BOOKS OF THE BLACK BASS

William “Bill” Binkelman, Milwaukee WI

25 October 1909 – 26 May 1989

I added this page in an effort to find more information about the books written and published by Bill Binkelman.  Bill is an enigma to me, he wrote his books in series, arbitrarily changing numbers and then renaming the series.  He reprinted books without updating copyright dates and didn't show current printing dates.  If that doesn't create mysteries then I don't know what does.  In my quest for details on his books I've gone to his son, Bill Jr., Babe Winkelman, writers and publisher at In-Fisherman magazine and a host of angling book collectors, all without much success.  There must be someone out there with details on his books.  Please help me to straighten this mess out.  Someone purchased his tackle business and if you know who that was please tell me.  Is it possible that he also picked up the books?

BINKELMAN, BILL - Nightcrawler Secrets.  (Nightcrawler Secrets Book 1)  8vo. 24 pages. (c) February, ©1966 by Milwaukee Boston Store Corp. Milwaukee WI. White soft cover. Mentions walleye a couple of times but this is a Bass book. Methods are based on properly conditioned nightcrawlers. Bill cautions us at the beginning of the book about keeping this method secret. He said it was much too deadly and it took too many years to develop to give it out "willy-nilly." At this stage in his angling career, properly conditioned crawlers were large, hand picked and active crawlers stored in Buss Bedding. Illustrated with a few line drawings showing how to rig the nightcrawlers. Another ©1967. Northwoods Pub. Milwaukee WI. Green soft cover. Illustrated. There might be another printing by Northwoods ©1967, ©1969 with white soft covers. A later printing by Northwoods shows © 1967, ©1970 and has cover with blocks in red, blue and yellow. This last edition says "The Deadliest Live Bait Method You Can Use" across the top and shows it is by "Bill Binkelman, editor of Fishing Facts."

BINKELMAN, BILL - Walleyes Love Nightcrawlers: (Nightcrawler Secrets Book 2). 8vo. 76 pages. 1967. Northwoods Publishing. Milwaukee WI. Soft cover. Bottom of front cover says "by Bill Binkelman, Editor of Fishing News." Another ©1967, ©1969. 76 pages plus 4 pages ads. White soft cover with title printed in red. Northwoods Pub. Milwaukee WI. Title of this printing is Walleyes (& All Game Fish) Love Nightcrawlers. Bottom of covers says "by Bill Binkelman, editor of Fishing Facts and Secrets." Another ©1967, ©1970. Northwoods Pub. Cover has a photo of Bill with lots of fish and has three color blocks with printing in them as does the above. This one is titled Walleyes And All Game Fish Love Nightcrawlers. These two books were later expanded by the editors of Fishing Facts magazine in their 1972 book Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers, which was published after Bill left Fishing Facts.

BINKELMAN, BILL - Catching Walleyes. 12mo. 52 pages plus ads. 1974. Published by author. Milwaukee WI. I have two copies, one has a photo of Bill on the front cover with a huge stringer of Walleye. Inside it indicates this is Book # 6 in an up to date series of fishing books by Bill. An earlier printing, also ©1974, has different photos on the front cover and a notation that it is Book #1 of Bill Binkelman's Catching Fish Blue Books. Softbound. Illustrated with photos and drawings. Bill contends that any good Walleye method will clean up on Black Bass. This book includes some photos of big Bass taken with walleye methods. Bill had more of these books in the works and I don't know how many he finished before he died. His son, Bill Jr., told me that his father hadn't completed all the books in the series. I always wondered why he left Fishing Facts magazine and this book includes his version: "I left my desk as Editor of Fishing Facts to recharge my outdoor batteries and to get reacquainted with Mr. Average fisherman as he is today. He is as great a guy today as he was when I founded my Fishing News in 1963." For the record, Fishing News was a four page, tabloid size publication, printed on newsprint. First issue was dated December 1963 and was titled Boston Store Fishing News and Wisconsin Spoonplugger. © by Milwaukee Boston Store. Included fishing tips, photos of happy anglers with big stringers of fish, one of which was Buck Perry, a contour map, and a few ads.  I also have a binder that begins with Vol. 1, No. 25, December 1965, throught Volume 2, Number 20 (issue 74), January 1970.  Most of these later issues were 8 pages.  George Pazik joined Bill in publishing the magazine in December of 1966. They changed the name of the magazine to Fishing Facts and Secrets with the June 1968 issue. January 1970 was the last issue in the tabloid format and it changed to a regular magazine format as Fishing Facts with the February 1970 issue.

BINKELMAN, BILL - Nightcrawler Fishing 1974. 52 pages plus 8 pages of ads. 12mo. 1974. Bill Binkelman Enterprises. Milwaukee WI. This one has a beige cover and is an early edition, possibly the first.  I have a copy of a later printing titled Nightcrawler Fishing. 12mo. 52 pages plus ads. ©1974. Cover references a 3 year scuba research project and says "Book #3 of Bill Binkelman's Catching Fish Blue Books." Illustrated with photos and drawings. Based on underwater studies. Covers both Bass and Walleye. Softbound.

BINKELMAN, BILL - Minnow Methods. 8vo. 59 pages plus 13 pages of ads. ©1975. Bill Binkelman Enterprises. Milwaukee WI. Softbound. Cover says "Book #4 of Bill Binkelman's Catching Fish Blue Books." As with the others in the series it includes material on Bass and features them in some of the photos. In this one Bill acknowledges that he read Henshall and that the methods in the book are improved versions of the methods Dr. Henshall wrote about. For some reason I didn't follow up on these books and never put together a complete list. I do remember that I paid for this one and Bill delayed shipment so he could rewrite it, I never did receive the book and ended up buying it at auction twenty five years later. Bill's books are a bibliographer's nightmare. In this one he changed the numbers of the previous books in the series. At this point I don't know if he reprinted them with new numbers or not. Also, I haven't been able to determine how many of the series was actually printed. Near the back of this book is an updated list of the books he planned. This is a revised and renumbered list of the books published under the earlier series Bill Binkelman's Catching Fish Blue Books.

The Bill Binkelman Series of Fish Catching Books.

Books #1 and #2 were Nightcrawler Secrets and Walleyes Love Nightcrawlers.

Book 3 - Nightcrawler Fishing 1974

Book 4 - Minnow Methods That Catch Fish

Book 5 - How To Begin To Catch More Walleye

Book 6 - Catching Walleye

Book 7 - Catching Huge Walleye

Book 8 - Fishing The Best Live Baits

Book 9 - Catching Lunkers And Limits

Book 10 - Where, When And How To Find Fish

Book 11 - The Lindy Method And Me

note: I have no idea how many of these books were actually published and would appreciate any information you can provide.

BINKELMAN, BILL – Nightcrawler Magic.  8vo.   22 pages.  Not dated (Cover mentions 1975 in the past tense and in the book he talks about their five year underwater study being nearly completed, while in a 1975 book he said the study was finishing it’s third year.  Therefore I’m guessing 1976 or 77).  Milwaukee WI.  Pennsylvanian Dennis Barrett surprised me with this title, which I had never heard of before.  My copy is a photocopy, courtesy of Dennis.

LINDNER, AL, with RON LINDNER & BILL BINKELMAN - Catching Fish. oblong 12mo. pages not numbered but approximately 350. 1974? (my copy has a postmark of July 22, 1974 on back cover). Lindy/Little Joe Tackle Co. Brainerd MN. Softbound. Illustrated with black and white photos and drawings. A promotional book with catalog section and much on the Black Bass. A knowledgeable outdoor writer told me that Lindy/Little Joe didn't exist yet in 1974.  However, one of Bill Binkelman's articles is, The Lindy/Little Joe Story and the catalog section has Little Joe product ads. Soft cover printed on newsprint. Top of front cover says "PRICE: None, since this information is priceless."

Thumbnails of books in my collection -- click on book for bigger picture

  

Last update 13 July 2003