Angling Artist: Brian Connor
Like many surfcasters, Brian Connor has been doling out Benjamins to his favorite plug builders for years. However, the born-and-raised Long Islander is a craftsman himself. Rather than whittle away his spending money on custom-made striper baits, he instead turned to his own lathe to restock the plug bag in 2019. Since then, his hobby has blossomed into his profession, which led him to start Hamlet Woodcraft.
Connor, who grew up in East Islip and currently resides in the hamlet of Brookhaven, New York, has spent most of his adult life woodworking, his second passion. A devoted surf fisherman since his youth, his ardor for plying the island’s east end beaches did not go unrecognized by the tight-knit community of anglers in the surfcasting capital of the world. Connor was recently named president of the Montauk Surfcasters Association (MSA) after Bill Jakobs took him under his wing. Before long, he was attending state- and county-run conservation meetings in the interest of protecting striped bass and preserving access for the anglers who chase them. “Working for the MSA is a full-time job,” said Connor, “but it keeps me involved in important conversations between surfcasters and local and state governments.” Even when he’s not leading the crusade for beach access and striper conservation, he’s got fishing on his mind.
“I’ve always worked in construction—from home renovations, to roofing, to framing, and high-end carpentry,” said Connor. All that woodwork inevitably inspired him to combine his professional pursuits with his fishing obsession, which began in the form of plug building. “Like many fishermen nowadays, I looked at some of the lures in my bag and thought ‘I can replicate that’, so I started turning small batches of plugs for myself and a couple of close friends.” With the help of social media, Connor’s metal-lipped swimmers quickly grabbed the attention of Long Island surf fishermen, which he attributes to guidance from Bobby Glauda of Beachmaster Lures.
“Bobby and I became acquainted through mutual friends and, generously, he showed me the tricks of the trade,” Connor said. He sources his wood from all over, but opts for local wood whenever possible, which further ties each Donny and Eely he constructs to his native waters. “I spend a lot of my free time going out to Orient and Montauk, where I hit all the antique shops in search of reclaimed lumber.” A resourceful builder, Connor also keeps a stockpile of wood from his days in construction and uses eastern white pine whenever he can. “A lot of the seasoned plug builders use eastern white pine, but Alaskan yellow cedar is also popular,” he said.
Because he works in small batches, Connor’s plugs are not the easiest to obtain, but he makes up for it with fishing-themed accoutrements, home decor, and furnishings. “On the side, I’m always working on projects like tables, hutches, and kitchen islands,” he said. His striper-engraved cutting boards are a newer venture, but he enjoys making them because, like striper plugs, they’re pieces of functional art that incorporate his personal interests. “My wife has a background in marketing and design, so I bought a laser engraver, and we designed the striper ourselves.” Under Hamlet Woodcraft, the decorative boards are one of Connor’s most popular creations. The striper logos are engraved toward the tail end of a long, arduous building process. If it were not for his close attention to detail in making them so durable, it would be a shame to cut anything on them.
“First, I dig through piles of lumber and select pieces with grain patterns and color tones that look best together,” said Connor. “There’s bark still on the wood, so I mill it down to finish size, and glue everything so it looks like the different pieces are almost mirror images. I make sure to select pieces in which the grain will show to give it texture.” Once every piece is properly sized and glued together, Connor planes the board to create a smooth surface before sanding it down with sandpaper ranging from 80 to 600 grit. He then wet-sands the wood, which keeps the fibers standing up “like a buzzcut” before going over it once more with 600-grit sandpaper. The result is an ultra-sleek product that is ready for his three-step finishing process, which uses food-grade Odie’s Oil and wood butter. “The oils harden up the wood and leave a nice sheen while enhancing durability,” he said. “I use the same process when I’m building furniture.”
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While striper-engraved cutting boards are his most sought-after works, Connor also builds practical tools, like hook holders, for fellow plug builders. “I took a 4/0 treble to the thumb one day and figured there’s got to be a better way of doing this. Surely I can make something prettier than a 2×4,” he said, laughing. Thus, the Hamlet Woodcraft Hook Holder was born.
No matter the project, Connor has fun with the building process, but more than anything else, he enjoys the freedom of his craft. “Since going out on my own after years in construction, my workday consists of walking to my garage workshop, which has made life so much easier with three kids at home,” he said. “There, I can do what I want, whether it’s a batch of Donny plugs, hook holders, cutting boards—the list goes on.” A new addition to that growing list of projects is hardwood oars. “They’re nautical-themed and people love them for home decor,” he said. “I’m trying to expand even further because I’m really the happiest when making furniture, but so many people want striper boards, and there are other fish designs I want to engrave.”
The surf-fishing community has certainly played an integral role in the growth of Hamlet Woodcraft. Aside from social media, Connor’s business has gained the most traction by word of mouth, which is why he’s put off building himself a website or e-commerce platform. “The ‘buy local’ boom has been huge since COVID,” he said, “and I’m very thankful for that. But if I wanted a desk job, I would have gotten one!”
Source: https://onthewater.com/angling-artist-brian-connor
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