Old Time Fishing Lures

[bowfin]

I see Fred Arbogast is no longer making the Sputterbuzz. They cleared the last of them out for $1.99 apiece a couple of weeks ago.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g184/artsmom/Aircraft/basslurespinnerbuzzbait.jpg

Then again, Fred Arbogast is no longer an independent fishing lure company, but a product line of Lurenet, and I don't know why this bothers me, but it does.

I liked the little bait and tackle companies, with their flagship lures and a half dozen quirky (or quirkier) designs that fluorished after World War II and up through the 1960s.

Back when Kautzky in Iowa made the Lazy Ike (and the Mighty Ike, and Chug Ike, and Flex Ike and the Sail Ike, also known as the Shark Ike or even the Demon, depending on which box it was shipped), and Heddon had dozens of designs, including my favorite, the Heddon Cousin in a purple clown type paint job.

Don't get me wrong about the state of the art with today's fishing lures, as they have far more going on with technology now than those small lure companies could hope to attain. I guess those lures of yesterday had more imagination than innovation. I have never met anyone who caught a fish on a Sputterbuzz or a Heddon Cousin. The Jitterbug did catch fish, and so did the Lazy Ike. But the Sputterbuzz was worth a dozen casts just because it looked so darnformidable going through the water. Maybe not formidable, but definitely neat. Same story with the Heddon Crazy Crawler and the South Bend Bass Oreno, they were neat looking going through the water...does anybody even use the word neat like that, or did it pop back into my vocabulary along with the names of 50 year old fishing lures?

I remember going to Boy Scout Camp in the Northwoods, by Watersmeet, Michigan. We had about five lures to share between three brothers, and three of them were dinky gold Marathon gold spoons, which sold for 30 cents. Well, as my brother and I were hoisting our assigned canoe down from the rack, out dropped a Lazy Ike that had been caught up on one of the seats. A real Lazy Ike, not a cheap knock off from Japan (not to be confused with the present day Japan where $30 bass lures are normal, and would be at home in a modern art museum). "Kautzky" right on the lure, and best yet, it was in the deadly Perch color! The Good Lord might as well dropped a solid ingot of gold-nay, platnium!- in front of my brother and I as that Lazy Ike, with a full week of fishing for hammer handle pike in front of us, such was our good fortune!

I can't say as I ever caught a fish on that lure. Maybe because we were too scared to cast it amongst the snags and lily pads like I would those little gold spoons. The spoons were death on little pike that had more appetite than substance, but they were expendable. After all, we had two more! But with that Lazy Ike, we were only one careless cast away from disaster, a risk we couldn't bear to take. We knew "The Good Lord giveth...", and we weren't going to test the other part that invariably follows . We always threw the Ike out on the deep side of the lake, and kept it towards the surface, clear of cover (and fish) There, we could see it seductively weave its way back to the canoe in the clear water, and that was enough to earn its place on the top tray, front and center of a small and pretty empty tacklebox.

So what's the point? Not much, I guess. I liked Bombers that looked like a bomb, and Whopper Stopper lures, the Cisco Kids with the foil inserts molded into the transparent bodies and the odd paint jobs on the color charts that always followed the standard (01) Red Head with White Body that was the one paint jobe every self respecting plug maker had to have.

I would like to hear of anybody else's "old time" favorites. Not the ones worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, not even the best fish catchers. Just whatever one brings back good memories when fishing was more art than technology...

[ammohead]

Joe Bucher still makes the awesome "Buchertail" spinner aka bucktail spinner. A 7 inch affair that looks like a roostertail on steroids. I fish for northern pike in Comins Lake near Ely NV. Having grown up in Wisconsin I knew about the deadlyness of bucktail spinners against pike and musky. In vain I searched high and low all over Ely and Reno for such a lure but alas none could be found. So to the internet I went and order them on line.

The good news is that these particular northern pike have never seen a bucktail spinner before and I have been slaying said pike and am having a ball! They especially like the silver blade with black tail. Just ordered 3 more tonite. Now I need to find a fly tyer. Their needle teeth really tears up that tail and I have a bunch of perfectly good spinners with no hair left!

[David2011]

Caught by first large mouthed bass on a Bomber in the '60s with my Grandfather, just the two of us fishing after work one afternoon. It was a bit over 3 pounds. He's been gone for 25 years- what a memory to cherish!

David

[44deerslayer]

I'm a big musky fisherman I use Len Hartman lures I meet him years ago , swim whizz ,CIsco kids ,hot n tot ,buck perry spoon plugs meet him years ago too , wooden pike minnow ,rattle traps ,shad raps , I mostly troll I do very little casting

[mold maker]

I still have my Dad loaded tackel box, full of Big mouth bass lures. Added to my own that hasn't been touched in decades. Among them are Hoola Popers, Crazy Crawlers, Jitter Bugs, and Hedon Sonics.
When Dad (my fishing bud) could no longer safely ply the lakes and rivers, I lost interest. There are still several Oren push buttons, mounted on what at the time were the best flyrods that poor folks could afford. His first steel casting rod, along with the solid (clear) glass rod are stored just like he last used them.
It wasn't about the fish caught, but rather the time spent with him, that mattered.

[winelover]

Heddon's Pumpkinseed brings back memories. Caught a nice Largemouth with it's first cast, lost it on the second. River Runts were kool looking but I can't say I've ever caught anything on one. As northern kids, we use to trade fishing lures as one would trade pocket knives down south.

Winelover

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The Gapen family still own and operate the family business in the small home town I grew up in.
http://www.gapen.com/
a close friend of mine works for them.
The Ugly Bug and Bait walker are their most famous lures/rigs, used for Walleyes
in the small streams and lakes of Central MN.
Jon

[Wayne Smith]

I caught largemouth bass on a Crazy Crawler, on several Jitterbugs, on Rapala's and had quite a collection of Mepps spinners. Largemouth in the ponds, smallmouth on the Shennandoah, and trout in the National Forest were our quarry.

[Bret4207]

Wordens Rooster Tails, in brown with the gold spinner, the smallest they made- deadly on trout in small streams. Never caught a single thing on a Mepps, but I've owned about 100 of them. Rapalas, the little Countdown model, not sure if they even make them anymore. Hula Poppers in yellow. Of course Dardevles in red and white in every size from tiny ultra lite to Dads Musky sized ones. For years Dad had a giant sized Dardevel that looked like it had been put in a metal press and almost folded in half! No idea for sure what did it, but it was in the St Lawrence and we figured it was a snapping turtle, one so big we really didn't want to run into it. Pikies, the good old wood ones, Creek Chubs, might be one in the same, I can't recall. Hinckley spiners, even though you had to re rig them. Little Cleos and Goldfish. I must have had gazillion Goldfish, great on cloudy days for trout.

We must had had dozens of lures that never caught a single fish. There was one rig I tried for years, sort of a fore runner to a buzz bait. Never caught a thing. But then, I've never caught a thing on a buzz bait either. Never caught anything on a Jitter Bug, Heddon Sonic or it's imitators or many others. I've caught precisely one fish on a plastic worm! Never caught anything but Crappie and Rock Bass on jigs.

In flies- my number 1 dry fly was home tied Irresistables. Tough, float forever, not impossible to see. In streamers the Muddler types ruled and in wet flies I think it was a Cow Dung. I can't even begin to count the Parmachene Belles I've bought and tied or the Coachmen, BiVisibles, Duns, etc. not to mention the Mickey Finns, and hundreds of other streamers we tried. Nymphs were another area where the folks at Orvis got a lot of my dollars and where I spent hours tying various designs. Pretty hard to beat something black and brown and small. We spent hours splitting duck quills and dying them to make the old style Wooly Buggers, not the newer style that use simple hackle. Never caught a thing but bottom.

These days I don't even think about fishing, or hunting much for that matter. I wish I had the energy, but there's just too much going on.

[375RUGER]

pop'r, the old ones seem to have more action than the new ones
devils horse
orange and black bomber caught my first bass
lucky 13
zara spook

The one thing I've caught more fish on though from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, bass, perch. crappie, pike, walleye, halibut, cod, catfish even--Fleck Weedwader.

[Maven]

I've still got Arbogast Jitterbugs and a Sputterbuzz, and even a Hawaiian Wigggler. Even have a Flatfish (red orange). Unlike, Bret, I've had decent luck with Mepps spinners, but only with squirrel tails. In fact, I sold an original James Heddon Dowagiac wooden lure (with glass eyes) on eBay not long ago for a nice price. However, these days my "go to" lure is a Mister Twister with a spinner and yellow or white curly tail attached. Ahh, Bowfin's post really brings back memories!

[DHurtig]

I like the old style lures too! Here's one I made a couple years ago. Hope to get some more made before the summer is over.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/c_latrans/Lure6.jpg

This is a copy of a Creek Chub Surface Dingbat that I carved from Eastern Red Cedar and left a natural finish. The legs are elk hair, Dale

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/c_latrans/lure3.jpg

[Harter66]

Completely lost intrest in fishing after my grandfather past away . I've his tackle box ........what was left after the gold diggers got done. Plotzky balls o fire was all I ever caught trout on until just after he passed away. We went down to the sand point on the hyway side of Walker Lake , took my kids and another friend , we knocked the cutthoats dead that morning on his Rooster tails,6'6" Abu Garcia's and the old Mitchell 300s.

We fished a bunch of local made 1oz leadheads on #1 or #2 hooks w/squid skirts for sea bass in the Pacific off the Bia San Quintien. Blacks,Sand,Sea bass,halibat,cod,and a 10lb bass turned bait for a fish I can only identify as bzzzzzzzpop! We had 4 generations in the boat that day...............

[onceabull]

As a teener,StepDad & I did considerable fishing in the Sacramento River Delta sloughs.. When focused on Black Bass,the Johnson Silver Minnow & attached Pork Rind,and the Shannon Twin Spinner Bucktail were particularly favored. Arbogast's Hawaian Wiggler,& Hawaian Spoon also seen fttt..Still lugging all of those around,and making a few casts with them for memories and grins... Onceabull

[Goatwhiskers]

Ah, the memories of a childhood fishing with those who have gone on now. My dad taught me to love fly fishing, haven't been in more years than I can count now, life and increasing age have gotten in the way. The ancient Egyptians had a saying: "The gods do not subtract from a man's allotted time the hours spent in fishing." Thanks for bringing back the memories. GW

[Bad Water Bill]

Go to Evil bat and you will have a real walk down memory lane

How about Heddon Punkinseed for a start but be warned hold on to your wallet.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=heddon+punkinseed&_sacat=36145&_odkw=k&_osacat=36145

I have found almost every lure I have ever used listed there.

Start looking here

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Freshwater-Fishing-/36145/i.html

After looking you might wish you had saved a few of your old ones instead of leaving them hung up in a tree or on a stump 6' under water

ENJOY but don't blame me:bigsmyl2:

[paul h]

Funny thing is I've found some of the best lures have been the simplest desings.

Kastmasters

http://www.ice-fishing-source.com/images/AcmeKastmaster.jpg

Little cleos

http://www.landbigfish.com/images/store/thumbs/acme-little-cleo.jpg

I do have some old mepps from my dads tackle box. I'd used and lost a good number of them until I realized I should keep a few for old times sake. I also have a pair of his bamboo rods that I should repair as the thread holding the guides has deteriorated.

[bowfin]

Both Mepps and Rooster tails can be bought with silver plated blades. These reflect light as a whitish flash, which to me looks more like the reflection off of fish scales. The Johnson Silver Minnow is also silver plated on the silver models. With the price of silver, it has to be tempting to these manufacturers to just say, "Hey, who would notice?"

[paul h]

Depending on water clarity and lighting conditions, silver/chrome can be the way to go one day, and brass/gold the next. I also like blue/silver, green/silver, red/silver and blue/brass, green/brass and red/brass. The 1/4 oz seems to be the perfect weight for my u/l rods and 6# test. I can cast them plenty far, and they are big enough to keep me from catching the tiny fish.

[gnoahhh]

Seeing that story about the Lazy Ike brought back a flood of memories. As kids in the 60's, my cousin and I thought it was the best lure ever made. I remember a smallish yellow one with green spots that murdered the goggle eyes and sunny's in the local creeks. Out on the Susquehanna a couple of Heddon (I think) River Runts were the titz. I made the transition to fly fishing in the 70's and the old lures and plugs fell into disuse. I found my old tackle box a few years ago, and lo and behold, they were still there. I've been meaning to make a shadow box display of them. Not that they're worth anything but they do bring a smile to my face when I see them. Dreams of a mis-spent youth haunting the creeks that fuel the daydreams of a mis-spent middle age...

[Bad Water Bill]

Before you do anything with any lures check what they are selling for at Evil bay. I was amazed when I watched several of my old favorites go for from $30.00 to well over $300.00 each. IIRC my son and I watched one lure go for several K each.

When I started to teach my son about fishing I took him to a lure show. I came back for the next show and sold my dads and an uncles tackle boxes so we could buy some new equipment for my son. Little did I know I did not get even 10% of what they were worth. Oh well live and learn.

[bowfin]

DHurtig,

Can you fill in some detail about the eyes on the prop topwater lure?

Did you paint that lure, or add the hardware?

I never thought of using cedar as a lure body, but I know Poe's used to use cedar for their baits.

[quilbilly]

I am still using the Creek Chub Baits lures I used 50 years ago and they are still my favorites whenever I go to a new lake. The will tell me whatever is there. Just before the company went away, I picked up a bunch cheap and still have them in the original package in case I lose one. The little Ulta-Light Pikies are the ones I will have to swim for if I ever loose one.

[405]

An original Heddon wooden frog would do me just fine!

One special lure I remember while growing up was a Flatfish-like metal lure called the Russelure. Russelure began as a very small CA company in the 50s or early 60s. They're shaped like a Flatfish but of one-piece metal. They have an attractive anodized finish in various colors and best of all they caught/catch fish. I prized and protected the two or three I had when I was just learning to fish with a lure. Interesting that the company is still around but I don't know the particulars about the current business.

[DHurtig]

Bowfin; I turned the body on my lathe. Wood is probable eastern red cedar as that's what I use most. Sealed the body and painted with rattle cans and then sealed it with two part epoxy. The eyes were bought from a parts supplier, but I don't remember who off hand. These are plastic, but I have some glass eyes that were bought from a supplier on Ebay. Dale

[Bad Water Bill]

An original Heddon wooden frog would do me just fine!

One special lure I remember while growing up was a Flatfish-like metal lure called the Russelure. Russelure began as a very small CA company in the 50s or early 60s. They're shaped like a Flatfish but of one-piece metal. They have an attractive anodized finish in various colors and best of all they caught/catch fish. I prized and protected the two or three I had when I was just learning to fish with a lure. Interesting that the company is still around but I don't know the particulars about the current business.

Try this and see if it is what you remember.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Russelure&_sacat=36145&_odkw=&_osacat=36145

[405]

:) Yes, that be it. IIRC, it started in a small garage with an idea and a simple metal stamping machine.

[bowfin]

Bowfin; I turned the body on my lathe.

Well then, you did an EXCELLENT job on the paint!

I am really enjoying reading everybody's posts on the memories and how some lures are timeless. Then again, bass and trout and panfish haven't changed much in the last 50-60 years, so why would a Little Cleo or Jitterbug become obsolete?

Speaking of Little Cleos, did anybody else here that they had to stop putting the girl on the back of the lure because someone at Wal-Mart complained and the manufacturer couldn't risk losing the business?

[bowfin]

I remember two of my brothers going to Yellowstone Lake in Wisconsin on a camping/fishing trip. We had one cassette, and that was "Wings at the Speed of Sound" to which we listened all week...over and over, but that didn't bother us at all.

We were catching a lot of good panfish on nightcrawlers and Falls Bait Co. Jig-n-Minnows. I lifted the stringer and a very large pike or tiger muskie rolled right underneath of it. My older brother immediately tied a half pound Daredevle (psychadelic pink, blue and white, no less, which made the devil look gay) on to his whip thin Eagle Claw spinning combo and launched it the length of the lake. After that cast, he was afraid of snapping his rod, so we two younger brothers supplied the paddle power so he could troll until sunset. Never did meet up with the leviathan, but I still think of him when I hear any of the those "Wings" songs.

Here is the closest I can find to show that color scheme:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-DARDEVLE-Detroit-Lure-3-1-2-Inch-Pastel-Colors-1-Lge-Treble-Hook-/230800161420

[Bad Water Bill]

Here is what got me started looking for old lures.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-lucky-lady-lures-/350580212453?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51a03582e5

When I was transferred to NAS Jax I had a couple days before I had to check in so I went to the St John's river and caught bass while every one else caught SKUNK.

This was the wonder lure. I had not seen any of these sold since then. My son said try Evil bat and you might get lucky.

Well now you know.

And this is another reason castboolits is GREAT.

You never know what you might learn.

[Hamish]

Boy, I'm glad I'm not the only one. Between old woodworking tools, (mostly hand planes) and fishing lures, I bet I could have bought a couple of nice rifles.

There was mention of looking for someone to tie new bucktail. A little sewing thread, nail polish, and the south end of a road kill squirrel and Bob's yer uncle!

The Russel Lewis books have lots of good pics and are pretty spot on concerning history.

(All these are self painted, three of them are self carved. The airbrush is a beautiful thing.)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_170694f3d6d30a3f6f.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=3969)

[paul h]

The little cleo was a suprise to me the first time I used one. Probably the best memories I've had up here are when our kids were little we'd paddle out to this lake supposedly to hunt moose, but they were so noisy they'd scare away just about every animal within 5 miles. Anyhow, we did manage to get in a week long camping and fishing trip each year for a few years.

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/evefiles/photo_albums/4/8/1/481101382/980102438_C7DE7A94C2D16ACA94CDFE7B7B7D34BA.JPG

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/evefiles/photo_albums/6/0/5/605102271/981108768_261954CE7E377A0F7C2F4B939B2D3524.JPG

Anyhow I'd picked up a 1/4oz silver/red little cleo and had it in the tackle box. I'd never used one and one year after trying every spinner in 0, 1 and 2 size in various patterns I could not get a bite. I finally put on the spoon, cast out and bam, nice 12" rainbow. Since then the little cleos and kastmasters have been my go to rainbow lures, and the spinners rarely get used.

I need to get another canoe and start doing those trips again, or maybe I'll take the boys out and use our inflatable.

[KCSO]

Man we use to get the Northern and walleyes on the old Lazy Ike, I still have my Grandfathers box with all the old lures from the 30's to the 60's. Some of them were real producers but now i am afraid to toss one on the water because I can't replace them. Basswood lures with nickle plated spinners!

[Bad Water Bill]

Have at some lazy Ikes

http://www.lurenet.com/brands/lazy-ike-lures?cn=1002207&att=1002207

little cleo

www.fishusa.com/ACME-Little-Cleo-Spoons_p.html

They are all out there if you really want them.

[WRideout]

As a teener,StepDad & I did considerable fishing in the Sacramento River Delta sloughs.. When focused on Black Bass,the Johnson Silver Minnow & attached Pork Rind,and the Shannon Twin Spinner Bucktail were particularly favored. Arbogast's Hawaian Wiggler,& Hawaian Spoon also seen fttt..Still lugging all of those around,and making a few casts with them for memories and grins... Onceabull

When I was in college at Chico State in the 70's, the Sacramento River had a magnetic attraction for me. Some genius decided that all the important events in life had to start in September; dove season, archery deer, quail, rabbit, and school. I almost didn't achieve higher education, but finally got a diploma.

I fished the Sacramento R. for a solid year without catching a keeper, but finally I was out at the river during Christmas break (they used to call it that.) I had been told that the way to catch the winter-run salmon was to use the largest size of flatfish lure, in chrome or fluorescent orange. Then tie a fillet from a frozen bait sardine to it with many wraps of thread. The leader went to a three-way swivel that was tied off to the main line, and a dropper holding up to a half-pound of lead. It looked like a hardware store on the end of my line. Once it was in the water, the lure would stay in one place in the current, and wiggle.

I was out in the cold, using the surf casting rig I had inherited from my dad. While I watched, the line started moving upstream. When I started cranking in, the salmon rolled on the surface; it looked like the biggest trout I had ever seen. I finally got it up on the shore, when the leader broke and I had to grab the fish in a bear hug. I nearly had a heart attack. I did get him though. Nice twenty inch King salmon.

Wayne

[Reg]

DHurtig

Nice work !!!

:drinks:

[looseprojectile]

get into any long stories here as I have a lot of em.
But, have any of you had the pleasure of using the spinning lures made by Garcia in Sweden called the Abu Reflex? When I had them I usually caught more trout than I could carry. I had the best results with the yellow with black spots and yellow hair on the hook. White with black spots was a distant second choice.
I would give a lot for a card of those lures and I just might go fishing a lot more often.
A later lure that worked about half as well would be the Panther Martin spinning lures. There again the yellow with black was best.
About two years ago I heard that they were going to make the Abu Reflex again and did a search on the internet and didn't find them.
This all took place fifty or more years ago. Why is youth wasted on the young?

Edit; Just did a search and found them. Rats, no yellow. Gonna get some and go fishing.
Just the other night my wife said some crispy fried trout would be good.

Life is good

[Bad Water Bill]

Here is their site but It does not look like they deal with the U S A.


http://www.abugarcia-fishing.co.uk/catalogue/baits-lures,885/hard-baits,894/catalog,1.html

And here is evil bad

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Abu+Reflex&_sacat=31689&_odkw=&_osacat=31689

The lures are still out there.

[9.3X62AL]

There are A LOT of small-scale lure-makers putting out products these days, just like the old days. These kids don't market in Field & Stream or like places--no, they are on the internet on sites much like Cast Boolits, where they offer their wares to board members and others via that route.

[870TC]

Heddon River Runts and the South Bend Bass-Oreno for me!

[waksupi]

I like fishing for pike, so most of my lures are home made. I figured out a couple years ago that I could get much better action out of a spoon made my way, than any commercial offering. The ones I make, I can make stay in one place, or even swim backwards once you learn how to use them. It can take a long time to retrieve them at the slow rate I like to fish, and they absolutely make pike mad. Nothing imitates a dying perch better.
I still see a lot of homemade bull trout plugs for sale at yard sales around here. Some are real crude, being a piece of cut off and lightly shaped broom stick, to some really artfully done lures.

[skeettx]

Wished I had a few X4SS Flatfish

Mike

[bowfin]

Wished I had a few X4SS Flatfish

Flatfish are now made by Yakima Bait Company, the same people who make Roostertails.

Look here, maybe:

http://www.yakimabait.com/catalog/product.php?productid=16144&page=1

[looseprojectile]

is how to find time to fish between shooting, loading, casting and this damn puter.
Gotta do it though cause the woman wants trout. :groner:
I think I will be able to make the transition without much pain.


Life is good