Category Archives: Antique Lures

Vintage Heddon 100 Minnow Stanley Props Depression Era Antique Lure

Vintage Heddon 100 Minnow Stanley Props Depression Era Antique Lure

Vintage Heddon 100 Minnow Stanley Props Depression Era Antique Lure This auction is for a Heddon Dowagiac Underwater Minnow Lure, a Series 100. This wooden, glass eye lure has Cup Rig hardware even though it dates to the late 1920’s. The lure has a front Prop marked Heddon Stanley and fits into whats called the […]

Outing Bassy Getum Lure

Outing Bassy Getum Lure The Outing Bassy Getum lure is Circa 1926. The antique lure is a hollow, painted brass lure. As you can guess the paint doesn’t like to stick to these after they were used a few times. The fishing lure was made by the Outing Manufacturing company from Elkhart Indiana. Outing made […]

Fred Arbogast Tin Liz Sunfish Lure

Fred Arbogast Tin Liz Sunfish Lure

Fred Arbogast Tin Liz Sunfish Lure The Fred Arbogast Tin Liz Sunfish Lure has always been a collector favorite. Long before the Jitterbug and its top water treachery would take the fishing world by storm this unique and simplistic lure was born. Fred Arbogast from Akron, Ohio is synonymous with fishing on so many levels. […]

Hobbs Supply Bon Net Lure

Hobbs Supply Bon Net Lure

Hobbs Supply Bon Net Lure The Hobbs Supply Bon Net Lure was a 6 fishing hook Minnow. This wooden glass eyed bait was Circa 1952 and measured in at 3 5/8″ in length. The antique fishing lure had 6 hooks and used what collectors term as surface hardware. The Bon Net underwater minnow was made […]

Heddon 100 Antique Lure Fancy Sienna in Wood Box

Heddon 100 Antique Lure Fancy Sienna in Wood Box This is a very tough and super desirable vintage Heddon Underwater Minnow antique fishing lure, a wood box model series 100. This wooden, glass eyed lure measures 2 3/4″, and weighs in at 2/3oz. The 100 minnow model lure was first introduced in 1904 and made […]

Heddon Torpedo Antique Lure Model 130 Series

Heddon Torpedo Antique Lure Model 130 This is a Heddon Torpedo antique fishing lure minnow, a model series 130. This wooden, glass eyed lure measures 4 1/2″, and weighs in at 3/4 oz. The lure was first introduced in 1924 and made through 1959 with a short hiatus from the years 1944-47. The featured lure […]

Louis A. Paeth: The Man Behind the “Fish and Feel Fit” Logo by Peter Paeth

Louis A. Paeth: The Man Behind the “Fish and Feel Fit” Logo by Peter Paeth Recently I received a wonderful series of emails from Peter Paeth, the son of painter Louis A. Paeth. Peter has graciously agreed to allow me to reprint pieces of this correspondence on the blog to share this information with everyone. […]

The History of the F.C. Woods Expert Minnow in Ads

1901 Hozwarth Expert Lure Ad

The History of the F.C. Woods Expert Minnow in Ads The History of the F.C. Woods Expert Minnow in Ads Ads can often be misleading, especially when older pictures are used from years prior. The most famous example of this is the use of illustrations from the 1920s in Heddon catalogs from the 1950s. However […]

Decker Lure Box Chronology

Decker Lure Box Chronology by Tim Clancy

Decker Lure Box Chronology by Tim Clancy Today we are all fortunate to have a guest author here on the blog, Tim Clancy. Here, he illuminates one of his passions: Ans. B. Decker history. Ans. B. Decker and his father and three brothers were all well known fishing guides on Lake Hopatcong, a huge resort […]

The Angling Marketplace March 8 Seller Timed Auction

March 8-18 Seller Timed Auction This auction catalog will go live and bidding will commence this Friday, March 8 at 7:00pm. After 10 days of bidding, on Monday, March 18, if any lot receives a bid during the last 10 minutes of the auction (6:50-7:00pm), an extension timer will start on that lot for 10 […]

Moonlight Muskie Pikaroon Antique Lure

Moonlight Muskie Pikaroon Antique Lure This Moonlight Muskie Pikaroon Antique Lure is one of those lures that takes your breath away. Every now and then I get an antique lure in on consignment that that fits that bill. The Moonlight Bait Company bought or acquired the Silver Creek Novelty Works bait company somewhere in the […]

Live Action Frog Lure

Live Action Frog Lure

Live Action Frog Lure The Live Action Frog Lure shown in the box below is quite a fishing lure contraption. The fishing lure was first made in 1960 by the Action Frog Corporation out of Long Beach, California. This antique frog lure is 5 1/5″ inches in length overall. This crazy frog lure has a […]

Heddon Torpedo Lure Model Series 130

Heddon Torpedo Lure Model Series 130

Heddon Torpedo Lure Model Series 130 This gem is a Heddon Torpedo Lure Model Series 130. The 130 was first introduced by Heddon of Dowagiac, Michigan in 1924 and would last for 35 years until 1959. The Torpedo would cross decades of composition changes from material it was made from, eye type, hook and hardware […]

Voices from the Past: A Tour of Abbey & Imbrie’s Fly Factory

A Tour of Abbey & Imbrie's Fly Factory

A Tour of Abbey & Imbrie’s Fly Factory A Tour of Abbey & Imbrie’s Fly Factory; The following description was published in the June 12, 1897 issue of Forest & Stream magazine, and describes as well as anything to date a trip through a fly tying factory in Brooklyn. The fly tying factory was that […]

Friday Fun House February 22nd Edition

Good Reads The American Angler’s Book: Embracing the Natural History of Sporting Fish, and the Art of Taking Them Over one and a half centuries after its original publication, Thaddeus Norris’s The American Angler’s Book remains a classic heavily sought after by fishing enthusiasts and collectors. Considered father of American fly fishing, Norris’s encyclopedic compilation of nineteenth-century […]

Angling Marketplace March STA Times

March 8-18, 2019 Seller Timed Auction This timed auction catalog will go live and bidding will commence Friday, March 8 at 7:00pm. After 10 days of bidding, on Monday, March 18, if any lot receives a bid during the last 10 minutes of the auction (6:50-7:00pm), an extension timer will start on that lot for […]

Voices from the Past James Grant

Voices from the Past Fishing for History

Voices from the Past James Grant There is nothing more delightful than coming across a reference to a fishing tackle maker in an unexpected place. In my “other job” as a history professor I try to keep up on recent research. A fairly recent book I picked up called Gwen Raverat: Friends, Family and Affections […]

Yankee Doodle: The American Humorist’s Take on Victorian Angling

The cover of Yankee Doodle showing the trademark character.

Yankee Doodle: The American Humorist’s Take on Victorian Angling When I was working on my dissertation (which dealt with the überexciting subject of British travel writing in the Balkans), I would consistently be distracted by the British humor journal Punch. Punch was a legendary satirical political journal that took swipes at all aspects of British […]

JD Allen Antique Lure Fish Spoon

JD Allen Antique Lure Fish Spoon

JD Allen Antique Lure Fish Spoon This JD Allen Antique Lure Fish Spoon is kind of a 19th Century fishing lure head scratcher for me. These spoons are marked JD Allen, South Otselic, NY and a size number 4. One of the main mysteries Ive never been able to resolve is, in Arlan’s book, JD Allen […]

Friday Fun House February 15th Edition

Dr. Todds Friday Fun House Video of the week Sites & Social Media www.facebook.com/groups/NAVTC/ If your on Facebok, you need to drop by and say hello to the folks @ National Antique & Vintage Tackle Collectors Cody, Chris, Rick, Clay & Cindy moderate a large and continually growing FB Hangout. With over 580 active members, […]

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 11 Henry C. Lytton’s The Hub of Chicago

Henry C. Lytton's portrait ca. 1904.

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 11 Henry C. Lytton’s The Hub of Chicago Trade House Tackle, Part 11:Henry C. Lytton’s “The Hub” and its Fishing Tackle This week we get a fun little history of a venerable Chicago iconic institution–Henry C. Lytton’s “The Hub” stores and their foray into fishing tackle. Henry C. Lytton […]

Paul Bunyan Electro Lure

Paul Bunyan Electro Lure

Paul Bunyan Electro Lure The Paul Bunyan Electro Lure was First made in 1938. The Paul Bunyan Antique lure company was out of Minneapolis St Paul Minnesota and was a series model number 1000. The lure was not made at first by the Paul Bunyan, however like many other lures the patents were acquired. The […]

Friday Fun House February 8th Edition

Dr. Todds Friday Fun House Good Reads ABOUT THE BOOK Back after constant demand, and fully revised and expanded! It’s Don Wheeler’s Frog Lure Collector’s Guide, and it has been expanded by a full 30% (now coming in at a loaded 352 pages. It’s the largest color book we’ve ever done, or will ever likely […]

Heddon Jointed Vamp Antique Lure

Heddon Jointed Vamp Antique Lure The Heddon Jointed Vamp Antique Lure was first introduced in 1927 by Heddon of Dowagiac Michigan. Expanding upon the success of its straight uni-body predecessor the Heddon Vamp, the Jointed Vamp was given a model series 7300. This wooden, glass eyed vintage fishing lure would enjoy success and be in […]

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 10 Van Camp Hardware of Indianapolis

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 10 Van Camp Hardware of Indianapolis Trade House Tackle, Part 10:From Blacksmith Tools to Tackle:–Van Camp Hardware of Indianapolis Van Camp hardware is one of the legendary names in the wholesale hardware field. Founded in the nineteenth century in America’s heartland, it served the middle west for over […]

Christening the Jamison Raider Antique Lure

Christening the Jamison Raider Antique Lure

Christening the Jamison Raider Antique Lure How do lures get their names? Well, in just about every way imaginable–from the sound they make to the person who invented them to the completely made-up. The Jamison Company of Chicago, however, decided to try something different in 1941 when they introduced the No. 1500, a River Runt […]

The Strange History of the Fizgig and Wibble Wabble

The Strange History of the Fizgig and Wibble-Wabble

The Strange History of the Fizgig and Wibble Wabble Chicago’s Wartime Fly Rod Lures By Dr. Todd E.A. Larson The Summer of 1942 would seem by just about any measure to be the worst time to launch a new business concern. But considering the state of affairs concerning the outdoor world, it might be considered […]

Angling Marketplace January STA Ending Tonight

Angling Marketplace January STA Ending Tonight Starting at 7:00pm EST, if any lot receives a bid during the last 10 minutes of the auction (6:50-7:00pm), an extension timer will start on that lot for 10 minutes. Each time another bid is placed, the 10 minute timer resets, until no further bidding occurs, then each lot […]

Friday Fun House February 1st Edition

Dr. Todds Friday Fun House Were testing out a few new columns in the fishing for history magazine so I thought I would add a few samples to the Friday Funhouse News & Noteworthy ORCA announced the Dates of its National Convention in Oklahoma in concert with the folks from Zebco for their 75th anniversary. […]

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 9 Bostwick-Braun Company

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 9 Bostwick-Braun Company Trade House Tackle, Part IX: The Bostwick-Braun Company of Toledo, Ohio The Bostwick-Braun Company is one of the oldest surviving corporations in the state of Ohio. Founded in 1855 by a pair of brothers–William and Charles B. Roff–from Racine, Wisconsin, it has served the Ohio […]

Master Biff Antique Fishing Lure

Master Biff Antique Fishing Lure

Master Biff Antique Fishing Lure This lure is a true classic, a Master Biff Antique Fishing Lure. Dating to the mid 1920’s this wooden fishing lure has a hollowed out head and two exiting side ventrals for the water to pass through. The lure measures roughly 2 3/4″ has a single forward line tie and […]

Weezel Sparrow Antique Lure

Weezel Sparrow Antique Lure

Weezel Sparrow Antique Lure The Weezel Sparrow Antique Lure was first introduced around 1946. This lure was made in Cincinnati, Ohio manufactured by the Weezel Bait Company. This wooden lure is touted to have been covered in real Mallard Duck Feathers. This ingenious idea was based on the predator and prey theory of some of […]

Heddon Spoony Fish Antique Lure

Heddon Spoony Fish Antique Lure

Heddon Spoony Fish Antique Lure This Heddon Spoony Fish Antique Lure was a short lived model. This solid metal antique Heddon lure was given a model series 590, has the outline of a fish, measures 4 1/4″ in length and tops the scales at 1 oz. This lure is the middle size of the 3 […]

Shimmy Diver Antique Lure

Shimy Diver Antique Lure

Shimmy Diver Antique Lure This Shimy Diver antique lure is a very scarce Texas made Lure, a model series 600. This classic pier bait style fishing lure was made by the International Mfg Company in Denton Texas. The lure measures just north of 2″, has painted eyes, 2 trebles. The antique lure comes painted in […]

Paragon Minnow Lure

Paragon Minnow Antique Lure

Paragon Minnow Lure From across the pond harkens this glass eyed beauty, a very desirable and tough to find Allcocks, Paragon Minnow lure. The Paragon was first introduced in the 1890’s and made through the Teens. This metal minnow is 3″ in length with a red yarn covered single trailing treble. The lure has “Tiffany” […]

Heddon Floating Vamp Spook Lure

Heddon Floating Vamp Spook Antique Lure in Box

Heddon Floating Vamp Spook Lure The Heddon Floating Vamp Spook Lure was a transition lure produced between 1931 and 1934. This lure was an attempt to usurp the wooden Vamp with the newest technology in plastics, it would in in 1932 run a parallel line to it. This vintage lure was given a model number […]

2019 NFLCC National Lure Competition

2019 NFLCC National Lure Competition Rusty Jesse announced today, the NFLCC is once again holding a national lure competition at the 2019 National Lure show in Fort Wayne, IN this July. All NFLCC members are welcome to enter. There will be three classes of competition Musky Class: Musky lure has to be at least 8″ […]

The Angling Marketplace January STA

The Angling Marketplace January STA The timed auction catalog will go live and bidding will commence this Friday, January 25 at 7:00pm. After 10 days of bidding, on Monday, February 4, if any lot receives a bid during the last 10 minutes of the auction (6:50-7:00pm), an extension timer will start on that lot for […]

Friday Fun House January 25th Edition

Dr. Todds Friday Fun House   Video of the Week X 2 Double Feature, Grab a reel, a refill and get comfortable….   12 Things I would buy if I could afford them. Heddon Ice Spook Decoy Hardy St George Fly Reel Heddon #14 Bamboo Rod Langley Blue 310 Streamlite Fishing Reel in Box HEDDON […]

Pflueger Baby Scoop Lure

Pflueger Baby Scoop Antique Lure

Pflueger Baby Scoop Lure The Pflueger Baby Scoop Lure was first introduced in 1952. The lure was listed through the 1960s in the catalogs. Floating, artificial minnow, designed especially for spinning. Side hook gives the Baby Scoop an action resembling that of a crippled or injured minnow. A counter-rotating propeller blade on each end. Especially […]

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 8 A.C. McClurg

General Alexander Caldwell McClurg ca. 1890.

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 8 A.C. McClurg Trade House Tackle, Part VIII The Bookseller’s Fishing Tackle, A.C. McClurg & Co. of Chicago One of the most surprising fishing tackle wholesalers has to be the Chicago firm of A.C. McClurg & Co., a name far more famous in book circles than in fishing ones. […]

The First American Fishing Tackle

Fish Hooks, Fish Gigs, and Lead Net Weights unearthed at Jamestown

The First American Fishing Tackle As I was prepping for a course I’m teaching on the first half of American history, I recently came across a great eBook from the legendary Project Gutenberg that details a bit on the origins of American angling. New Discoveries at Jamestown: Site of the First Successful English Settlement in […]

Friday Fun House January 18 Edition

Dr. Todds Friday Fun House   Video of the Week. 12 Things I would buy if I could afford them. Heddon Box Goite Combo Mizera Decoy Phillipson Rod Shakespeare Box Bon Net Lure in Box McHarg Lure Keeling Box Hot Tip of the Week Thanks me Later If 1 is Good 6 is Better Love […]

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 7 Lippman

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 7 Lippman  Trade House Tackle, Part VII Lippman’s Tool Shop Sporting Goods Company:The Little Sports Shop That Slayed A Giant This week’s edition of 52 for 52 details a largely forgotten Detroit-based sporting goods store known as Lippman’s Tool Shop Sporting Goods Company. It’s a bit of a […]

Friday Fun House January 11th Edition

Dr. Todds Friday Fun House   Video of the Week. With 2019’s Milwaukee Show Next week I thought we should look at last years. 12 Things I would buy if I could afford them. VINTAGE AUSTRALIAN MADE ‘SEAMARTIN MARK II’ FISHING REEL Hot tip of the week this sweet Pagan Scale Bass Oreno is not […]

The Angling Marketplace

Announcing The Angling Marketplace Powered by Lang’s, The Angling Marketplace is the new home of the seller timed auction, providing a wide range of antique & collectible fishing tackle and angling related items in a bidding format. All lots offered in The Angling Marketplace timed auctions are individual seller listed, with direct communication allowed between […]

Throwback Thursday January 10th

Throwback Thursday January 10th by John Etchieson I write a lot of articles, blog entries, etc., etc. and my focus much of the time steers to the history of the item, or the item itself. I feel sometimes I dont highlight the important stuff or I get to busy doing 15 other things (Thanks to […]

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 5 Hobbs Supply

52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 5 Hobbs Supply W.H. Hobbs Supply Co. of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (Makers of the Bon Net Lure) W.H. Hobbs Supply Co. of Eau Claire, Wisconsin I love Wisconsin trade tackle, and not just because I grew up fishing Wisconsin waters. The Badger state was full of wholesalers and […]

Orchard Industries Slippery Slim Lure

Orchard Industries Slippery Slim Lure

Orchard Industries Slippery Slim Lure The Orchard Industries Slippery Slim Lure is another lure in the trio produced by the company. Based in Detroit Michigan, on Morgan Drive, this famous antique lure maker was probably more noted for it’s “Action Rod”. The company founded in the late 1940s by co-owners Lewis Adam and A. Johnson. […]