Tight Lines Tuesday Colored Spools
by John Etchieson –
Tight Lines Tuesday Colored Spools; All fishing lines, with very few exceptions, had been packaged on solid black color enamel painted wooden spools since 1880. However, 85 years ago at the depths of America’s great depression in 1932, many fishing line spools took on some bright colors to replace that 50 year-long industry standard of using only solid black color line spools.
For example, the Shakespeare Tackle Company adopted a reddish/orange colored spool, James Heddon Tackle Company chose a green color, the South Bend Fishing Tackle Company selected a yellow/orange tint color and the Horrocks – Ibbotson Company used a royal blue color.
While it is not fully known exactly why all these major sellers of fishing line choose 1932 to convert to brightly colored spools, it is generally believed that it was to counter the dark dreary days of America’s great depression and to boost sales with the introduction of this new rainbow of colors which we know from psychologist today would have positively influenced buyers purchase decisions on a subconscious level.
Among those who made this colorful change there was one that stood apart from all the rest by changing not to a single new color, but rather to two colors, which required a special double paint cycle for the wooden spool. That firm was the Pflueger Fishing Tackle Company of Akron Ohio (aka Enterprise Manufacturing Company). Pflueger’s half green and half white colored spools were introduced in 1932 and continued to be made through 1939 when the color of the spools was then changed once again to a solid white color.
Of all of the 1930’s colored wooden line spools that can still occasionally be found by antique fishing tackle collectors today, the half green and half white spools introduced by Pflueger 85 years ago are among the rarest to find, and also one of the most desired. Comments or questions may be sent to John at johnsetch@aol.com
Tight Lines Tuesday Colored Spools
