Oliver Gruber Glo Worm Antique Fishing Lure

The Oliver Gruber GloWurm Antique Fishing Lure is quite an interesting story. Over the last few years I’ve touched on a few of the lure makers that thought outside the box. Alfred Oliver and James Gruber thought inside the box, so to speak.

As the Story is Told;

“On May 16, 1918, Alfred Oliver and James Gruber filed a patent for the first triple jointed lure. This patent was granted November 23, 1920. Oliver and Gruber immediately went into production of the lure they decided to call The Glowurm Lure. It was advertised nationally in Outdoor Life magazine, with ads appearing from 1921 through 1923.

Construction & painting had to be simple because these lures were being manufactured by patients at a Medical Lake, Washington Psychiatric Center (near Spokane). Yes, the mental patients of the hospital were turning out the wooden bodies and painting the Glowurm as therapy!

Oliver and Gruber worked at the hospital and also were avid bass fishermen. They saw the chance to help the patients with therapy, AND to help finance their fishing hobby with some cash from the sales of their lure invention. The only problem came when the directors of the hospital discovered the lures were being sold nationally and the hospital wasn’t sharing in on the profits!

The Medical Lake Hospital Board of Directors delivered an ultimatum to the doctor/entrepreneurs; cease and desist with the production of the Glowurm, and everything would be forgotten. Otherwise, they would face charges for using illegal labor and face termination. Oliver and Gruber decided that doctoring was more important than lure making, so they went out of the lure business.”

(Heddon later bought the patent rights and came out with their own version of the lure called a “Gamefisher”.)

Oliver Gruber GloWurm Antique Fishing Lure Photo Gallery