Shakespeare 1740 HE Tournament Casting Reel This is a Shakespeare Model 1740 HE Tournament Casting Reel. This reel is probably one of the nicest smooth spinning reels I’ve had the pleasure of holding and selling. The reel dates to the mid 1920’s, has whats referred to as a narrow free spinning . The end caps […]
Tag Archives: history
Heddon River Runt Go Deeper Scoop Lip This is a Heddon River Runt Go Deeper Scoop Lip Lure. This River Runt spook lure is from the Go Deeper Series, a model series D9110 having the highly collectible Scoop Lip. The scoop lip was made on this series of lures between the years 1939 and 1949. […]
George Fenner Weedless Automatic Bait Lure George Fenner Weedless Automatic Bait Lure was first introduced in to the market in 1925. A year later in 1926 his patent, 1571770 would be granted. This small spring hook type bait has been dubbed the WAB for short, or Weedless Automatic Bait. George Fenner and the Weedless Automatic […]
Shur Strike Underwater Minnow Lure The Shur Strike Underwater Minnow Lure is Circa late 1930’s. The three hook underwater antique lure was not a cataloged option and is highly sought after. This wooden, glass eyed, antique minnow measures 3 1/8″ in length. The lure was produced with only a single floppy prop, unlike the Heddon 3 […]
Shakespeare Fly Rod Mouse Lure Shakespeare Fly Rod Mouse Lure, or the Swimming Mouse as its referred to sometimes was introduced around the late 1930’s or early 1940’s. The Shakespeare Company of Kalamazoo Michigan labeled it as new in the 1940 antique lure catalog, but Ive learned that sometimes print doesn’t change from year to […]
Antique Lure and Reel Ads, Antique Lures, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc)
Louis Rhead Fishing From Dreamland Pier
Louis Rhead Fishing From Dreamland Pier This News article, Louis Rhead Fishing From Dreamland Pier comes from the Brooklyn Star Circa 1908. We get a chance to see Louis Rhead’s art as well as his Penmanship. I think we as lure collectors forget that sometimes he just wasn’t the fly rod lure maker extraordinaire, but that […]
Dunks Chipmunk Antique Lure The Dunks Chipmunk Antique Lure comes from a company whose lure history dates back into the early 1920’s. The Dunks Chipmunk lure lands on the opposite side of the time line dating to the late 1930’s early 1940’s. We’ve seen many lure makers over time try to mimic that what nature […]
Shur Strike Pike Lure This version Shur Strike Pike Lure was first introduced around 1933 – 1936. This antique lure creation a extension of the Creek Chub Bait Company under the Shur Strike name. The Pike was essentially a similar design of the Creek Chub Pikie minnow that had gained worldwide popularity by this point. […]
South Bend Callmac Fly Bug The South Bend Callmac Fly Bug was a series model number 860. The South Bend Bait Company of South Bend Indiana made this Antique Fly Rod Lure was made for over two decades. The lure was first produced beginning in 1921 and ending in or around 1942, you’ll note that […]
Pflueger May Bug Lure The Pflueger May Bug Lure was introduced in the late 1880’s. The May Bug is one of the early quintessential Pflueger, or Enterprise Manufacturing Company Lure made in Akron Ohio. The lure was produced for around 3 decades or thirty years until 1916. The May Bug was made to be fished […]
Pflueger 4 Brother Brand Leaders on Card Pflueger 4 Brother Brand Leaders on Card; The brand name “4 Brothers” was apparently conceived as a goodwill gesture to mark the reconciliation of E. A. Pflueger (who had departed the Enterprise Mfg. Co. to form his own company in 1906) and his reuniting with his three brothers […]
Ball Minnow Trap The Ball Minnow Trap is really a great piece of angling history. Let me first add by saying yes, this is the same maker as the famous Ball jar line. For those that may not know here is a piece borrowed from the Society of Historical Archaeology Inc. Although its roots go […]
Muk-Choc-Ko-Frog Antique Lure The Muk-Choc-Ko-Frog Antique Lure has always garnered the eye of lots of collectors. Shown below is a group lot or set of 5 Muk-Choc-Ko-Frog antique lures. The lures were a series of wooden, frog shaped, painted eye, weedless lineup made by the Hub Bait Company of Beaverdam, Wisconsin. The lure could be […]
Moderne Brand Gladding Silk Fishing Line Spool The very rare 1931 Moderne Brand Gladding Silk Fishing Line Spool was made for that one year only by the B. F. Gladding Line Company of South Otselic, New York (est. 1816). The brand name “Moderne”, sometimes termed Art Moderne, is a late type of the Art Deco […]
Cormorant Gladding Cuttyhunk Casting Fishing Line Spool This 1930s era Cormorant Gladding Cuttyhunk Casting Fishing Line Spool was a strong fishing line made from the Hemp plant that was also grown to make rope. Manufactured by the Gladding Line Company (est. 1816) of South Otselic, New York, this line featured a gold foil paper label […]
Brandel Double B Antique Lure The Brandel Double B Antique Lure is a neat classic fishing apparatus. Circa 1948 this lure seems to have an identity crisis, it cant figure out which way it wants to spell its name. Certainly the premise of the lure is derived from past attempts from lure makers to increase […]
Antique Lures, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Miscellaneous Lure Makers
Whopper Stopper Lizard Lure
Whopper Stopper Lizard Lure This is a super Whopper Stopper Lizard Lure dealer sheet introducing this new and unique lure. The sheet exclaims its a new lure, and is stamped, Nov 3 1953. This plastic jointed lure a really a unique piece and would be fun to collect a complete color set. We have a […]
H&C Surprise Minnow This H&C Surprise Minnow is a great and historically significant, over a century old antique fishing lure that has class and character. This classic antique fishing lure was originally introduced in 1913 and is the Intro variation created by Florian Clarkson & Oscar Hummon of Lipsic, Ohio. These were labeled as the […]
Jamison Barbless Hooks How Smiling Bill Jamison Made His Barbless Jamison Barbless Hooks; It must not be supposed that it was an easy thing to design this simple hook. “Bill,” like thousands of others, had an exaggerated idea of the power of a fish to throw a hook. He thought it would take some unusual […]
Adjustable Wing Lure Challenge Tackle The Adjustable Wing Lure was made by Challenge Tackle Company of Medville Pennsylvania. This antique lure dates to around 1951 and can be found in a Tube inside its single piece folding cardboard box. The lure is a mottled colored plastic and it actually two halves fused together. There is […]
Hoef-TE-Doo Vintage Lure The Hoef-TE-Doo Vintage Lure is circa late 1930’s early 1940’s and was created by Leroy C Hoefer. Hoefer lures we made in Minneapolis, Minnesota the land of 10000 Lakes as its sometimes referred to. This classic inline spinning rig was meant to catch Bass, Northern Muskie, Pike, Lake Trout. Measuring 6 1/2″ […]
Naughty Nymph Fishing Lure The Naughty Nymph Fishing Lure is over a half a century old and dates to 1950. Its creator and patent holder Norman Mellot was from Moundsville West Virginia. The lure came in 4 different distinct sizes and weights. 1/4 oz, 3/8 oz, 5/8 oz & 1/2″ oz with lengths between 2 […]
Sonic Live Action Lure The Sonic Live Action Lure is a classic antique fishing lure. This lure falls into the rotary head category as when the bait is retrieved through the water it turns the head with the metal blades. The lure itself is comprised of a hollow plastic body with a partition through the […]
Trenton Mad Mouse Lure The Trenton Mad Mouse Lure was first introduced in 1947. The Trenton Manufacturing Company was located in Covington Kentucky. The antique fishing lure used the eyes not only to adorn the lure. They were painted screws which secured the lire top the body. The mouse lure was roughly 2″ in length […]
Maniac Brand Gladding Line Spool The History of the Maniac Brand Gladding Line Spool. The MANIAC brand extra hard braided Japan silk minnow casting line was introduced in 1910 with the early two fish trade mark by the manufacturer B. F. Gladding Line Company (est. 1816) of South Otselic, New York and produced from 1912 […]
ABOUT THIS ISSUE The main theme of this September issue of Angling Echoes, not surprisingly, is memories and remembrances. My daughter has left the nest, so to speak, and is studying in faraway Japan for the next twelve months. Naturally I’m proud of her, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this move […]
The following blurb came from the Indiana School Journal for December 1877. It was written by Charles Wackford of Shawnee Prairie, Indiana, and retells a very charming Christmas tradition mixed with fishing. I love it. We reached home at ten o’clock, receiving an invitation on the way to eat Christmas dinner with the Graham family. […]
Heddon SOS 170 Minnow Lure The Heddon SOS 170 Minnow Lure is the second to the largest in the family of 4. This antique fishing lure was first introduced in 1928 by Heddon of Dowagiac Michigan. The wooden fishing lure measures in at roughly 4 1/2″ in length. The lures main focus was the larger […]
The following story by F.L. Harding from Outing Magazine (August 1908) is a charming story about a fishing contest and a special lure. I enjoyed it very much, and wish now to have a Bilkin’s Electric Frog of my very own. Bilkin’s Electric Frog by F.L. Harding ENTERPRISE was the slogan of the Parmacheenee Piscatorial […]
Heddon Fat Body 100 Antique Lure Green Crackle Back White Pasteboard Box This is a Heddon Dowagiac Underwater Model 100 Minnow Lure. The lure is a early circa 1911 era Combo. The wooden, glass eyed, minnow lure has 3T and cup rig hardware. The lure has three red gill marks, a single belly weight and […]
Rinehart Jinx Lure Model 200 The Rinehart Jinx Lure Model 200 series lure is the Bass Size offering. Fred Rinehart of Newark Ohio, began producing this middle size version around 1940, three years after he (technically) started his business. The Bass size Jinx would be produced for over two decades, or 22 years to be […]
Pflueger Ballerina Antique Lure The Pflueger Ballerina Antique Lure was introduced around 1952. This wooden pressed and painted eye lure was Pflueger of Akron, Ohio model series number 5400. This wooden tapering cigar shaped fishing lure has a front forward line tie. The lure itself measure 4 1/8″ in length from tip to toe and […]
ABOUT THIS ISSUE The August issue of Angling Echoes focusses on the fishing reel. I have been fascinated by fishing reels since my childhood days when I would disassemble my father’s Mitchell 308 on the dining room table at our cabin, and then struggle mightily trying to put it back together before he found me […]
Paw Paw Platypus Lure Photo Gallery The Paw Paw Platypus Lure Rainbow Trout was first introduced in 1941. This strange looking plastic, raised painted eye lure, was the Paw Paw Bait Company model series #3500. The lure originally called a Wham Doodle, which was made of wood with whats referred to as an alligator eye. […]
Creek Chub Husky Musky Lure The Creek Chub Husky Musky Lure was first introduced in 1919. This large wooden lure made by the Creek Chub Bait Company of Garrett Indiana had a model number 600. While its said its intent was to be salt water fished lure as it was first introduced in Mullet Scale […]
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. […]
Fishing For History, Trade House Tackle
52 Trade Houses Part 14 The Tackle of General Merchandise Co. of Milwaukee
Trade House Tackle, Part 14:The Tackle of General Merchandise Co. of Milwaukee This week in 52 for 52 we are featuring one of the many mail order catalog companies that exploded in the post-war era. General Merchandise Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin grew from humble roots into a massive conglomerate that eventually got purchased by one […]
Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Fly Fishing
Alonzo H Fowler Forgotten Pioneer of the Bamboo Fly Rod Part II
Alonzo H. Fowler: Forgotten Pioneer of the Bamboo Fly Rod, Part II Alonzo H. Fowler:Forgotten Pioneer of the Bamboo Fly Rod, Part IIBy Dr. Todd E.A. LarsonCopyright 2019, all rights reserved.As tournament casting was the premier way to advertise a fine bamboo fly rod in the 1870s, the 1876 tournament was shaping up to be […]
Antique Lures, Deconstructing Old Ads, Fishing For History
The History of the F.C. Woods Expert Minnow in Ads
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 […]
Tight Lines Tuesday Fred Arbogast Tight Lines Tuesday by John Etchieson – Fred Arbogast made fishing line too – Among the collectors of antique and collectible fishing tackle the name Fred Arbogast is well known. Fred Arbogast was one of the true pioneers of the fishing lure industry. As with so many who enter the […]
Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Voices from the Past
Voices from the Past The History of the Nottingham Wooden Winch
The following article came from the London Fishing Gazette, 07 September 1895. It details the background history of the famed Nottingham Wooden Winch. History of the Nottingham Wooden Winch Anglers throughout the country are by this time familiar with the qualities of the Nottingham wooden winch, and a few facts in connection with its invention […]
Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fishing For History, Trade House Tackle
52 Trade Houses Part 13 Manhattan Marine & Electric Co
Trade House Tackle, Part 13:Manhattan Marine & Electric Co. of New York City One of my goals in 52 for 52 is to show everyone the sheer diversity of fishing tackle sellers in American history. So far, we’ve covered discount stores, department stores, wholesale hardware concerns, a bookseller, a plumbing supply store, and today, we […]
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 […]
Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Tight Lines Tuesday
Tight Lines Tuesday TH Chubb
Tight Lines Tuesday TH Chubb by John Etchieson 133 years ago in 1886 this very rare and beautiful russet colored silk line wrapped on a cardboard line winder and packaged inside this blue, tan, and gold leaf bordered box marked ‘OUR “SPECIAL” BRAND OILED SILK BLACK BASS LINE’ was introduced and sold by the Thos. […]
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 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 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 […]
52 Trade Houses Part 12 Davidson’s Firearms of Greensboro NC Trade House Tackle, Part 12:Davidson’s Firearms of Greensboro, NC This episode of 52 for 52 will deal with one of my very favorite kinds of trade houses: gun dealers that sold fishing tackle. Throughout history many legendary gun names–Winchester, Remington, Browning, etc.–lent their names to […]
19th Century Fishing Lures, Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fishing For History, Voices from the Past
Voices from the Past James Grant
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 […]
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 […]