Some More Old Lures

[bfishn]

Jitterbug?

[fishinwrench]

Can you even buy an original spook anymore (sans rattles, and with that basturd front hook hanger) ?

Torpedo has to be a decent guess too I think.

Rapala minnow?

Jitterbug?

Those all go back a long ways, and they haven't changed much.

[Old plug]

What do y'all think is the oldest bass lure (brand/model) still in production today that is still in its original form.....in other words, no major changes have been made in it's design since it was introduced ?

I will stick my neck out on this only because as far back as i can remember they were around and they still are made the same. Icaugt my first bass on one soooo CREEK CHUB PIKIE. Made by that company i think.

[Al Agnew]

The original Rapala isn't as old as many of those lures. It first started being sold in America in the early to mid 1960s. I can remember back that far, and remember that it was difficult and expensive to obtain, and made a pretty big splash when it first came out. My dad ordered a whole set of them, each size made, in black back/silver sides, from the local drug store/sporting goods store...and then was afraid to use them because they were so expensive. I suspect I ended up sneaking them out and losing a couple of them.

The Jitterbug was in production by at least the 1940s.

[Jerry Rapp]

The original Rapala isn't as old as many of those lures. It first started being sold in America in the early to mid 1960s. I can remember back that far, and remember that it was difficult and expensive to obtain, and made a pretty big splash when it first came out. My dad ordered a whole set of them, each size made, in black back/silver sides, from the local drug store/sporting goods store...and then was afraid to use them because they were so expensive. I suspect I ended up sneaking them out and losing a couple of them.

The Jitterbug was in production by at least the 1940

Dad got his first rapala in 63 or 64 I guess, I remember it, 7 yrs old. We went to Wappapello, rented a jon boat at Chaonia, and went fishing. I remember we were fishing between the two islands (that aren't there anymore), just downstream from where Lost Creek enters the channel. The first fish he ever caught on the rapala was a bluegill that hit it between the islands. We fished on out past the islands down the channel. He cast that rapala by a little weed clump, and a 6 and a 1/2 lb largemouth slammed it. That was his first rapala largemouth.

[Old plug]

Well creek chub went into business in 1910. I just looked it up. Going to. Be hard to beat that. They still make it the same as then.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Rapalas were being sold in the early 50's. They were hard to come by and very expensive, but the were guaranteed to get bit every cast.

A little search doesn't come up with a good answer. James Heddon is credited with the first lures and the first commercial lures. I'm not sure that any of them follow to the letter anything made today however. I also struck out on Arbogast and Paw Paw.

Here's a site that looks interesting and some might want to look over.

http://fishinglurecollectibles.net/index.html

[fishinwrench]

I had a really nice collection that I had put together and fixed them up in a 20" x 25" shadow box. One of my customers is a serious collector and he would always bug me about selling or trading certain baits out of it, but I'd always decline because I figured if HE wanted them then I definitely should keep them Among the ones he wanted so badly was a "Brylcreem spoon" (yeah the hair gel stuff), it was from a promo deal in the 50's.

Then one winter day after I had done a pretty costly repair to one of his boats he sat down to write a check and said he was writing the check out for 1500.00 more than the repair bill and he was taking the shadow box with him, PERIOD!

He knew it was Winter, knew that I probably needed the cash....Checkmate!

Then 2 months later my place got destroyed by a twister and all those baits would have been blown all over creation and gone forever. Kinda cool how that worked out.

I started another collection since but really haven't aquired anything very special. Instead of going for truly old stuff I've gone more to collecting conversation pieces like the Joe Camel stuff, B.A.S.S. limited edition crap, and early Bagley/ Smithwick/ Daredevil baits.

Here's one that I haven't been able to identify if anyone wants to take a shot at figuring out what it is and who made it I'd sure like to know. It is a weighted wooden spoon with no ID marking anywhere on it. I suspect it might be an early Moss Boss but all the MB's I'm aware of were plastic from the beginning.

[fishinwrench]

Forgot to add that there was a rotted black 'leather' (?) Skirt on it when I found it. The skirt was attached by wire to the rear hook hanger.

[Flysmallie]

These are some that belong to a friend of mine. I love all these old lures.