Master Fisherman: Reuben & George Wood

Reuben Wood was an avid and excellent 19th century fisherman. He moved to Syracuse from the Albany area in 1850 and operated a confectionery and toy store, as well as a bait and tackle store. At Wood’s confectionery, he sold ice cream, baked goods, and soda water, as well as a variety of toys. The bait and tackle store, known as Reuben Wood & Son, was located on South Clinton Street, and employed 38 clerks who made, sold, and shipped a variety of fishing supplies across the U.S. 

Reuben frequently traveled around New York state and into Canada fishing for brook trout, or speckled beauties as he called them. He was a sought-after fishing guide who coordinated fishing parties of several men who usually caught between 100 and 200 lbs. of brook or lake trout on their excursions to the lakes in the Adirondacks. 

Reuben also participated in distance fly-casting competitions. Frequently winning, he proudly displayed his prizes in his store’s windows. Wood could be seen practicing for the competitions as he cast his line into the Erie Canal in Clinton Square. Crowds would gather along the canal’s edge to watch “Uncle Reuben” as he gently landed his fly onto the water. 

In 1863, Reuben Wood invented a liquid insect repellent, which he called Lollacapop, for fending off annoying black flies, biting gnats, and mosquitoes. 

In June 1883, Professor Spencer Baird of the Smithsonian Institution appointed Reuben as a member of the American staff in charge of the Light Fishing Tackle of America exhibit at the International Fisheries Exhibition in London, England. While attending the exhibition, Wood competed in the International Anglers’ Tournament, held at Welch Warp just outside London. He took on the most skillful anglers of England and Scotland. The day was cold and damp, and the wind blew against the anglers’ backs, making it difficult to cast long and accurately. However, in the end, Reuben prevailed and took first prize in the salmon and trout casting competitions. 

Reuben Wood died the following February at age 62. His many friends attending his funeral spoke only complimentary words. A beautiful and unusual floral arrangement of a large fish rested on his coffin. Wood was interred in Oakwood Cemetery.

Along with his businesses and love of fishing, Wood also was an active member of First Baptist Church and two military organizations — the Citizens Corps and the Sumner Corps. 

In 1897, outdoor journalist, Fred Mather, described Reuben Wood as “a synonym for all that was honest and manly.” As a memorial to Wood, one of his loyal friends, Judge Irving Vann, had a huge boulder on the shore of Cranberry Lake in the Adirondack Park inscribed with the following sentiment: “In memory of/Reuben Wood/a genial gentleman and great fisherman/who was fond of these solicitudes.”  

Reuben Wood’s son, George, followed in his father’s footsteps with his love of fishing and his business acumen for making and selling fishing products and supplies, including the famous Wood fishing flies. George inherited Reuben Wood & Son and operated the bait and tackle store for many years after his father’s death. Born in May 1853, George seldom left Syracuse for any reason other than to go fishing —excursions that took him to freshwater lakes and streams in Adirondack Park, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Michigan, as well as to saltwater areas along the eastern seaboard. 

George did not try to imitate his popular father’s competitive inclinations, but he did claim to be the “Champion Liar of America,” a title that could easily be defended when telling tall fish tales. George once declared to Joseph H. Adams, a nature columnist with the Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper that he caught a four-pound trout on a ¼” hook. The incredulous Adams wrote in his column, Rambling ‘Round the Woods, in 1932, that George’s assertion was analogous to “lowering a piano from the roof of the State Tower building on one of the weaker strands of a spider’s web.”  

Another humorous fish tale that appeared in the Fishing Gazette in 1890 involved George Wood and a fish that he had supposedly caught:

“Mr. Geo B. Wood, of R. Wood’s Sons, Syracuse, N.Y., recently caught a fish that until lately has been a stranger to the local waters. One of its greatest characteristics is the wonderful tenacity with which it clings to life. The specimen secured by Mr. Wood was placed in an aquarium until he could find time to set it up as an addition to his collection of preserved fishes. It is known that these fish will live for several days without a change of water, and this one was no exception. There was only about a gallon of water in the aquarium and it had not been changed for a week. One Saturday night after the store was closed the fish was seen by a policeman to leap from the tank and start on a search for fresh water. He was found cold and limp Monday morning hanging on to the water cooler faucet. The porter supposed the fish was dead, so threw it out in the ash barrel, but when George arrived at the store he had it brought in and placed in a pail of water preparatory to preserving it. He was called away for a few minutes and when he returned, he found the fish alive and wagging its tail for joy. It was kept for a few days then neatly mounted on a board and hung on the wall. George tells us that the fish is not dead yet. Every time a fly alights on him he wiggles his tail or strikes at it with a fin. In doing the latter act one day, it fell to the floor and with human instinct squirmed along to a tub of Lollacapop, which was ready for boxing. Climbing into the tub, it rolled over in the grease until completely smeared. Since then it has enjoyed life, not a fly goes near it. This is a remarkable fish and it is expected the Smithsonian Institution will send for it.” 

George also improved upon his father’s insect repellent, Lollacapop, by solidifying it. He renamed the solid repellent as Wood’s Improved Lollacapop and packed it in tin boxes, selling it to explorers, sportsmen, bicyclists, surveyors, and tourists. He also invented and marketed his own outdoor products: the Bagaloo for carrying grasshoppers, frogs, and other live bait; and the Mosquito Head Net, a type of portable screened porch. Wood promoted his product to outdoor enthusiasts as “a necessity, not a luxury.” 

After many years of successfully operating Reuben Wood & Son and fishing around New York state, Canada, and the U.S., George Wood died at his home in Syracuse in 1933 at age 79. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Alice L. Wood, a notable cooking expert, dietician, and food columnist for the Syracuse Herald newspaper. Mrs. Wood had also assumed responsibility for the business several years before her husband’s death. She operated the business until her death in 1943. The business’ fate is unknown after Mrs. Wood's death.  

Along with his business and fishing pursuits, George also found time to be a member of the New York National Guard, the Onondaga Anglers Association, the Onondaga Historical Association, and First Baptist Church. He also was a member of Syracuse Lodge 305, Free & Associated Masons. George Wood was well-known and well-liked in the community and was fondly remembered by many local citizens. 

Reuben Wood’s legacy lives on at Onondaga Historical Association, which owns two portraits of him. The larger portrait (measuring 56” h. x 74” h.) is a rare composition because it was painted by three different and famous local artists: James Cantwell, Fernando Carter, and Henry Ward Ranger. The painting is on display in the sporting section of OHA’s exhibit, Onondaga County, The Heart of New York, a survey of Onondaga County’s history.                 

Thomas Hunter is the curator of museum collections at the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) (www.cnyhistory.org), located at 321 Montgomery St. in Syracuse.