South Bend Combination Minnow

The South Bend Combination Minnow was an early lure and was first produced in 1912 and was given a model series number 931 / 932. Only three years after the legal formation of the company, the South Bend Bait Co released this a model series 1932. This fishing lure would last roughly 13 years in South Bends lure line up and disappear around 1925. This wooden antique lure is on the smaller side, measuring only 2 5/8″ in length. The lure is touted to been a carry over from the Worden Company for those interested in the early history.

The Combination Minnow lure a simple wooden minnow with a single front propeller to slice through the water upon retrieval, and a single belly weight to help drop it to its prey. The lure has a single treble hidden inside its voluptuous buck tail which in the early years were available in three shades; white, white/brown and white/grey. After 1916 they only came in the natural deer shade.

Believe it or not the antique fishing lure came in an astonishing 18 standard colors, which is a ton for this little fishing lure. Although the 1912 catalog doesn’t list them, some of the Color available were:

GCB – Green Crackle Back
LUM – Luminous
Rain – Rainbow
RH – Red Head White Body (Shown in the Gallery Below)
SR – Red Body Dark Shaded Back
SW – White Body Dark Shaded Back
W – White with Spots
YP – Yellow Perch

The 1916 South Bend Catalog states: “This is a clean, sportsmanlike, small, under-water minnow; the Buck Tail is substantially tied on the minnow body. It is equipped with one treble hook, which is masked by the buck tail. This provides a bait that can be used most successfully in fairly weedy waters. Also is an excellent river bait. It has built up a reputation as being very effective and invariably lands a strike. It is used extensively by the sportsmanlike angler; also, in states where the law prohibits using more than one treble hook.”