The Fish Files, Volume 2

[jaytex1969]

"This Morta pipe with black bamboo shank and tortoise shell stem by Zack Hamric was responsible for my love affair with a tortoise shell stem coupled with Morta, Zack calls this the Beetle. Now keeping it smokey with Virginia no. 1 by Mac Baren."


"This 5 knuckle bamboo shank with a straight Grain Dublin that has fields of plateau around the top and it sports a black ebonite stem, comes from the bench of Pipemaker Walt Cannoy, keeping it smokey with more of the Virginia no.1 from Mac Baren."


"The last bamboo shank pipe for the day is a 1 knuckle Pinched Egg Meerschaum with a Cumberland accent ring and Cumberland Stem by Fikri Baki, once again keeping it smokey with some Virginia no. 1 by Mac Baren."


"Trevor Talbert Pipes have always intrigued me, in fact when I saw one of his pipes with a bamboo shank I jumped on it like a chicken on a June Bug. Several years later this one, a Talbert Grade, 1 knuckle Billiard Stack with Cumberland accent rings, one between the bamboo shank and the briar shank and one at the end of the bamboo, completing this is a beautifully shaped Cumberland Stem. Keeping it smokey with some of the last of this tin of Virginia no. 1 by Mac Baren."


"The Ryan Quagliata 4 knuckle bamboo shank with Dublin Strawberrywood bowl with a plateau Bullcap, keeping it smokey with Esoterica Cardiff."


"A nice little Diamond Shank Bulldog I picked up with Bakelite Stem, should be in the mail soon."



"Always special when you get a new pipe in the mail but nothing prepared me for the overwhelming beauty of this Army Apple Crazy Bamboo from Roman Kovalev aka Dr’s Pipes. I broke out my 13 y/o sugar flecked Esoterica Stonehaven for the first keeping it smokey smoke."



October 2018

"A break from my usual tradition of having the first smoke in an unsmoked pipe be some aged Esoterica Stonehaven I’m actually have some aged H&H Mature Virgina in the Nording 15 Grade I recently picked up."

 

[jaytex1969]

November 2018

"Here’s a sweet little Lovat by Pipemaker Ingo Garbe."




November 2018

"To all my fellow pipers who celebrate Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving. I’m keeping it smokey with some Esoterica Tilbury in the St Kuo Bamboo Barrel Bowl with 2 knuckle bamboo shank, it’s a balmy 7F w/o the 30 mph windchill."


"Sadly the Ingo Garbe Lovat estate pipe I purchased had developed a soft spot under the cake which was not seen. The first smoke was fine and incredibly dry. When I smoked the pipe 5 days later in the rotation I felt a hot spot where I had my thumb so when I cleaned it out after it cooled I noticed what looked like a burnout in progress. I notified the dealer and he asked me to send it back and once he inspected it he agreed it was a burnout in progress and offered me a full refund. I thanked him for his exceptional customer service on the pipe and told him how sad I was that this happened since I’d never had anything I’ve purchased from him develop anything and it was easy to see how this could not be seen since it had a cake and smoked very well. He did have a few other pipes by Ingo Garbe all estates but one was unsmoked and I asked if he would place the refund toward purchasing that pipe, he agreed and I am in process of getting the payment to him. May I introduce my new Ingo Garbe."



"Wow! She’s really taking on color, can you tell it’s become a favorite?"




December 2018

"I was warned by several members that pipes that were old, 1913 certainly qualifies, can have catastrophic events. Some have been known to crack and others totally split. It’s been killing me as to what to do and I made up my mind this week would be its maiden smoke. Humidity has been very high all week so I removed it from its case so it would hopefully soak some up. I chose some 2011 Esoterica Dorchester with a slightly moister feel than I would normally use and it smokes perfectly so far, will know if it made a decent protective coating shortly...What’s not to love about a perfect Bulldog with Diamond Shank with the edge covered with silver nicely engraved that mirrors over onto the real Amber stem, the tenon is bone and the fit up is right on with no over or under run. "


"The sun is out for a change so I filled my other Dr’s Pipe, a Strawberrywood 2 knuckle Buddha, with some 6 y/o Hamborger Veermaster keeping it smokey."

 

[jaytex1969]

"I have been searching for a small pipe by Teddy Knudsen’s older brother Sven who is deceased. Not many show up and those that do are larger than I want or nothing special to look at. This smallish Zulu showed up so I made an offer and it was accepted within an hour so I’m psyched. The photo doesn’t really do it justice since it has a boatload of Birdseye."


"You figure after getting lucky I’d be satisfied but Oh no, this Eagle Grade by Teddy Knudsen shows up and well, let’s just say my credit card has no room for any PAD, TAD or any kind of mad expense but what a way to end 2018!"




January 2019

"Well 2019 hit me with PAD already, a Double Fig Reverse Calabash by Kim Wong Jook, keep it smokey."



"Enjoying some Park Lane Scottish Flake in the Teddy Knudsen Eagle Grade with Olivewood endcap."


"Kept it smokey earlier with Park and Lane Scottish Flake In the Joao Reis Smooth Shield with 3 knuckle bamboo shank and brown and copper colored Cumberland swirl accent and stem."



February 2019

"Well I decided to celebrate my birthday early, it’s a nice day out, albeit somewhat chilly at the moment.
I purchased some Mac Baren Virginia #1 that is 21 y/o, now that is a feat of loveliness as far as tobacco goes.
This Dunhill Redbark ODA with 18k Gold Hallmaked band comes from the estate of Ed Jurkeiwisz and I’m celebrating my 69th birthday 2 days early because I can!"



April 2019

"One of my top 10 American makers is this wonderfully craggy pipe by Michael Butera, keeping it smokey with some Dunhill Dark Flake."


"Decided to pull out the first Drip Wax made by Chris Askwith after several emails back and forth. Told him I was looking for something that would remind one of the days when a boatman would melt some wax on the table of their boat for light then anchor up and call it a night and hit the rack. The candle would end up not so straight after the boat grounded from the tide and he did an admirable job. Here I am smoking the Askwith Drip Wax Canted Poker Sitter with Maple Syrup Stem that has streaks of Coffee running through it, keeping it smokey with some Dunhill Dark Flake."

 

[jaytex1969]

May 2019

"After a stint in the hospital for renal failure I’m back, healing and doing physical therapy for the falls I had experienced. Having a grand time keeping it smokey in a Peterson Meerschaum Bulldog Baker Street Edition with silver hallmarked band and P-Lip Stem."


"Knock another one off the bucket list. Having kept drooling over the pipes made by Silver Gray I happened upon this lovely pipe she calls the Canoe, it has a Cumberland Stem and the workmanship is indeed splendid, the feel in hand is remarkable and her stem work rivals the best in my arsenal. Keeping it smokey with some 15 y/o Stonehaven."


"Currently keeping it smokey with some Dunhill Dark Flake in the lovely Anne Julie, another of my fine lady Pipemaker pipes."



"Well I finally made the decision to pick up one of Darko Milovanovic’s pipes a very elegant Blowfish. Probably will take awhile to get here from Serbia."



"I gave myself a shot trying to contact Anthony who is a Nording connoisseur but I see he went offline. The pull from this beautiful high grade paneled Egg was too much so it’s been added to the fold, once it finds its way from Australia that is."


"The Grade 18 Nørding came and I loaded it with some 6 y/o Anniversary Kake to keep it smokey."


"I couldn’t wait to unpack the Gilo Pipe by Darko Milovanovic to feast my eyes on the Blowfish, it is stunning, birdseye everywhere. I loaded it with 14 y/o Esoterica Stonehaven to keep it smokey, and it was wonderful."


"From RobE’s Art in Michigan comes this elegant Acorn Morta with mostly grey coloration and streaks of chocolate and black, the accent is black acrylic with specks, and tiny streaks of white, the stem is several shades of grey with some white Cumberland. Keeping it smokey with some 4 y/o Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake."

 

[jaytex1969]

June 2019

"Currently keeping it smokey with some 4 y/o Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake in the Morta Nautilus with Tortoise Shell colored stem by Croatian Pipemaker Marinko Neralić. Weather still very chilly with nighttime temperatures in the 40’s, might not get the tomato plants in the ground for awhile yet."


"Warmest stretch in a very long time, probably will cool off again with the impending rain front coming in.
Keeping it smokey with some 4 y/o Luxury Navy Flake in the gnarly Butera Billiard, regards."


"Won’t have it for probably 7-10 days but this is the latest, a Morta Poker Sitter with 3 knuckle bamboo shank by Michigan Pipemaker Russ Cook."


This was probably Sante's last pipe acquisition, posted on June 10, 2019.

He passed away on June 17, 2019 after a long struggle with health issues.

He also led a long life of dedication and service to his family, his friends and his country.

He is loved and he is missed.

Thank you for sharing one of his passions.

 

[voorhees]

Great memorial to a cherished member. I communicated briefly with Banjo once after I purchased an Elena Doroshenko pipe. He was also an owner of a fabulous creation of hers. I didn't see it among the pictures, but I may have missed it. So here it is.

 

[shanez]

Excellent work!

 

[lukasstrifeson]

Man.. Sante really had a killer collection and exceptional taste it would seem.

 

[seldom]

Remarkable work on this Jay! Thank you for putting this together.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Incredible work on putting this together, Jay. Already spent hours combing through this. Simply unbelievable. Certainly inspires one to Keep it Smokey! And also keeps the memory going of a great man, a great fisherman, and a great forum member. Thank you!

 

[jaytex1969]

I didn't see it among the pictures,

That pipe is in post #15, on the first page of "Fish Files, Volume 1"

Thanks for lookin' out!

If anyone spies any omissions or errors, please do bring them to my attention.

Thanks.

 

[gamzultovah]

Awesome!

 

[rmpeeps]

Is there any chance these two threads could be set as ‘stickys’ ?

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Truly remarkable taste in pipes and Tobaccos.
I had a nice phone conversation with him once when he bought a Becker from me.
Can't help but wonder what will become of his collection.

 

[lelik]

Thank you, Jay for doing this. Fishnbanjo is a real legend.We will remember him.

 

[hauntedmyst]

That is a beautiful collection of pipes. Who is fishbanjo?

 

[gamzultovah]

Man, I could look at his collection all day. A man of true artistic taste.

 

[jeffro]

When I got back into this hobby of collecting pipes and tobacco I would always be anxious to see what pipe Sante The Fisherman would be posting on any given day, I was always Gobsmacked at the pipes he got a chance to acquire and smoke . Now that he is gone to a better place.
I often wonder what has become of his stellar pipe collection? I am sure many of us would love to own some of the many many pipes from his collection. I truly miss his "keeping it smokey" postings!

 

[hawky454]

Great work putting all this together, Jay! If one ever needs motivation to break out their pipes and smoke em, this thread will certainly do the trick! It’s getting cold here and I think the colder weather makes for better pipe smoking. Can’t wait to break out some Lat blends that go perfect in the cold! Lately I’ve been in such a busy routine I’ve just been smoking St. Bruno & Arango BS in tandem to and from work and any chance I get in between, now this thread has motivated me to break into some of my “treat blends”. I’m certainly gonna be smoking some Dark Twist after reading through this here thread, I’ve got Penzance and Stonehaven from 2012 in the queue and I may just open a Christmas Cheer this winter, I was trying to hold off until Christmas of 2020 but I dunno if I can wait that long... maybe I’ll just pop a tin of Brindle Flake instead I think it’s time for some McClelland VA’s as it’s been almost a year since I’ve had any of their tangy VA flakes. I’m getting giddy, the perfect smoking season is upon us!

I appreciate the effort you put into this thread...
Now I need to go find part one.


Keep it smokey