Nebraskaland

32 Nebraskaland • April 2026 Jon Farrar's Tacklebox J o n F a r r a r w a s a l o n g t i m e Ne b r a s k a l a n d p h o to g r a p h e r a n d writer, as well as a close friend and co-worker. I admired his love of nature — especially the Sandhills, his favorite haunt — along with his dry humor and his writing. His articles, whether about duck hunting, black-necked stilts or wildf lowers, w e r e w e l l - r e s e a r c h e d , h i g h l y - organized and beautifully-written. His tacklebox came into my possession by plain luck. When Jon died a few years ago, I bought several of his hand-carved duck decoys and some hunting gear through his online estate auction. On a fall Saturday, hoping to beat the crowd, I was among the first to arrive at his Lincoln home to pick up those items. I was surprised to see that the auction company had laid out more of Jon's possessions in his garage for sale. My heart skipped a beat when I saw his tacklebox beneath a table. I grabbed it, along with his decoy- carving tools and a few other items. I asked the woman from the auction company how much she wanted for my armful. "Twenty bucks," she said. I about dropped. M y d r i v e h o m e w a s o n e o f anticipation. Once there, I opened the box, and, as expected, its contents were immaculately organized — much like the file cabinets in Jon's office. Rubber worms were lined up in one tray, lures neatly placed in others and lead weights and hooks sorted by size into plastic containers and old, metal film canisters. Small spinners and Doll Flies were tucked into Sucrets tins. There was not a loose item about. The gear was basic: Jon was not an avid fisherman, and it was what one would expect for fishing Sandhills waters. For years, he kept a trailer house and small johnboat on Big Alkali Lake in Cherry County. Fishing for Jon was likely a diversion during spring and summer photo expeditions, or between morning and evening duck flights. His real passion was duck hunting. "I know Jon fished Big Alkali and Pelican Lake, and he also fooled around on the lakes at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge," said Jim Van Winkle, Jon's longtime friend from Wood Lake. Van Winkle said Jon fished for catfish in the Loup River and Loup Power Canal when he was growing up in Monroe. That explains the numerous large sinkers in his tacklebox. The wire leaders and many spoons were for hooking toothy northern pike in the shallow reed beds of Sandhills lakes; the small spinners, Beetle Spins, and Doll Flies for panfish; and the rubber worms, Jitterbugs, and other plugs for largemouth bass. Jon's lures all appeared older and a bit faded, suggesting his interest in fishing waned after he lost his trailer lease on Big Alkali a few decades ago. Although I will use Jon's leaders, hooks and weights, the Jitterbugs, Rapalas and other plugs will stay in the tacklebox as a remembrance of Jon: They are too valuable to risk losing on a snag.

• Cover