OFS News & Article Archives Index

Pflueger Tin Signs

One of the really nice fishing advertising items is the Pflueger tin sign with the bass logo. These small tasteful signs are easy to display because of their size, but very colorful and classic looking. The signs are also very expensive, if found in fine condition. Over the years I have owned two of them, but have always traded them off or sold them to acquire something else that I desired even more. I was never able to pin down an exact date or source for these signs, however. I heard that several had been found in a cache once and all showed similar damage from rust. Well, the following advertisement shows how and when these signs appeared.

Note that the advertisement is from the June 1906 Sporting Goods Dealer magazine.

Then note the line headed "NOTICE - Free to any dealer in Sporting Goods, sent express prepaid, 170 page Illustrated Catalogue No. F24, and Metal Fish Sign in 8 color lithograph."

The sign was a freebee along with your 1906 Pflueger Fishing Tackle catalog.

Wow! Don't you wish you could go back and order a dozen or so. You'd sure be in collector's heaven at a show with those on your table.

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How to Cast 700 Feet

At the Old Reel Collectors Association Convention in Columbia Lake, Texas, Big Lou McEachern put on a demonstration that popped the eyes of the ORCA members in attendance.

On a beautiful May morning, Lou, who has cast a weight over the Houston Astrodome several years ago, picked up a broomstick and cast a plug about 125 yards. (see photo to the right)

Then he threw a weight on his regular surf casting outfit over 150 yards.

The astounding climax came when he wound up and tossed a competition lead weight completely out of sight. The weight landed just short of the trees you can see in the distance in the first photo.

Lou's rod was a custom made competitive surf casting rod, and his reel was a modified ABU Ambassadeur 521 bass fishing reel. The level wind had been removed and an additional knob had been fastened to the magnetic brake control. This knob was used to control the brakes while the weight was still in the air. As the line slowed down, more magnetic force was applied to the spool to reduce the chance of backlash.

Big Lou, a new member of the Old Reel Collectors Association, put on a show that will hard to top at future conventions. 

Lou McEachern with his custom long casting rod and Ambassadeur 521 reel. 

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Winchester Fakes

by Phil White

            In August 1989 Bob Strauss put on one of the first, if not the first, sporting collectibles shows in the U.S. The show was at St. Charles, IL and there was some terrific stuff for sale there. One of the dealers had a cache of 1940’s signs that had artwork by Lynn Bogue Hunt. These mobile type signs had fish or game birds displayed on a large background sign advertising a noted brand of beer. The dealer had only a few of the background signs, but many hundreds of the smaller die cut fish and birds, which he was selling for $1.00 each. Those in attendance all thought the die cuts were neat, but couldn’t figure out what to do with them. Unfortunately someone figured out a way to use them.

Within a year these die cut birds and fish began appearing with printing on them that said either “Winchester Fishing Tackle Sold Here” or “Winchester Ammunition Sold Here.” With the appearance of these fakes the light bulb came on and I realized that there were unscrupulous people out there. It was just the beginning.

The seller walked into the gun show with an electric mantle clock. On the face it had a couple of ducks and geese and the words, “Compliments of The Winchester Store.” The first person approached bought the clock for $175. Tommy Webster, one of the foremost Winchester collectors in the US also happened to be at the show. When he heard about the clock he offered the new owner $300. “Nope” was the immediate answer.

            Tommy upped his offer to $500. “Nope” came the reply.

            $1000 was the next offer... “Nope.” The new owner just wouldn’t sell his wonderful Winchester clock.

The next day Tommy became the luckiest collector at the show and the clock’s owner was a deflated possessor of a fantasy item. The seller had the gall to walk into the show with another clock. The counterfeiter had been buying up old mantle clocks at auctions and pasting color copy Winchester faces on them. These were decent fakes, but shouldn’t have really fooled Tommy Webster. Lust sometimes clouds our judgment.

We were prowling the aisles of a large antique mall in Columbus, Ohio and noted a display case full of “Winchester” tools. Upon close inspection we found you could still see the “Stanley” mark on some wrenches that had been over stamped “Winchester / Trademark U.S.A.” The counterfeiters had moved from the color copy machine to a steel stamp that could mark just about any wooden or metal product. It wasn’t long until “Winchester” bait buckets, leader tins, and belt bait holders appeared bearing the illicit stamp. The Winchester collector market would never be the same.  

eBay provided an endless supply of unsuspicious buyers; and color laser printers and copy machines produced a stream of logos and labels to glue on any handy box, postcard or carton that might be used as a “Rare Winchester item.” Over the past several years we have seen “Winchester” alarm clocks, wall clocks, worm cartons, hook boxes, calendars, glass minnow traps, fly boxes, reels, line spools, counter signs and post cards sold on eBay. All were fantasy items but many brought prices in the hundred of dollars. There were some nicely made carved wooden and tin bait shop or store “Winchester” signs sold on eBay which yielded big prices. I have seen Winchester reel seats put on inexpensive fly rods and then sold as the genuine article.

The most grotesque item was a small cast iron image of Hitler with a hook attached and stapled to a card and boxed with a label proclaiming it to be a Winchester Anti-Hitler lure. Yee Gads! And someone bought it. Not only that – but they paid over $200 for it.

The best counterfeit item I saw was a Winchester Fishing Reel Oil Bottle. It had a nicely made label and even sported a label across the cap to seal the bottle. It sold for over $200. But then several other examples appeared in rapid succession as the seller got greedy.

Anyone can get taken as these villains improve their skills. The best defense is to study Winchester catalogs and learn the items that Winchester manufactured or contracted. Then don’t buy anything that isn’t shown in the catalogs. The Winchester Repeating Arms Co. loved to number every item they cataloged, so check the numbers to make sure they match the catalog item. It should also be remembered that Winchester was only producing fishing tackle from c1920-1930. One eBay item I noted was a Winchester Fishing Tackle calendar from 1910. It was impossible and a very obvious fake, but someone paid over $200 for it. Education is always the key in collecting and in this day and age it pays to be very suspicious while you’re learning.

Most of the fake items mentioned in this article can be seen on the OFS Winchester Fakes Page

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Fake Heddon Punkinseeds

by Bill Whitesell

Yes collectors, there are fake Heddon Punkinseeds out there. Below are some photographs of some of the fake Heddon Punkinseeds that I have found. As always, education and study are the keys to not being ripped off by counterfeiters. There are some clues that will help you identify the fakes.

Collectors should look for the following tip-offs - and then buyer beware. Check the hardware and paint patterns. However, the most obvious clue should be the markings on the bottom of the lures. Original Heddon Punkinseeds have the name painted on with a stencil. The stencil leaves a gap in the letters "o" and "d". On the fakes, the name is stamped on the bottom, rather than painted.

If anyone has any comments, additions, or questions, please contact Bill Whitesell

The Oliver & Gruber Glowurm

By Phil White

We all dream of the big find, and sometimes it does happen. In 1980 Earl Chapin of Sandpoint, Idaho discovered the mother lode of the strange looking lure called the Glowurm. The owner of this cache was the grandson of either Alfred S. Oliver or James S. Gruber, originators and patentees of the Glowurm, made in Medical Lake, Washington.

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.

As most collectors know, this lure was lathe turned with either a red/white or green/yellow paint pattern. There was also a mention of a luminous color available, but none have been found. After examining hundreds of lures, it looks to me like the body was dipped in the base color – white or yellow, and then rolled on a pad of the color that covered the segments, red or green. A spinner blade was then fitted to the front as a wobbling plane, hooks attached with screw eyes and the lure was finished.

The lure box was ready unique. It was a divided block of wood, with a hole drilled our routed out the diameter of the lure. The hooks fit into a slot in the bottom half. The “box was hinged with a piece of paper tape, and the lure information was stamped on the outside with a rubber stamp. It was all very simple, and that’s what it was supposed to be.

The reason construction had to be simple was that these lures were being manufactured by patients at Medical Lake, Washington hospital for the retarded, or in today’s PC world, I guess we’d call them intellectually challenged. Whatever they were called in the 1920’s the patients of the hospital were turning out the wooden bodies and painting the Glowurm as therapy.

It is my understanding that 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 will 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 manufacturing, so they went out of the lure business.

At this time, Oliver and Gruber had been selling the Glowurm for two years. Some of the lures were out in the hands of fishermen and available for future collectors. For nearly 60 years, there were no other Glowurms available for modern collectors until our North Idaho collectors discovered the remains of the entire inventory on hand when the “factory” was closed in 1924. The rediscovered inventory consisted of approximately 140 boxed lures and about 1000 loose lures reposing in an attic where they had been stored for all those years. There were also some advertising pages that were apparently mailed to dealers soliciting purchase orders.

A price was agreed upon and the lures and papers were transferred to Earl Chapin’s home. He sold some of these lures at the first west coast NFLCC swamp meet held in Portland, Oregon in 1982 and some were sold at decoy shows in the Midwest. The first nationwide exposure to the cache was made at the 1983 NFLCC National in Peoria. Earl attended the meet and sold quite a few of the boxed lures for $35 to $40 each. Unboxed lures were sold for $10 each. Ads were run in the NFLCC Gazette in 1984 offering the Glowurms for $50 in box or loose for $20 each.

The response was only Luke-warm and earl grew tired of trying to market his find. He decided to sell the remaining lures to his son and a partner, and the Glowurms again changed hands. Earl’s son, Ken then peddled the lures with mediocre results for several years at local antique shows and gun shows.

Finally, in 1993-94 the boom arrived. I had been purchasing both boxed and loose Glowurms from Ken for several years for sale and trading stock, and had only fair results. However, just before the 1994 National, I purchased 12 lures in boxes, and about a dozen loose ones. Wow! It was a blue light special at the National. In two days I sold all these lures and wished I had more.

Upon my return from Harrisburg, I made arrangements with Ken to purchase the remaining lures in boxes. I ended up with approximately a dozen boxed Glowurms, as the well ran dry. A pair of boxed lures was sold in Lang’s July 1995 Summer Sportsman’s Auction and reached the whopping price of $600 for a boxed pair with papers. The unwanted ugly duckling from Medical Lake, Washington had turning into a swan at last.

Note: This article first appeared in the NFLCC Gazette in September 1996.

Addendum: The intervening years have shown that Ken’s “partner” held out on me, and quite a few NIB Glowurms have appeared. These seem to be offered on eBay at a rate of one per month and sell in the $200-400 range depending upon the mood of buyers at the time. In 1994 I sold my last pair with copies of the patent, copies of the advertisements appearing in Outdoor Life, the dealer papers, and all my research for $750. 

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The lures of Albert Angell

“Angell’s Skittering Minnows are the greatest Killers of earth, and every angler that has not tried them yet, should do so before he dies”. This was the claim of Albert Angell in an advertisement in The Sportsman’s Directory published in 1892. Well, Mr. Angell, I’m sorry to say there are a lot of disappointed angler’s out there who have never tried “the great killers on earth”.

            Who was Albert Angell? Apparently he is quite a mystery man. I have checked with several New Jersey collectors and the New Jersey Historical Society, in an attempt to secure more information about Albert Angell, and his Angell Mfg. Co. Jean Zajac, Reference Assistant for the New Jersey Historical Society wrote me that “If you had not told me that they (Angell Manufacturing Company) were a legitimate company that did exist, I would think that perhaps they were a make-believe corporation.”

            Ms. Zajac finally found Albert Angell in the Orange City Directory in 1879. The Directories show Albert Angell living at 33 Munn Avenue in East Orange. His occupation is listed as “Inventor”. There is no listing for the Angell Mfg. Co. We next find Albert living on Chestnut Avenue near Valley Road in West Orange. He is still listed as an Inventor and also included in this listing is “Mechanical Engineer”. Mr. Angell was listed in the Oranges City Directory until 1897. No further reference was found. There was no mention of the Angell Mfg. Co. in any City or Business Directories.

            In his article about the Chicago “Columbian World Fair” of 1893, (NFLCC Gazette, Vol. 17, #57, June 1993) Steve Lumpkin listed the exhibitors that displayed in the Angling Pavilion. Although not as famous as the Henshall Reel Display, we find the third name on the list of exhibitors to be “Angell, Albert, East Orange, N.J., Artificial Baits”

            The aforementioned Sportsman’s Directory listed the Angell Manufacturing Co., in its listing of manufacturers. The listing was under the heading “Trolling Baits”, and lists Metal Revolving Fly as their product. The advertisement in the Sportsman’s Directory only shows the Angell Skittering Minnow and the Angell's Wing on a Fly (this bait is similar to the Pflueger May Bug). It is very interesting to note in this ad that Mr. Angell states that “These are the best selling baits in the market”. He also lists A. G. Spalding & Bros. as a retailer of his baits.

            The 1892 Sportsman’s Directory also had a section giving a few details about all their advertisers, which stated “In fishing for trout or bass, Angell’s celebrated revolving wings and skittering minnows are among the best baits obtainable. The revolving wings are manufactured in two sizes, and the skittering minnow in five sizes adapted to various kinds of fishing. For illustrated price list address the Angell Manufacturing Co., East Orange, N. J.”

            I found the “Angel’s (sic) Patent Metal Revolving Flies” and the “Perforated Metal Minnows” listed in the 1898 J. F. Schmelzer & Sons catalog. The Schmelzer Company, of Kansas City, Missouri was a large wholesaler that jobbed many sporting products, and competed with the well known Keen Kutter brands of the E. C. Simmons Company.

            I’m not sure if there are collector’s with these baits in their “unknown” display. I doubt that the Angell baits would hold up very well for over 100 years, but there must be some still around. They look like they are manufactured of cloth, combined with metal heads, or in the case of the fly, a metal body, cloth winds, combined with hair and feathers. The “perforated Metal Minnow” looks a bit more substantial and might have held up to the present time. Maybe somewhere in your collection you have a weird looking unknown lure that is no longer an unknown. You can now call it one of “the greatest killers on earth’ and you have a chance to “try it before you die”.

Post Script: After this article was published in the NFLCC Gazette in 1996, I received more responses than from any other article I had written for the Gazette. A few of the more interesting are: 

Dean Foley of Cincinnati called to say he had an Angell Skittering Minnow that had been identified by “all the big guns” as “something English”. He was elated to learn that his lure was and 1890s US bait.

Kyle Kuba of Rochester, NY called to say that he had found a previously unidentified lure that he now knows is an Angell bait. It was found in a tackle box with a Fowler reel and a lot of other great stuff. 

Jim Muma sent a copy of a page from the James F. Marsters Fine Fishing Tackle catalog c1897, which showed a complete assortment of Angell lures.

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Fishing Online: 1,000 Best Web Sites

This is the title of a new book compiled by Craig Buddo for Stoeger Publishing Company. This book should be an aid for all readers of Old Fishing Stuff.

Fishing Online is a comprehensive reference guide for 21st century fishermen and collectors. A recent survey showed that one in four fishermen in the U.S. now regularly search for fishing information on the Internet. I believe the ratio is higher for fishing tackle collectors.

Freelance fishing writer Craig Buddo has weeded through tens of thousands of those web sites to select the most useful, up-to-date and entertaining sites for every fishing and collecting interest. This book covers just about everything you could want to know about fresh or salt water fishing.

The section on collecting reviews and gives "Top Ratings" to Antique Lure Collectibles.com and Antique Lures.com; Tom Jacomet's Lure Lore.com; Robbie Pavey's Mr. Lure Box; and Ed Pritchard's Antique & Classic Fishing Reel site. We were also pleased to see a screen shot and nice review of our Top Rated Old Fishing Stuff web site. Other top rated sites of interest to collectors would be Richard Collar's Classic Bamboo Rod site, and the Sport Fishing Museum in British Columbia, Canada. Several other sites are mentioned in the section.

There is a great deal of other interesting information available in Fishing Online: 1,000 Best Web Sites. The book has over 300 screenshots in its 400 pages. It is an 5.5 x 8.5 inch paperback book that lists for $22.95. More information, including ordering online, is available at www.StoegerPublishing.com. 

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The Indian Motorcycle Reel

So you still think those Montague "Indian" reels were made as a motorcycle promotional item, do you? If you had taken a look at this Indian reel, which appeared on eBay in March, even the die-hards might have had some second thoughts.

Ok, here we see a nice 80 yard script marked "Indian" reel in its original maroon box with a blue label. A typical Montague box from the early 1900s. Really though, it's a bit hard to read that label. Maybe it does say something about Indian Motorcycles.

Whoops - Sorry, but there was also a very clear photograph of the box label. This indian reel was boxed for the U.S.A. Company of Chicago, IL.  Now, unless they are the parent company of Indian Motorcycles, I'm afraid that these Indian reels were not produced for them.

Sorry, but I still see no tie in between the Montague "Indian" reel, and the Indian Motorcycle Company, other than in the dreams of some good promotors.

Thanks to Butch Hughes for pointing out this eBay item.

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The Gyratory Reel Or is it Guy-Ra-Tory Reel?

What is a Gyratory Reel? That was the question answered by O. W. Smith, Fishing Editor of Outdoor Life magazine back in October 1916. We are always more interested in comments made by contemporary observers, than in retrospective observations made by modern historians, thus we were curious about Smith’s comments.

O. W. Smith had been writing a year long series about fishing tackle, when in 1916 he produced an article titled “Some Odd Casting Reels and Special Attachments”. His comments are as follows:

“We have already referred to freak reels, a great many of which are stillborn or lived only a short life. After all, the angling fraternity is somewhat conservative; it will not stand for a too-radical innovation. A change must come gradually if it is to be adopted. There may be good points about a freak reel, but because it lis a freak it will stand little show of even a fair tryout. I do not care for a reel too different. Naturally, in showing these reels in my collection I will refrain from commenting upon their merits to any great extent, and from criticism entirely, leaving the reader to determine in his own mind as to their respective value.

“The gyratory reel was brought to my home by the traveling representative of a certain hardware house, a “special” he was then pushing. We tried it out on the street to the great amusement of a crowd which soon gathered, and they were not all fishermen either. The illustration gives a good idea of the reel, its rather odd name referring to the eccentric action of the spool, wobbling from left to right like the lodge goat with each revolution, laying the line from end to end of the spool. The lever, shown in the illustration, frees the spool from the crankshaft, so it is a free spool. It will be noticed that it is built in the handle of the rod – is a part of the rod. The crank is of a peculiar shape. All in all, I consider it one of the strangest creations ever produced for winding a line or casting. It certainly would handle a line in a manner to surprise the doubting thomases who saw it perform, but a man would need to be possessed of more than a little courage to take the arrangement out in company on a bass lake.”

The Gyratory Reel was obviously new to Smith in 1916, however, according to Steve Vernon’s book, Antique Fishing Reels, the “Gyratory reel was patented on 1/7/1908 by Henry F. Crandall of Milwaukee.”[1] Steve goes on to state that “On 6/30/1908, Crandall patented a modified version of the reel built into a rod.”[2] This built in version is the one described and pictured by Smith in his article, and is shown above

We are unsure of when the reel and rod/reel combination were first produced, but it must have been around 1907-1908. The advertisement shown to the right is from the June 1917 Outers Book magazine shows that the reel was being produced in 1917 and says it is a “NEW REEL”.

Note that the reel was spelled “GUY-RA-TORY”, not Gyratory as used by Crandall and Smith in his 1916 article. There is no mention of a rod mounted reel in this advertisement.

This reel is quite scarce today, and we can only remember one example appearing on eBay in the past 4-5 years. I have not seen an example of the rod/reel combination in any collection, although I’m sure they exist. 

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The Herb's Dilly, 70 years old and going strong

The lure snaked over a branch and was suddenly engulfed in spray. The largemouth bass jumped a few times and after a nice struggle was lipped and released. The Dilly had done it again...

I have lived on the same lake since 1958, and have caught thousands of bass here. However, it wasn't until about 1990 that I decided that it was easier and far more productive to walk 100 yards from my front door and wade the jungle of brush that lined the shoreline in the spring, than it was to put a boat in and fish the edges. I was fishing in minutes instead of hauling my boat to the ramp, running down the lake, charging batteries, etc. Granted, I'm not as mobile, but I can drive a mile or two down the road and wade a new spot if I need a change in scenery. 

I really don't like flipping and long rods are almost impossible to handle in the jungle I fish (the 2nd photo shows an area that will be in 2-3 feet of water in the spring), so I evolved my own system of pitching productive lures and unweighted plastic baits. Most casts are no longer than 20 feet and many are less than 10 as I wade in 1-3 feet of water. I soon settled on two favorite lures. The Hawaiian Wiggler #2 and the Herb's Dilly. Both lures feature upright single hooks and inline spinners. I found these lures to be brushless and reliable - much more so than today's spinner baits and buzz baits.  

For several years my only problem was finding enough of these lures to make certain I had spares. I only carry a few baits while fishing but it is nice to know you have extras at home. I solved this hoarding problem by buying my lures at tackle shows. I wanted fishing lures so they were usually cheap if the paint was chipped or missing, and the skirt or bucktail was gone. Hawaiian Wigglers were common everywhere and I was able to purchase several Dilly's at Texas tackle shows. It was still a bit difficult to find enough Dilly's to keep me satisfied until eBay came along. I soon noted that most of the Dilly's to come up on eBay were being purchased by fishermen, not collectors. As I gathered fishing lures I also picked up new on card and new in box versions of the Dilly for little more than the price of loose lures. The next thing I knew I was a Herb's Dilly collector. To me being a collector means acquiring historical information about what I am collecting. I soon found details about the early production were scarce, but persistence pays off, and I have gathered a few interesting facts.

The Herb's Dilly was the brainstorm of J.M. Herbert, a manufacturing jeweler from Shreveport, Louisiana. The legend is that he made his original baits from silver teaspoons. This is probably true, since Louisiana tackle collectors Ken Webb and Adrien Delbasty have some, but all the production baits that I have seen are stamped from brass and were nickel plated, or in some cases left unplated. The earliest advertisement for the Dilly that I have found was a one inch display ad in the August 1939 Field & Stream magazine. The ad is shown to the right. The Dilly was a major hit in the Louisiana-Texas swampy lakes and was undoubtedly one of the first commercial lures to be designed to buzz the surface. The Herb's Dilly was soon the "Secret Weapon" of many successful early tournament fishermen.

The date is unknown to me, but Herbert sold his lure to the Glen Evans Co. of Caldwell, Idaho. In the 1940s Evans was expanding into the bass lure field after years as a leader in trout flies and accessories. Evans started manufacturing a series of short-lived wooden bass plugs, and the Herb's Dilly. In 1982, after the death of Glen Evans, the Idaho firm was sold to the Luhr Jensen Co. of Hood River, Oregon. Along with the South Bend Bass Oreno and Nip-I-Diddie, Luhr Jensen acquired the rights to the Herb's Dilly from Evans. During the explosion of bass tournaments and interest in buzz baits the Dilly was reborn with a buzz bait spinner blade. The lure is still available today from Luhr Jensen, in fancy new colors and dressings.

At the Dallas Lures show in 2001 I was able to purchase a group of Dilly's that came in the door during their auction. There were several that had a different look to them and I put them aside rather than adding them to my fishing stash. I later realized that these baits were early prototypes or experimental versions of the Dilly. These baits had unusual blades or different bodies than the usual production Dilly.

After taking the time to examine these Dilly's, and also purchasing an original Shreveport Dilly that new on its card, I discovered that there are subtle differences between the original lure and the Evans and Jensen baits. Basically, the Shreveport bait has a thin, lead filled spoon body, with soldered heavy wire spinner shaft. It had a bucktail dressed single hook and solid bearing beads. The early Evans versions of the Dilly have a slightly thicker, lead weighted, spoon body, lighter spinner blade, and a twisted line tie spinner shaft, with bucktail hook. Somewhere along the way Evans created a 1/4 ounce version of the Dilly using the same blade, but a smaller, lighter body. This version has no additional weight. In the 1970s Evans began to offer rubber skirts in addition to the bucktail dressing. The hooks on both the Herbert Dilly and the Evans Dilly were attached with a round headed machine screw threaded into the weighted body. This allowed for easy replacement of the hook or dressing.

The Luhr Jensen version of the Dilly can be ordered with the original blade (if you want to order lots of them), but the standard version comes with a buzz bait blade, a very thick, unleaded body, rubber skirt, and a hook that is riveted to the body. Details of the evolution of the Dilly are shown in the photos below. (Click on the thumbnail to see a full size photo).

All these versions of the Dilly seem to catch bass. I have even done well with those with modern buzz bait blades. However, I find I like the sound of the old style, eccentric shaped blade. At times I find that I like to swim the bait about an inch under water and the old blade definitely works best under these circumstances. One final item if you plan to fish the Dilly - use a trailer hook, it will pay off.

If anyone has any further information about the Herb's Dilly please contact me. If you have any fishing Dilly's, or any Dilly's still new in their packaging to sell this old geezer,  I'd like to hear from you. Phil White, Editor OFS

Thanks to Ed Moore, Ken Webb, Adrien Delbasty and Arne Soland for their contributions to this article.

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Unbelievable!

I was browsing through the messages on Joe Yates message board a couple of days before Christmas when I noted a post by Mike Rolf concerning a Shakespeare collectible. I pulled up the message to find a photo (click on all thumbnails to see full size picture) of a nice Kalamazoo Fishing Tackle Company cover (stamped envelope). It was colorful, but not really typical of the graphics of a company that old. I checked the postmark to learn the date, and noted December 20, 1905. Then my eyes strayed to the address - "Chas. Rattiff, Princiton, Ky."

Whoa! Wait a minute...

I jumped from my chair and went to the hallway where I have some neat paper items framed and hanging on the wall. In a small shadowbox I have a Rhodes Swimming Frog suspended alongside a wonderful invoice from the Kalamazoo Fishing Tackle Company. Sure enough - my invoice was also addressed to "Charles Rattiff" in Princiton, Ky. I had long ago looked in my atlas for the town of Princiton and found it was undoubtedly a misspelling of the town of Princeton.

I checked the date on my invoice - Dec 19, 1905. It was dated one day earlier than Mike's envelope. Undoubtedly my invoice was mailed in Mike's envelope.

My Rhodes invoice has been hanging on my wall for 15-20 years. I purchased the invoice from a paper dealer in Louisiana who ran an ad in the Antique Trader back all those years ago. It was the only fishing item among the many invoices he was selling all with the Charles Rattiff name and address. I assumed that someone had discovered a filing cabinet full of paper and it was slowly spreading out to collectors in the various fields that were of interest. I believe I paid $10 for that invoice. The envelope was of much greater value and interest to stamp and cover collectors and had undoubtedly been sold (for the first time) long before I purchased the invoice.

I hung my frog in the shadow box alongside the invoice with some thoughts that someday I might stumble upon some Rhodes minnows to join the duet in a larger display. However, I was not that lucky, and genuine 1905 Rhodes (not Shakespeare) minnows were out of the price range of a cheap scrounger like me.

Charles Rattiff purchased a Rhodes Swimming Frog for 67¢, and 1 ea Wooden Minnow #75 Green @ 38¢, Wooden Minnow #75 Red @ 37¢, and a Wooden Minnow #100 for 42¢. Dozen prices were also listed; which were $8 per dozen for the frogs, and $4.50 and $5.00 for the minnows.

It's still unbelievable that I would happen to look at Joe's Message Board (which I do only sporadically) the day that Mike Rolf posted his envelope. Thanks to Mike for permission to post the photo of his envelope in this article..

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The George Lawrence Creel Tradition Lives On

By Bill Lawrence

Following is a little background for the fishing creels marked, "Geo. Lawrence's Great Grandson". My Irish great grandfather Geo. came from the old country in 1873 to go to work in the saddle and harness shop in Portland, Oregon established by his brother-in-law Sam Sherlock there in 1857. The Sherlock Co. became the Lawrence Co. several years later. The first reference to the Lawrence leathered fishing creel was in their catalog #8 dated 1921. They were made using Japanese split willow, and finally Chinese whole willow baskets until, or slightly after, when WWII interrupted the supply of baskets.

I joined the GLCo. its centennial year, 1957; long after the days of their creels. I ran their leather goods shop for 30 years when we made mostly leather shooting accessories - holsters, cartridge belts, scabbards, etc. The Lawrence family sold the business in 1985. I retired from the successor business in 1990, and became disabled with a spinal cord disease. I saved from the old business a representative number of artifacts, machinery, tooling, patterns, etc. which I set up in my huge garage to "play" with in my retirement.

Several years ago I was approached by Dan McLain and Hugh Chatham. They had
bought a large collection of creels, decided to produce a book about them, and asked if I was interested in helping them with the chapter dealing with Lawrence creels. I proceeded to join them in that marvelous book, " The Art of the Creel". Until then I really hadn't been aware that Lawrence creels were such a sought-after collector's item.

When I realized this, and the fact that I had all the original equipment, tooling, etc. needed to leather creels, I decided to give it a try. The rest, as they say, "is history", well almost history. I have made over 40 creels; mostly to special order from collectors, and by word of mouth. More recently I have put several up for auction on Ebay. I'm fortunate enough in my retirement that I have been able to donate all the creel income except material costs to fish habitat improvement projects in Oregon, and have donated over $30, 000.00 so far. I make a few creels during the winter, and play outside and/or travel in the summer.

I have found that, although I can duplicate the original Lawrence creel styles and designs, that collectors seem to appreciate variations on a theme, and that the more imaginative I am with designs, the more they seem to be appreciated. As well made as the old time Lawrence creels were, I've improved on some of the details with creased and dyed edges, and even better quality leather. For each creel I even supply a fancy, padded, leather lined shoulder strap with matching design.

For information on how you also might help the fish by owning one of my creels, please feel free to contact me, Bill Lawrence, at bill3rd@teleport.com . I would be glad to discuss your ideas and/or offer my suggestions for a traditional style or unique leathered fishing creel.
 

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THE Haskell Minnow (Updated 11/9/03) 

The Salt Water Haskell Minnow mentioned in the article below proved it deserved the publicity that it carried. On November 8th, this highly acclaimed lure was the first fishing tackle item to reach six figures in a public sale. The final bid price was $92,000, and with the 10% buyers premium the bill totaled $101,200.

After the auction John and Debbie Ganung, owners of Lang's, stated "It's the only known example of this size and because of the pre patent marks, we seriously feel there will never be another found, especially with a marked box. Was this a fair price - absolutely!! Not only is this Haskell Minnow an important American first in several ways and 150 years old, but in the world of sporting collectibles of this rarity, quality and caliber, this seems actually cheap! Compare it to the price of a comparable Duck Decoy or Shore Bird. Lures of this ilk have no where to go but up in value. Everyone at Lang's would like to congratulate the new owner of the 'Most Important Lure to ever be sold'!!"

The new owner of the bait publicly revealed his identity by posting the following on a public message board for tackle collectors:

"Mr.John & Mrs. Debbie and all of those at Lang's,
The Shirey family would like to take this time to thank you all for a great weekend and the once in a lifetime chance of owning what we feel to be the most important American angling artifact known to exist at the present time! This was our first experience attending a Lang's auction. We were very impressed with the level of professionalism Lang's was operated on. We are proud to be the new owner's of the Giant and the Baby Haskell! We feel this would not have been possible if not for the efforts of John and Debbie Ganung. I recommend to anyone that is considering selling high end tackle to contact John and Debbie Ganung, the owners of Lang's. Thanks again for the opportunity of a lifetime and a memorable weekend...However, the 2000 miles was kind of tough but definitely worth it!
Tracey, Connie, Carley and Blake"

If the past is a good indicator, this lure should be on display for collectors at tackle shows in the future, rather than disappearing from view. The Shirey family is well known for their public participation with wonderful displays of their collection.

For a photo of the bait, just scroll down to the previous segment of this story. A full report of the Lang's auction will be found shortly in this on-line magazine.

When a young man walked into the NFLCC National Show in Louisville, KY in July, he created quite a stir. He was carrying with him the only salt water size Haskell Minnow that has been discovered to date. Before he left the show he had been offered a Dodge Viper, cash, and maybe even a wife and kids in trade for his prize. However, all offers were turned down that day.

In November everyone will have an equal opportunity to add this lure to their collection - if you've got $$$$$ to spare. As you can see from the photo (click for full size photo), this lure is also in a wooden box. The salt water Haskell Minnow will be the highlight of Lang's Auction to be held November 8th at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, Massachusetts.

According to Debbie Ganung of Lang's the Haskell may bring "the highest price paid for any single piece of fishing tackle ever sold at public auction. And being that the patent date is 1859 for a Haskell, it truly is the start of American lures and historically significant. We believe this to be the only example of this size to exist. As far as John (Ganung) knows, there's only 3 Musky Haskell's (7 1/2") and about a dozen of the 4 1/2" size. This is 10". The box has an incised "R. Haskell" on the end with a slide lid top. Haskell was a gun maker, so it's not clear as to whether or not the box was specifically made for the bait or it was just a gun parts box that the bait fit into, but it's still wonderful that it came with it."

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Contemporary or Counterfeit

By Rich Dickman, W. Harrison, Indiana

There have been many articles written on how to determine if a lure is counterfeit, repainted or altered in any way.  There are black lights to check for touch ups as well as sudsy ammonia to remove touched up or repainted lures.

We have also been alerted to the many different counterfeit boxes that seem to be popping up all over.  These are a bit harder to determine their authenticity but I believe that educated, or perhaps more experienced, collectors don't jump into purchases at flea markets and antique shows as those with less experience.  They have come to the realization that the old saying "if it looks too good to be true then it probably is" are good words to live by.

Rather than write a redundant article on counterfeit lures, I want to talk about another category that is not counterfeit as they don't imitate an original lure in any way.  In fact, none of these lures were ever made.  These are designed to look old with colorful cards that they are attached to that have the look of faded old cards.  Some of the name on these lures would be Lucky Lures, a souvenir of various lakes or sporting goods stores such as RECO's in Springfield, Ohio.  Other names are Winchester, Bomber, as well as many with the Coca-Cola logo on them and lures that look like small old time Coke Bottles.  The earliest ones I found were of Blacks, both male and bare-breasted females.  There are also turtles and frogs that come both on cards and occasionally in wood boxes.

I have also seen some that were supposed to be premiums from gas stations.  If you notice the one similarity all have is that they are all desirable (if authentic) to more than one group of collectors which makes a larger market for these unscrupulous dealers.

The first ones I heard of were bought by a couple of NFLCC members for about $500 each.  Experienced collectors, but these can be hard to resist.  If you attend a lot of meets then you need to ask yourself if you have ever seen a lure like the one you are tempted to buy at a flea market.  If you have never seen so much as a beater then finding one mint on the card might just be too good to be true.

I also have some that come in wood dovetail boxes which were obviously not correct but I bought them just to show them as examples.  These have the printed words "Made in Occupied Japan" on the lure and box That look as though it was printed then cut and pasted to the lure and box and covered with varnish.

Where did these come from?  Well, I understand that when they first came out they were being sold in Mexico for about $3.00 each.  Not bad considering they sold from $15 - $500 at many flea markets and antique shows!  These came out a few years ago and now there are newer models I want to share with you.  As many of you know, advertising lures are quite popular.  Well there are now an almost limitless list of beer, liquor and Coke lures that, although they are not represented as old, they are not lures sanctioned by the companies they imitate.  These are small, well done, with beautiful detailed labels and again come from Mexico.  The ones I bought came from an Ebay seller from south Texas.  When I contacted him, he agreed to sell me as many as I wanted for about $6.00 each.

The newest and those currently being sold by an Ebay seller from Louisville, Kentucky are mostly lures advertising liquors or beer with many on cards with nice graphics.  The seller is very careful how she describes them but does on occasion use the word "old".  At first the ones offered looked to be new lures and were said to be "samples" or "proto types".  Since the first group this seller has been putting well-done reproduction logos on the bodies of old lures.  It becomes quite obvious when you receive on of these "old novelty advertising lures" in the mail and you can easily see chipped paint under the decal logo. This is an outright attempt to deceive the buyer.

If you are tempted to buy or bid on a suspect lure, ask questions first.  These sellers are not going to risk losing their market over one lost sale and will usually tell you enough for you to come to the conclusion that it is not correct.

I have a number of contemporary lures that I believe are works of art.  I bought them knowing full well what they were and, most of the time, the name of the carver  The lures I have discussed in this article are meant to deceive collectors.  They are charging a high price for a cheap, made to look old, often made of paper mache, contemporary lure.

Knowledge is your most powerful weapon against being taken and hopefully I have given a little of that to at least a few collectors.

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FTC Terrorism

by Therese Seidel, Berwyn Hts, Maryland

You’ve probably heard the recent arguments in the media that buying drugs is equivalent to abetting terrorists.  Follow the money, they say.  Well, I hope the die-hard collectors out there won’t mind if I borrow that line of thinking when it comes to the fishing tackle world.  Those that buy the fakes and fantasies currently on the market, to my way of thinking, are only helping to terrorize an otherwise irreproachable group of individuals.

My husband and I only began lure collecting a couple of years ago.  We discovered its delights by accident at a fly-fishing show, and, pardon the too-obvious analogy, took to it like fish to water.  We were both avid antique collectors and avid anglers.  This was quickly added to our off-season activities of fly-tying, watching Flip and Jose on cable, and mournfully paging through old copies of Saltwater Fisherman.

We’ve read every book we could find, bought dozens of lures, spent hundreds of hours on eBay, and made more than one mistake.  We are obviously not experts, but aspire one day to correctly identify and grade most any pre-1950 lure from across a crowded street in the middle of town.  The excitement and real joy we’ve experienced in this short time is nothing short of amazing, and a large part of that has been the fun of meeting and making new friends in the business.

Well, there’s just one thing really that clouds our little picture.  Now that we’re pretty good at seeing things for what they are, we’re seeing a little more than we bargained for.  I realize that most of our experience is limited to on-line auctions, and I’m sure you folks have a lot of your own gruesome war stories to tell.  But let me share our point-of-view.  It’s one thing (actually a little entertaining and sometimes lucrative) to see the folks that misidentify lures by accident.  Then you’ve got the generic dealers that don’t really know tackle very well, and grossly exaggerate an item’s condition or value.  I excuse that as part of their job – and caveat emptor. 

But now we’re starting to see that there are blokes out there that know plenty and are purposely taking advantage of those that know little.  I know you’re probably saying, “duh”, but frankly, I feel a little invaded.  And not just for us, either.  I feel like this is a vulnerable business, this tackle collecting.  I also collect books, and a similar thing happened there when prices began to rise.  The hobby attracted new honest people, but it also grabbed the attention of the dishonest opportunists.  Well, that’s the fastest way to chase away the new collectors.  Burn them.

So, I want to go back to my original thought.  The best way for all of us to combat this is don’t buy them!  Of course, none of us do intentionally, right?  But I think we also fall prey to our own good natures.  Not too long ago, I bought a repaint that was not listed as such.  Of course, we were disappointed, but rather than pressing for a return and leaving negative feedback, we made a polite admonition to the seller.  We later found out that this guy knew darn well what he was doing, and was conducting far more scurrilous business than that.  Our lack of action may have helped him stick around long enough to scam several more people.

I’m sure there are other great ideas of how to weed these people out, and I know that those that have been around for a while have dealt with this for years.  But please don’t overlook the obvious.  I’ve seen baits that even I know just ain’t right, and fellows that I’ve dealt with honestly are bidding on them.  Is it wishful thinking? Or naiveté?  I’d like to hope it’s that, rather than anyone believing they can just pass it off again to the next guy if it turns out bad.  Realize too that bidding even a small amount on an item gives other potential bidders a sense of security.  And that when just one guy gets burned, it hurts us all.

And always keep in mind, winning the fight against any kind of terrorism has to start at home. 

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Turtle Creels

While doing some research last night I came across the following advertisement:

This ad was in Field and Stream magazine, July 1948, on page 108.

I had always understood that turtle creels were made in Colorado. I guess it doesn't matter that these creels have sold for thousands of dollars, for the buyers must have purchased them because they liked their appearance. They are an attractive shape, and do have interesting leather trim. I wonder if Ilhan New has a bunch of them stored out in a shed in his back yard in Mountain View, Calif?

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A Trip to the Birthplace of Heddon 

By Robbie Pavey 

It is twilight on a Thursday evening, and Junior Oliver is fishing with his grandson at the old Mill Pond east of town.

"I've fished out here almost every day since I was 6 years old,'' the white-haired foundry worker said. "There's a lot of history here -- fishing history.'' 

Oliver's town -- Dowagiac -- is named after an Indian word meaning "many fishes.'' And Dowagiac itself is a town where fishing has lived for a century in the form of a tackle empire created by James Heddon. It is a town sacred to lure collectors everywhere. 

Anyone who ever wet a line can remember the Lucky 13, the Zara Spook and the River Runt -- just a few of the many names made famous by a company that owes its origins to a chance encounter long ago. 

Legend has it that Heddon -- a Dowagiac beekeeper and newspaper publisher -- tossed a whittled piece of wood into the mill pond one afternoon in the 1890s while waiting for a fishing partner. A bass struck the "plug'' of floating wood and an idea was born. Heddon's early "Dowagiac Expert'' topwater lures appeared on the market around 1902 and the business ascended into an American legend. 

Although Heddon died suddenly in 1911, his sons -- Charles and Will -- guided the company into fame as James Heddon's Sons Fishing Tackle gained a reputation as the world's largest maker of quality lures and tackle. Today, millions of Heddon lures remain in use worldwide -- and the earliest ones are major collectors' items, with values sometimes stretching into five figures.

The family's involvement in the Heddon empire ended in 1955, and subsequent owners moved the company away from Dowagiac in 1984 -- leaving the historic, ivy-covered factory buildings to languish in neglect. 

Today, however, the Heddon name is being kept alive by a new generation of civic-minded Dowagiacians. Don and Joan Lyons bought the aging factory in 1991 and opened the National Heddon Museum in 1996 after acquiring remnants of the company's archives from a former manager. 

"It's pretty much a labor of love,'' Mrs. Lyons said. ``We both grew up fishing. Don, as a child, used to mow yards around town, and one of the people he worked for was a Heddon sales rep -- who paid him in lures.'' 

Don, now mayor of Dowagiac, couldn't stand to see the memories lost. The museum has grown to encompass 3,000 square feet of angling history -- including an example of nearly every Heddon lure. 

"There are 403 catalogued lures we've been able to come up with that Heddon made,'' Mrs. Lyons said. The museum collection now has an example of all but seven. "And we're still looking for those.'' 

Fishing buffs and historians make frequent visits to the museum, either to gaze at experimental lures or wander into the basement, where Heddon's famous "lure test tank'' still occupies the length of the north wall. The exhibits trace the evolution of fishing in America from its plug-casting roots on into modern times. 

"The main objective is to preserve the history,'' said Lyons, who also collects Packards and Indy race cars. "Besides being a museum, we're a research library, too, where people can find information.'' 

Visitors can learn about Heddon's early experiments in plastic, about the company's involvement in World War II war production and about Heddon's impact on recreation and American culture. 

The town is proud if its museum, which has drawn visitors from as far away as Japan and Canada. Locals like Junior Oliver miss the days when the lure factory was a dominant employer, but revel in the pleasure it created and the rich history it left behind. 

"There were a lot of hard feelings when the plant closed,'' he said.

 "But we're proud of what this town did over all those years.'' 

After the closure of the factory in Dowagiac, the company changed hands several times. Today, Heddon is owned by PRADCO of Fort Smith, Ark. 

The museum's hours are 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. the last Sunday of each month; and by appointment by calling (616) 782-5698.

Dowagiac Memories - Photos 

(Click on all images to see full size photo)

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Anyone Want to Remodel?

While compiling the index of NFLCC Gazette articles for this Old Fishing Stuff web site, I came across an article by Tom Krizan of Urbana, IL in the June 1992 Gazette. The article was titled Lures out of the Woodwork, and in it Tom related the finding of some lures in the walls of a downtown Chicago building. This article was deja vu all over again.

            In 1990 I was displaying some sporting collectibles at the Missoula Gun Show in Missoula, Montana, when a customer came by and told a tale about finding some old fishing tackle in the walls of an old house he was remodeling. He related ripping out the old plasterboard and finding a tiny brass reel and a strange lure resting on a board between two studs. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but he rescued the old tackle items hoping to run into a collector one day. On this day, he found one.

            I questioned him about the lure and learned that it was in new condition, and was strange because it had a spinner in the center of the body. Lights flashed on my antennae, and tried to act cool.

I inquired further to learn if the lure was the plastic Spinno-Minnow, or the antique Chippewa. He swore the lure was wooden with glass eyes. I assured him that the lure was worth at least $50 if he would bring it down for me to take a look at. He was surprised at that figure but walked on down the aisle to look at some stuff on other tables. As he disappeared in the crowd, I lamented losing another one of those hot deals.

            Thirty minutes later the remodeler was back. He had found a knife that he was interested in, and wondered if I was serious about the lure being worth at least $50. I assured him it would be worth that much - if in the condition he had described, and he zoomed out the door with a, “I’ll be right back”.

             A short time later, the handyman reappeared, with a small paper bag in hand. In it I found a wonderful brass single action reel and very nice Chippewa bait. The reel was probably of British origin and was in excellent condition with an old silk line on it. The Chippewa was the 4” size, and in rainbow color. It was also in excellent condition, and probably unfished.

I pulled out my wallet and paid the man far more than the $50.00. He was very happy and disappeared into the crowd to purchase his knife.

It is a mystery to me as to why a reel and a lure would be sealed up behind an interior wall. However, as Tom Krizan proved, it apparently isn’t an isolated incident. Maybe we have many “time capsules” of this type waiting to be found after 75-80 years of storage. Everyone, get out those wrecking bars!

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I wonder what bait he was using?

The following exchange came from Recreation magazine, November 1902. I have not seen reference to it in any other writings about Heddon, but perhaps Heddon collectors are well aware of these early exploits of James or his son Charles Heddon. According to Heddon histories, I don't believe Charles had any connection with the James Heddon and Son company at that time.

"A MICHIGAN RAZORBACK."

"The following clipping was recently sent to me by a subscriber:

"Niles, Mich.- Considerable excitement has been stirred up among the fishermen of Cass county by a recent catch of large mouth black bass made in LaGrange pond, 5 miles East of Dowagiac, by James Heddon. Mr. Heddon captured 73 bass in a few hours. One of the string weighed 6 pounds, while many of them weighed 3 and 4 pounds. The total weight of the catch was 114 pounds.

This wholesale slaughtering of the bass has started an agitation which may result in presenting a petition to the Legislature at the next session asking for the passage of a law that will prohibit the use of more than one hook on a bait when angling for bass. - Detroit Free Press"

"I wrote Mr. Heddon, asking if the report was correct and he replied:

"I did catch 73 of the black beauties within a few hours. Thinking perhaps you would like to use a photograph I am sending you one to-day.

Chas. Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich."

"No, I do not care to use the photograph. If you had followed the usual method of fish hogs and had stood beside the string, I should then have been glad to print the picture, in order that decent men might recognize you when they saw you and shun you. The fish are not to be blamed for being photographed, and being dead and hung up they are simply like any other 73 dead bass. It is safe to assume that these fish would average 2 pounds each or more; so it appears you destroyed about 150 pounds of black bass, whereas no gentleman would care to kill more than 25 pounds in a day at the most. I trust the time may soon come when the Legislature of your State will curb the vicious appetites of such men as you by enacting a law limiting the number of fish any many or beast may take in a day. - Editor." (G. O. Shields)

It is interesting to note that the article stated that the fish were caught by James Heddon, but the answering letter was signed by Charles Heddon, James' son. Assuming that the fishing took place during the summer of 1902 I guess that old Jim could have been fishing with either his Dowagiac Underwater or Surface Expert lure.

Phil White

Addendum: Immediately after posting the above article, lure historian-collector-dealer Joe Stagnitti sent me the following information:

Hi Phil,

Here is a bit more info on the "fish hog" article.

The photo and story about the catch was used in Heddon's first catalogues......from 1902 through 1903 (three catalogues). It was not in the 1905 catalogue, and since I've never seen a 1904 catalogue, I couldn't say whether or not it was used in it. In the photo, hanging along with the strings of fish, are quite a few Dowagiac surface baits, (slopenose) so it is safe to say that that is the bait used. Here is the exact wording used in the catalogues: 

'A Tale From Off The Reel'

"The picture on the preceding page is from a photograph of a "catch" made by James Heddon and an employe(e) of the "Dowagiac" bait factory. On the evening of May 21st, they returned from Whitmanville pond (located 5 miles from Dowagiac,) with a string of 73 bass, two blue pointers, one perch and one sun fish. The largest of the bass weighed five pounds and seven ounces; six of them weighed over 20 pounds; and the total weight of the catch was 114 1/2 pounds, or an average of about one and two-thirds pounds. "DOWAGIAC" PERFECT SURFACE CASTING BAITS DID THE BUSINESS.

[The makers of this bait do not favor such wholesale slaughtering of our favorite game fish as in the instance recited above, and would have it known that this big catch was secured only for the purpose of demonstrating the sure killing qualities of the "Dowagiac."] 

Just thought you might enjoy hearing a bit more about the early history of that article.

And then came a further update:

The picture and story were used up until the second edition 3 bait Heddon catalogue(1903). This catalogue is a 3 bait catalogue showing the 2 and 4 hook slopes, and the underwater expert with the tail rudder and internalized belly weights, instead of the external weight. This would make it's run from 1902 (the single bait catalogue) through the first version 3 bait catalogue showing the external belly weight underwater.......maybe late 1902, or early 1903.

Keep up the good work,

Joe

Editor's Note: Since some readers seemed to think the bait would be a four hook slopenose, I've posted a photo of one from my case to go along with the loose collar slope posted originally. I realize that the plated hardware would not be from that era, but I get a chance to show off some of my "Slopenose" school. I used to have five different ones all found (one at a time) in Idaho about 20-25 years ago.

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New Thoughts about Winchester "Economy" Baits.

For many years Winchester fishing tackle collectors have speculated about the so-called "Economy" line of baits that have appeared in many Winchester collections. These wooden baits consist of three hook and five hook underwater minnows and two hook surface bait. All have marked Winchester props on the front only. These lures were assembled using the bodies of the standard line of Winchester three-hook and five-hook underwater minnows and the Multi-Wobbler body for the surface bait. All economy line baits have no eyes and simple paint patterns. All the lures I have seen are painted with white bodies and either red head, or red or green back stripe. All baits use marked Winchester props, with numbers stamped on them, but the numbers correspond to three or five hook Winchester minnows. These baits have only simple screw eye hook hangers with no cups.

When I wrote my book, Winchester Fishing Tackle, A Collector’s Guide (1997), I speculated that these baits "were apparently constructed from sub-standard parts". This was the accepted theory at the time. I was always unsure of that simple solution to the question of where did these baits fit into the Winchester picture. They were never been cataloged by Winchester, and selling seconds was not typical of Winchester back in their halcyon days.

I once heard a rumor of one of these lures in a box in Missouri, and worked hard to get to see it or a photo, but I was never able to trace it down. As far as I can discover, no one has one of these baits in a box that might help to clarify the picture.

In the past year I was able to prove a point that I had only speculated on in the past. I always believed that many of the "Winchester" items, especially bamboo rods, reels, and metal baits, which we find in old tackle boxes, were not actually produced by Winchester Repeating Arms Co. And I don’t mean tackle that was subcontracted to other makers. Winchester made all their own reels, rods, and metal baits.

Have you ever seen one of those bamboo Winchester fly rods with "Winchester" written in white ink on the butt? They look rather like Horrocks-Ibbotson rods, don’t they? How many reels do you have that are not listed in any Winchester catalog? I’ve got a list of 22 reels with numbers that do not appear in any catalogs. Are these really Winchester products? I guess that depends upon your definition.

At the 2000 NFLCC National I discovered some Horrocks-Ibbotson catalogs that tell us where these items came from. Winchester collector Tim Melcher of Grove, Oklahoma now owns these catalogs. The 1933 H-I catalog lists the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (Reel and Bait Division) as one of eight companies that H-I had "succeeded". In a 1938 H-I catalog they also state that they now own the "Winchester Steel and Bamboo Rod Division". Obviously somewhere between 1933 and 1938 H-I also purchased the Rod Division of Winchester. My guess is closer to 1933.

I firmly believe that all those reels that are marked Winchester, but have uncatalogued numbers were assembled (or manufactured) by H-I. Also, all those rods with the white lettering on them are H-I products. Metal baits were assembled by H-I for the next 20 years (up until the late 1950s) with blades stamped out by Winchester, and marked with Winchester lightning letters and some even have the Winchester product number on them. Just check any H-I catalog from the mid 1930s up until at least 1959, and you’ll find Winchester metal baits in them.

It then becomes logical to speculate that the so-called "Economy" baits were assembled by H-I from the leftover wooden bodies and any prop that was available. I haven’t been able to find any Horrocks-Ibbotson listing for these wooden baits, but to me this theory makes far more sense than past speculation.

If this theory is correct, then do these rods, reels and lures have any less value than Winchester catalogued items? I guess that is up to the individual collector.

Phil White.

If you have any comments about this article you can email Phil White, Editor.  Photo's by George Stuever and Jim Muma.

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As a veteran of the on-line auctions or some time now, I’ve seen more than my share of listings and have come to some conclusions on how best to list your item. For purposes of discussion, I’m using a fishing lure as an example but this could apply to anything - here goes:

1. Make sure your title line is an accurate description of what you