.
Dr. David McKee is a retired Professor of Biology at A&M-CC (30 years), and has a long professional relationship with UTMSI. He grew up in Sinton, Texas, and spent a lifetime fishing in Port Aransas. He caught quite a few tarpon off the Horace Caldwell pier in the 1960s. He was a judge in the Deepsea Roundup for 40 years and is a member of the Boatman’s Hall of Fame.
Dr. McKee started collecting fishing tackle at the age of 12, and has donated his lifetime collection of vintage and antique fishing tackle, which includes rods, reels and lures, to the Museum. It is one of the most complete collections of offshore/inshore tackle on display anywhere. All rods are wooden (split bamboo and cane), most of which have been restored and fitted with age-appropriate reels. The donation includes complete collections of several saltwater reel manufacturers. Complete collections of lures from six companies in Corpus Christi that produced lures from the 1930s up until the late 1960s are a part of the collection.
