The Magic of Old Fishing Lures

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Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Timeless appeal that’s what people said for old fishing lures or back to simpler time, where small craft product production was the norm. Nostalgia, innovation, and variety make this hobby rewarding. You will know the magic that comes from collecting old vintage fishing lures and tackle if you are an angler who has old tackle box full of lures. Although the old fishing lures a little rusty and may be dusty but they are artifacts of simpler time in America.

The Small-Scale Entrepreneur Innovation

The golden age of fishing tackle was dominated by small lure manufacturers in the late 20th century. Some national brands which exist were not really mass marketed like today and because of the lure made in some hardy soul’s basement and garage, most lures were regional contraptions. Because of they need not to please mass market with discount store so the small lure maker could truly innovate. Quirky and strange designs made their way onto shelves of tackle shops and hardware stores.

The Norm of Heavy Lures

It is far from standards lure today, most antique lures are huge and usually heavy and were designed to be cast with the crude level wind reels and stiff rods of the time and usually to fish at top water or ran in shallow water. But with today advent of backlash free reels and modern lines, smaller lures has began to dominate.

Lures That You Looking For

You can find these name stenciled on wooden plug in old tackle box like Creek Chub, Arbogast, Heddon and South Bend. Even some of these companies still produced lures until now, you still can look for older with larger wood models. For collector it is considered to be more valuable lures with the original box and paperwork.

The Lure Made From

Old fishing plug are made from variety of woods, including basswood and balsa, red and white cedar, and most hardwood can be used. You will find rust on the hooks of older lures unless they were kept dry not like hook today which made with advance technology make them rust resistance.

Finish and Paint

Combination of colored lacquer and followed by a coat of clear are most vintage lures were painted. The variety and ingenuity of the paint pattern have make collecting the older lures more enjoyable aspects. Expert craftsmen applied old plug with color pattern and intricate airbrushed scale. But this old finish might not be good being used regularly and it is better you just keep them for collection and enjoyment off the water.

Tackle Industry Revolution

The explosion of fishing from a cottage industry to a full blown mass market has been found in 1970’s. Lure manufacturing strictly made an overseas proposition with large catalog houses, bass tournaments and mass market retailers. Internet has made some small batch companies get enough of market to survive.

Modern Lures Can’t Compare With Old Lure

Modern lures lack of romance of their older counterparts even they have sharper hooks, better paint and run truer in the water. The mystique and nostalgia of small batch won’t be equal with the new lures.

In the eye of collector, the value of old fishing lures will steady increase along with the years go by and they will always popular.

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