Heddon 800 Series Swimming Minnow The Heddon 800 Series Swimming Minnow, was only ever cataloged in 1911. This was the smaller of the Swimming Minnows. This antique lure made by James Heddon of Dowagiac Michigan was another in the part of a marketing series called “It Swims” or focusing on how the lure swims. The […]
Category Archives: Antique Lures
Moonlight 1900 Zig Zag Lure The Moonlight 1900 Zig Zag Lure was first introduced in the early 1920’s by the Moonlight Bait Company of Paw Paw, Michigan. This wooden, glass eyed lure was deemed a series 1900 before being Called a Zig Zag which was previously used on another earlier Minnow. This jointed or segmented […]
Shur Strike Flat Face Lure The Shur Strike Flat Face Lure is a uncatalogued lure. Made by Creek Chub of Garrett, Indiana but sold under the Shur Strike line up this lure is similar to the G or Slope Nose. This antique fishing lure is wooden, with no eyes, and is cigar in shape with […]
Shakespeare Tarpalunge Lure This Shakespeare Tarpalunge antique fishing lure is a model #6640. This jointed, wooden antique Shakespeare lure is circa 1930 and has two very large single hooks. This antique Shakespeare salt water fishing lure measures in at 5 3/4 inches in length. The lure was touted to hold over a 200 lb dead pull […]
Antique Lures, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Miscellaneous Lure Makers
Hoptacong Perch Minnow Antique Lure
Hoptacong Perch Minnow Antique Lure The Hoptacong Perch Minnow Antique Lure date to around 1905. The lure distributed and made by the William Mills and Sons Company of New York, New York. While advertised to be a combined 6 inches in length, the lure itself was 3 inches in length. Mounted to the shaft were a […]
Antique Lures, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Friends & Clubs
Sunday Sounds April Edition
Sunday Sounds April Edition On a rainy Sunday morning strolling through FB and Ebay with a cup of coffee in hand I came across a post of a Frog Spot Jamison Coaxer lure for sale, and if there is one thing that goes with Jamison in my head, its my buddy Joe. These were owned […]
Hustle Kindness Hustle Kindness? What on earth does this have to do with antique fishing lures and just what are you talking about? Every now and then people come and go through our lives for certain reasons, many which are unbeknownst to us at the time. Many of you who follow this blog or know […]
Shurebite Frog Lure This Shurebite Frog Lure is the later in the series of Frogs created by Shuebite. Hopping into the picture around 1948 this version upgrade changes its makeup from sponge and wood to what we see here using tenite. Located in 1948 in Bronson Michigan the Surebite antique lure company making its move […]
Paw Paw Hipp Lure The Paw Paw Hipp lure as it was named by Scott and Reed in the Paw Paw book is a unidentified or unnamed lure. The lure is a green and gold spotted flat face wobbler. The lure is 3 3/8″ in length and resembles a Rush Tango made bait. Reed and […]
Roller Flasher Antique Lure The Roller Flasher Antique Lure was fist introduced in 1949. This lure was made by the B & J Tackle Company of Detroit Michigan. This antique lure measures 2 1/2″ in length. The lure has painted eyes and the bottom of the lure is thinner than the top. The lure has […]
Paw Paw Hair Mouse Lure The Paw Paw Hair Mouse lure is a great little critter type antique lure. Popular with Mice and general collectors alike, the lure is circa 1930’s. The lure is a series number 60 in the Paw Paw Bait Company lure line up. The lure is the smaller version of the […]
Wright McGill Mouse Lure The Wright McGill Mouse Lure was introduced with a host of other life-like lures around 1930. The Swimming Mouse antique fishing lure was made by The Wright and McGill Company, out of Denver Colorado. The lure was available in a 2 different sizes, the size shown in the gallery being the […]
Pfeiffer Minnow Tube This Rare Pfeiffer Minnow Tube lure is a different class of lure compared to the many seen on this page. This great lure is made from glass instead of usual wood, plastic or metal materials we’ve come to know. This glass test tube shaped lure was made by the Pfeiffer’s Live Bait […]
Creek Chub 7000 Lure The Creek Chub7000 Lure is a unique lure even from its very name. This antique fishing lure was first introduced to the Creek Chub Bait Company line up in 1950. Creek Chub of Garrett Indiana, made the model number be this lures name. Although this Wooden Crawfish type lure is similar, […]
Paw Paw Young Wounded Minnow The Paw Paw Young Wounded Minnow lure was first introduced in 1941. The antique lure is shown housed in a I Go For Lucky Lures Red box. This antique lure made in Paw Paw, Michigan, would go through a series of body and weight changes over its lifespan. Ranging in […]
Shurbite Shedevil Lure The Shurbite Shedevil Lure was introduced in the 1930’s. This plastic lure was made by the Shurbite Bait Company out of Bronson Michigan. The company would also move and or have locations in Kokomo, Indiana and Lorain, Ohio. This nondescript odd shaped plastic lure measures 4″ in length. The antique lure has […]
Shur Strike Petite Spinner Lure This Shur Strike Petite Spinner Lure was made roughly around 1941. The Shur Strike Series of lures were Creek Chub of Garrett Indiana’s cheaper line up of lures. The Petite Spinner, Pumpkin Seed series were also referred to as the PS series. This antique lure was made from wood and […]
Comstock Flying Helgramite Lure The Comstock Flying Helgramite Lure was made by Harry Comstock, Fulton, New York. Circa 1883. This is considered one of if not the first glass eyed antique fishing lures produced. The inventor Harry Comstock was not only a lure maker but at the time a noted gun enthusiast, salesman, inventor and […]
Bomber Knothead Lure The Bomber Knothead Lure was first produced around 1948 and this larger version given a Model number 1300. The Bomber Bait Company of Gainsville Texas produced this line of lures for roughly only 3 years making them harder to come by than the average Bomber lure. The Knothead lure was the companies […]
Heddon Stanley Flipper Lure The Heddon Stanley Flipper Lure is a neat lure released in the late 1920. Heddon of Dowagiac Michigan gave it a model series number 140. The Flipper lure came about during a time the nation as well as the fishing industry faced mounting challenges. The Great Depression had begun its grasp […]
Best Of Luck Jointed Pikie Antique Lure The Best Of Luck Jointed Pikie Antique Lure was first introduced in 1935. The wooden antique lure is a model series number 931. Like the other large makers of fishing tackle, South Bend would have another company it would sell and create lures under, that company was Best […]
Antique Lures, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Miscellaneous Lure Makers
Paul Bunyan Lure Counter Display
Paul Bunyan Lure Counter Display This is a neat Paul Bunyan Lure Counter Display unit. This counter merchandising display dates to the 1940’s or early 1950’s. I also was pleasantly surprised to see they made and sold a combo whistle, I had no idea they ever sold these. If anyone owns one of these tore […]
Chautauqua Trolling Minnow The Chautauqua Trolling Minnow although looking the part is not a pre 1900’s lure. Ive grouped it in there, as if to suggest while in truth it was made in 1909, if fits better with it the Pre 1900 friends made by Chapman, Buel, Mann Loftie and the slew of others. This […]
Kumm Fish Spotter Lure The Kumm Fish Spotter Lure was first introduced around 1933 when the patent was applied for. The patent wasnt granted to Arthur J Kumm of Dearborn Michigan until 1935. This first version wooden lure measures 2 7/8″ in length.The antique lure has very small glass eyes inset into the head or […]
Paul Bunyan Mouse Lure The Paul Bunyan Mouse lure was first introduced in the late 1940’s. Made and brought to market by the Paul Bunyan Bait Company out of Minneapolis Minnesota. This antique lure is akin to the Lady Bug type series, the mouse, is a plastic (Tenite) flat top water fished lure is a […]
Pflueger Pal O Mine Lure The Pflueger Pal O Mine Lure is one of those timeless classics that was first introduced in 1925. Made in Akron Ohio, this lure was a staple in the Pflueger Fishing Tackle Company lure line up for close to half a century. This straight uni-body Pal O Mine was given […]
Joseph Meatyard Pocket Watch From John Mann This piece a Joseph Meatyard Pocket Watch From John Mann has always been one of my favorite things in my antique lure collection. Yes, Yes I know its not a lure, but it is to me an equal to most every lure in my collection. Ive always been […]
Eger Junior Dillinger Lure The Eger Junior Dillinger Lure is part of a series of lures at the heart of the Eger antique fishing lure center. The Dillinger Junior lure is a model series 200. The lure first entered the market in 1941. It’s hard to think of Eger without thinking Dillinger in the same […]
South Bend Spin I Diddee Lure The South Bend Spin I Diddee Lure was first introduced in 1952, and lasted only a dozen years and was gone by 1964. The South Bend Bait Corporation of South Bend Indiana assigned it a model number 916 when it first came out. The 916 came standard with two […]
Storm Glop The Storm Glop lure falls into a saying or category among antique fishing lure collectors that you can and will often hear. “Its more valuable because it didn’t catch fish.” Although that makes little sense from a pragmatic point of view, it makes sense if you apply a little logic. If it didn’t catch […]
19th Century Fishing Lures, Antique Lure and Reel Ads, Antique Lures, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fly Fishing
Sam the Black Bass Man Part I Sunday Sounds
Sam Sam the Black Bass Man Part I In introducing Sam the Black Bass Man, I must digress back a bit, and say thanks for all the views , likes comments, emails and texts I’ve received. The last 12 Months with Fin and Flame has been fun. I have even bigger expectations and plans for […]
Heddon Gamby Lure The Heddon Gamby Lure was part of a spinning series lure introduced around 1955. The Heddon Gamby produced in Dowagiac, Michigan was given a model series number 421 and 423. The 421 can be differentiated by the length and measures 2 3/4″ while the 423 measures 3 3/4″ in length. The lure […]
Moonlight Jointed Pikaroon Lure The Moonlight Jointed Pikaroon Lure was first introduced in the early 1920’s. This jointed version of the Famous Pikaroon made by the Moonlight Bait Company. The lure comes from the acquisition of the Silver Creek Novelty Work’s either through ingenuity or process. This wooden glass eyed minnow was given a model […]
Heddon Wounded Spook Lure The Heddon Wounded Spook Lure was a series 9140. This antique lure made by Heddon of Dowagiac Michigan was first introduced in 1939. Many of the early spooks have all but disappeared or transformed into a lure box full of dust and hooks due to the chemical instability of the plastic. […]
Paw Paw Musky Natural Hair Mouse Lure The Paw Paw Musky Natural Hair Mouse Lure was first introduced in 1929. This antique lure was had a wooden painted head and a stacked deer hair tail, with a large treble hook on the rear. This fishing lure is pretty big at 4 3/4″ in length. This […]
South Bend Whirl Oreno The South Bend Whirl Oreno lure is a series number 935. This antique lure was first produced in 1929 – 1933 on its first production run, and 1938 to 1940 on its second short lived production run. The antique lure had no eyes and is 3″ in width with a trailing […]
ShurKacth Baits Mouse Lure The ShurKacth Baits Mouse Lure is Circa 1939. The ShurKatch Bait company out of Richfield Springs, New York is thought to have been a distributor of Horrocks Ibbotson fishing lures. This wooden, painted eye mouse vintage fishing lure comes adorn with even a leather tail. This antique fishing lure uses a […]
Heddon SOS 160 Lure Strawberry Spot The Heddon SOS 160 Lure was first introduced in 1928. This antique lure made by the Heddon Lure Company out of Dowagiac Michigan was one of the mid sized SOS or Swims on Sides lure made by the company. This wooden, glass eyed lure was made to mimic a […]
Fly Boy Antique Lure The Fly Boy Antique Lure is a neat little fishing lure out of Kansas City Missouri. The lure dates to the early 1970’s and is on what I call the cusp of being antique. I have a hard time calling it antique because we are both the same age and Id […]
Shur Strike Shovel Nose Wiggler Lure The Shur Strike Shovel Nose Wiggler Lure was first introduced in 1933. This Creek Chub lure was made in Garrett, Indiana was to be sold under the Shur Strike Lure line up. The lure is quite a unique lure and isn’t a knock of of any Creek Chub lure. […]
Wright McGill Flapper Crab Lure The Wright McGill Flapper Crab Lure in first introduced around 1930. The Flapper Crab antique lure was made by The Wright and McGill Company out of Denver Colorado. The lure was available in a few different sizes. The Flapper Crab fishing lure was made from the traditional molded composition that […]
Shur Strike Punkinseed Lure The Shur Strike Punkinseed Lure was also called the Petite Spinner model PS. This antique fishing lure was first introduced in 1938. Although made by Creek Chub of Garrett Indiana and marketed under the Shur Strike name this was made of good quality. This wooden lure, made with glass eyes measured […]
Unner Flash Lure The Unner Flash Lure was introduced around 1953. This antique wooden lure was made by the O. M. Bait Company out of Hazel Park Michigan. This no eyed lure measures 2″ in length and has two treble hooks to secure its catch. The Unner Flash has a flat downward angling diving lip […]
Creek Chub Pop It Lure The Creek Chub Pop It Lure was first introduced in 1927. This Fly made by the Creek Chub Bait Company of Garrett, Indiana was made for almost a half of a century coming in just shy at 47 years. That is quite a run for any lure made by any […]
Heddon Musky Vamp Lure The Heddon Musky Vamp Lure is a series model number 7600. The antique Heddon lure first appears in 1925 and is housed in a giant box made especially for the Heddon Musky Vamp Minnow Lure. This rather large antique lure is sometimes affectionately referred to as the Baseball Bat Vamp for […]
South Bend Fly Rod Surf Oreno Lure The South Bend Fly Rod Surf Oreno Lure was a series model 961. Made by the South Bend Bait Company of South Bend, Indiana was first introduced in 1928 and lasted fourteen years through 1942.The antique Fly Rod fishing Lure measures 1 1/2″ in length and has painted […]
Abbey Imbrie Go Getter Frog Lure The Abbey Imbrie Go Getter Frog Lure is part of a series of lures created in the late 1930’s, around 1938. Abbey and Imbrie in some form or fashion has been in business since around the 1830’s as the Andrew Clerk Company. Early in 1930 Abbey and Imbrie was […]
Heddon Torpedo Antique Lure The Heddon Torpedo Antique Lure was first introduced in 1925. The Heddon Company, of Dowagiac Michigan giving this antique fishing lure a model number 130. This would be the largest of the wooden torpedo series, measuring 4″ in length. This wooden pencil shaped glass eyed antique lure had both front and […]
Bite Em Water Mole Lure The Bite Em Water Mole Lure was first introduced in 1920. The Bite Em Bait Company out of Fort Wayne, Indiana has two versions. The one shown below in the gallery is a type II with a slanted face where as the type I is rounded. This no eyed wooden […]
Clark Goofy Gus Lure The Clark Goofy Gus Lure was first introduced around 1948. The lure made by the C.A. Clark Bait Company, Springfield, Missouri was given a model series 2600. This top water fished wooden lure measures 3 1/8″ in length. The antique fishing lure has both a front and rear unmarked propellers, however […]