Doc brings home the bass

The Poplar Bluff Museum tells many unknown tales of our community. I want to tell you some of those hidden tales found within the museum walls.
Zera Lee Stokely was known by many names. Some called him “Doc” since he was a former dentist. Locals knew him as “Postmaster” since he was indeed the Poplar Bluff Postmaster. But fishermen from the Missouri River to the Ozarks knew him as the “Dean of Smallmouth Fishing.” Doc estimated that he had caught 10,000 smallmouth bass. He stated that “Smallmouth is the greatest fighting fish in existence.” Doc estimated that he had reeled in the equivalent of one Mississippi riverboat and two scows of fish. His legendary prowess on the river caught the attention of “Life” magazine, where they featured him in a June 6, 1960 photo essay titled ”Wily Old Postman Who Brings Home the Bass.”
Doc combined his postmaster job with being a fishing columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. He fished wherever and whenever he chose. He usually chose a johnboat for a floating fishing trip down the Current River.
Whenever he was asked what the secret to catching bass was he whispered “My boy, accuracy is the secret. If you want to catch bass, you’ve got to cast that bait in exactly the right spot. Five feet away just won’t do.”
Doc was famous for his “barrel roll” cast which put his lure under the low hanging bushes along the bank. “You have to make a good cast,” he would insist, “unless your bait splashes a few drops of water on the bank.”
His other great talent was manipulating the plug on the water. He let it rest for ten seconds and then gave it swimming motion. “I believe the motion of the lure is more important than the color,” said Doc. “Most fishermen hereabouts fish too fast.” Doc had little use for fancy plugs.
The Life magazine article about “Doc” Stokely is on display in the Postal Room of the Poplar Bluff Museum.
The museum is handicap accessible and open free of charge 1-4 p.m. Sunday at 1010 N. Main St. Tell them Mike sent you.
Mike Shane is a veteran, Poplar Bluff resident and board member for the Poplar Bluff Museum.