BY MIKE STEVENS
HAYWARD, WISC. – Swimbait innovator, trophy brown trout and striped angler and founder of the Brown Bagger Club, Allan Cole was inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in January. The designer of A.C. Plugs, Cole is often referred to as “the Godfather of swimbaits,” and his lures have a long track record of making trophy catches in the west.
Spanning his fishing career, Cole (who has always kept accurate records of his catches) has landed 65 largemouth bass over 10 pounds — including a 17 pounder — 31 stripers over 40, eight over 50 and his largest, a 63-pound tanker that set the Nevada state record. Also an avid hunter of trophy brown trout, Cole and his A.C. Plugs have claimed 56 double-digit browns including a 26 pounder.
In 1974, Cole founded the exclusive Brown Bagger Club consisting of anglers who caught at least two brown trout over 10 pounds to be eligible. For the up-to-date list of anglers in the Brown Bagger Club, visit acplugs.com.
No stranger to showing up in the pages of Western Outdoor News, Cole grew up in La Crescenta and has also lived in Bishop, Palmdale and Lancaster, and he also spent a ton of time fishing the Colorado River (primarily out of Willow Beach) where the bulk of those trophy striper catches were made. He currently lives in Bend, Oregon, and is still an active angler. Cole’s induction plaque will be unveiled at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin when it opens for the season this spring.His full line of A.C. baits are available at ACPlugs.com.
