Shakespeare Mermaid Lure
The Shakespeare Mermaid Lure was first introduced around 1915. The lure was Shakespeare Bait Company of Kalamazoo series numbers 582 and 583. This wooden, no eyed fishing lure however did not start its life with the Shakespeare Bait Company. The lure was made by Thomas McCormic who just happened to also resided in Kalamazoo. The say that growth of Companies comes through ideas and innovations, however in the fishing lure industry sometimes the old saying that imitation is the dearest form of flattery held true. To imitate the success of other competitors lures companies would make things similar or the would by the patent rights, or in this case the whole company. This buying of companies to get to certain lure and reel or paint finish patents still affects us even today in every day life.
We have a nice Mermaid in on consignment this week, click below to view.
Shakespeare Mermaid Lure
The Mermaid was available in roughly a half dozen finishes over it’s life besides the Red and White shown in the antique lure gallery below. This distinctive shaped wooden lure had a hole in the front mouth area. The hole, although it held the front small leader and line tie went through the lure and out the top of the antique lure through another hole, as almost to mimic a dolphin or whale. The lure was available in two different sizes the first was 3 1/4″ in length and corresponded to the Model number 582, and 3 5/8″ and corresponded to the Model Number 583. The Mermaid had three treble hooks secured to the body with cup rig hardware to catch its prey.
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Shakespeare Mermaid Lure Photo Gallery
Shakespeare Mermaid Lure Advertisement from 1916 Shakespeare Antique Lure Catalog
This Shakespeare Mermaid Lure Advertisement from 1916 Shakespeare Antique Lure Catalog States: Floats when not in motion. The Countersunk line hitch and peculiar shape of the body causes it, on retrieval to dive, bob, duck and wiggle in a very tantalizing manner and moves with an irresistible wiggling motion. Moderate reeling causes it to dive beneath the surface with am easy zig-zag motion, one to eight inches deep. Has proven itself deadly with the big ones. Length of body 3 5/8″ inches. Made in three colors.
583W- White Mermaid
583R- Red Mermaid
583Y- Yellow Mermaid
