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This is a striking example of a 1946 advertising poster for Horlacher's Perfection Beer that doubles as an angler's guide. Issued by the Allentown-based Horlacher Brewing Co., this poster was originally displayed in bait and tackle shops across the United States. The main map image is filled with playful cartoons of fishermen and is surrounded by colorful vignettes of angling and sportfish species.

This unique piece of ephemera encapsulates post-war American leisure and commerce. Horlacher Brewing Co., a regional brewer of Pennsylvania, employed a savvy marketing strategy with this piece. By providing a practical angler's guide on an advertisement, they appealed to a broad cross-section of Americans during a time when recreational fishing was gaining popularity.

The poster delivers a comprehensive listing of record catches with rod and reel in both fresh and saltwater adjacent to the United States. These records are meticulously organized by fish species, weight, location, and date of the catch, starting from Eastern Brook Trout, weighing 10 pounds from Torrey Lake, Wyoming, 1933 to Ringfish, 73½ pounds, Bimini Bahamas, labeled as a world record. Among these records are some notable catches, including a 890-pound Bluefin Tuna from Wedgeport, Nova Scotia in 1939, and a 998-pound White Shark caught off Brielle, New Jersey, in 1935.

In addition to these records, the poster features a detailed profile of the Small Mouth Bass. Recognized as the "most highly esteemed" of the bass species, it provides an overview of the fish's attributes, habitat, and size. This informative profile underscores the utility of this guide for amateur and seasoned anglers alike, demonstrating how advertising strategies of the period intertwined practical information with product promotion.

Rarity

Not in Rumsey. Scarce and increasingly prized. The last example (as of early 2023) was sold for $3,000 at auction.