| Old fishing lures have timeless appeal. They take | | | | woods, including red and white cedar, basswood |
| one back to a simpler time, where small craft | | | | and balsa, although most any hardwood could be |
| product production was the norm. Innovation, | | | | used. |
| variety and nostalgia make this hobby rewarding. | | | | Hook technology was not as advanced as today, |
| If you are a fisherman who has come across and | | | | and you'll most likely find rust on the hooks of |
| old tackle box full of lures, you know the magic | | | | older lures, unless they were kept dry. |
| that comes from collecting old vintage fishing lures | | | | Paint And Finish |
| and tackle. Although the old lures may be dusty, | | | | Most vintage lures were painted with a |
| even a little rusted, they are artifacts of a simpler | | | | combination of colored lacquer, followed by a coat |
| time in America. | | | | of clear. One of the most enjoyable aspects of |
| Innovation Of The Small-Scale Entrepreneur | | | | collecting the older lures is the variety and |
| During the golden age of fishing tackle, the late | | | | ingenuity of the paint patters. |
| 20th century, small lure manufacturers dominated | | | | Old plugs might have intricate airbrushed scale and |
| the industry. The few national brands that did | | | | color patterns, applied by expert craftsmen. While |
| exist were not really mass-marketed in the sense | | | | still attractive, this old finish probably would not |
| that we know today. Most lures were regional | | | | survive being used regularly, so it's better not the |
| contraptions, made in some hardy soul's garage or | | | | use these lures, but keep them for enjoyment |
| basement. | | | | off the water. |
| Without having to please mass-market discount | | | | Revolution In Tackle Industry |
| stores, the small lure maker could truly innovate. | | | | In the 1970's we saw the explosion of fishing |
| Strange and quirky designs made their way onto | | | | from a cottage industry to a full-blown mass |
| shelves of hardware stores and tackle shops. | | | | market. Bass tournaments, large catalog houses |
| Heavy Lures Were The Norm | | | | and mass market retailers have made lure |
| Most antique lures are large - huge, in fact by | | | | manufacturing strictly a made-overseas |
| today's standards. They were designed to be cast | | | | proposition. |
| with the crude level-wind reels and stiff rods of | | | | With the advent of the Internet, some small |
| the time, and were generally heavy, and ran in | | | | batch lure companies can get enough of a market |
| shallow water, or were fished topwater. | | | | to survive. |
| It was not until the advent of modern lines and | | | | Modern Lures Aren't As Much Fun |
| backlash-free reels that the smaller lures we | | | | Although modern lures have better paint, sharper |
| know today began to dominate. | | | | hooks and run truer in the water, they lack to |
| Lures To Look Out For | | | | romance of their older counterparts. |
| When going through the old tackle box, look for | | | | No mass-produced product can equal the |
| wooden plugs with these names stenciled on | | | | mystique and nostalgia of the small-batch, custom |
| them: Heddon, Arbogast, South Bend and Creek | | | | made lures of the mid-to-late 20th Century. |
| Chub. | | | | These lures will always be popular with collectors, |
| Although you'll find lures by these companies | | | | and are steadily increasing in value as the years |
| produced now, look for older, larger wood models. | | | | go by. |
| Lures with the original box and paperwork are | | | | I hope this article helps everyone understand the |
| considered more valuable to collectors. | | | | magic of antique lure collecting, a hobby that has |
| Lure Materials | | | | fascinated anglers for many years. |
| Old fishing plugs are made from a variety of | | | | |