The Karl and Beverly White National Fishing Tackle Museum
Admission to the amazing Karl and Beverly White National Fishing Tackle Museum included in ticket price!
The Karl and Beverly White National Fishing Tackle Museum is over 20,000 pieces valued at more than $4 million. This exhibit makes up the largest and most comprehensive antique fishing tackle collection in the world! Artifacts in this magnificent museum include the first gasoline outboard engine and the very first Skeeter Bass Boat! See it right here in Jenks, America.
You are sure to get hooked!
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Karl White has been an avid fisherman his entire life and has had a love for collecting tackle since he was eight years old. One day, as he was worm fishing on a local pond, he was astonished to see another boy fishing with a "lure." Curiosity and interest immediately took over his mind. After conducting extensive research, Karl decided he had to have a lure. This research led him to the James Heddon and Sons, Crazy Crawler. This lure was the most expensive lure of its time to produce. At the tender age of 8, Karl saved his ten cent a week allowance until he was able to purchase the $1.10 lure.
This first lure, which started it all, is still in the collection today. Since the age of twelve, when Karl's father took him to an antique gun museum, Karl has had a dream to open an antique fishing tackle museum.
The Karl White Collection has been compiled over the course of 55 years. Karl and his wife Beverly have purchased individual pieces and entire collections while traveling all over the country in search of "that perfect piece." As Beverly says, "they always knew what they were doing for a vacation!" One of those not-so-perfect pieces was the first Skeeter Bass Boat, which was barely recognizable when purchased. But with love, Karl restored it to its original beauty. There are also several artifacts which date back to prehistoric days. The highest price that Karl has ever paid for a single piece is $31, 350...for the Snyder Reel.
In 2002, Karl White donated his entire collection to the Oklahoma Aquarium, and today serves as Curator Emeritus. Karl also serves as a consultant for BASSMASTER Magazine, with a colum entitled, "What's it Worth?" In the column, he appraises, identifies and answers questions concerning antique tackle.
The Karl and Beverly White National Fishing Tackle Museum pays tribute to sportsfishing through a comprehensive array of historical antique lures and tackle. The collection consists of nearly 30,000 pieces and is certified as the world's largest, most complete collection of sportsfishing memorabilia. It is the result of Karl's commitment to fishing and antique tackle. This one-of-a-kind collection will help to preserve the history of fishing for many generations to come. By joining these practical and recreational artifacts with the outdoor recreation, environmental education, and the conservation partnership mission of both the Oklahoma Aquarium and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Aquarium visitor is able to relate "full circle" the the aquatic world.
