Palmetto Balsa Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Jim Harter was a good friend and he loved the outdoors and everything fishing as much as I do. I only hope to live as rich a life as him. He was the maker of the Original GULP Balsa Crankbait. He started carving balsa baits in the 60's and started producing the GULP Crankbait in the early 70's. The GULP was the original Flatsided Balsa Crankbait (as far as I have ever heard). Every baits he made was a 2 piece balsa plug with a single wire through harness. All ballast was internal. Jim helped many other lure builders start into business. Jim built the first sets of internal harness jigs for Carolina Killer Balsa Baits out of Brevard, NC. I have seen over 15 copies of Jim's baits and none have caught Bass as good as a GULP. James E. Harter Taylors James Elaine Harter, 83, husband of Julia Jordan Harter, died March 11, 2011. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, he was a son of the late George Emerson and Lorene Perkins Harter. Mr. Harter was a retiree of E. I. Dupont Sales Department. He served in the Pacific Theatre on the USS Houston in World War II. He was a member of Hampton Heights Baptist Church for 53 years and served as a deacon. He was an avid outdoorsman his entire life. He was a charter member of The Piedmont Woodcarving Club, the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, the National Wildlife Federation and an honorary member of Davant Plantation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first 2 baits are big 2 piece balsa baits that were made by Jim in the 60's, and the next group is GULP baits made from the 70's through 2009. Almost no changes were made after the late 70's. Jim will be missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jawjacker Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 RIP..... jim you will be missed by alot of crankbait makers all over the world...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Palmetto Bass, Good to hear from you again, but I'm sorry it's for such a sad occasion for you and his family. I think I speak for most, if not all, of us hear at TU when I say please send our condolences. Looking at the vintage baits you posted, it's easy to see he was a truly inventive person. The first baits are obviously the design that Lucky Craft copied for their RC 1, 1.5, and 2.5 baits, and for all the similar shallow cranks that are now so popular. The second set of baits look like they are what every major lure maker copies for their flat sided cranks. A very creative mind. It's a loss for all of us. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
