Original Caption: Trophy catch: Tom Seward displays lunker bass that he preserved. Southern Illinoisan photo by Chuck Novara, May 1985.

If you lived in the Midwest in the 1980s, then you probably couldn’t discuss a host of fishing topics without mentioning the name Tom Seward. The focus of today’s historical news photo, Seward, 44 at the time when he appeared in a Southern Illinoisan news story, was already a well-recognized artist, lure designer, writer, and big bass specialist. His in-depth articles featured in Fishing Facts were some of the most well detailed pieces of knowledge in print at the time. By then, he was also involved in lure design and natural paint schemes for classic companies like Lazy Ike/Natural Ike and Crankbait Corp. He was regularly featured in Fishing Facts magazine, and had just started Trophies Only, a fish taxidermy business in his hometown of Carbondale, Illinois.

Editor’s Note:  Currently we are working on an in-depth piece about Tom Seward and his life. Look for it in the near future.