The Big 5 Vintage Fishing Lure Companies: Who Are They?
One of the first things a person new to the world of vintage fishing lure collecting will hear is the so-called “Big 5” companies that dominate the news about the hobby. Knowing who these companies are (or were) and a little about them will go a long way to allaying the fears of someone new to the hobby who is intimidated by all the information available online.
The Hedon Company
The Heddon Company was created by James Heddon, the man credited with inventing the first artificial wooden fishing lures in 1894. The oft-repeated story is that he had his moment of enlightenment when he threw a carved wooden plug into hand in the waters of the mill pond in Dowagiac, Michigan, and watched as a bass hit it. With this idea an industry was born. The original lures were hand-carved frogs on broomsticks by Heddon himself. Lures were originally made by hand in the kitchen of the Heddon family located in Dowagiac, Michigan, but by 1910 there was a new factory in Dowagiac and sales were expanding.
Lucky 13, Punkinseed, River Runt and Meadow Mouse are some examples of this classic brand.
creek pup
Creek Chub was founded in 1910 by three friends in Garrett, Indiana. The company is named after the creek chub, which is a small fish that fishermen often use as live bait.
Henry Dills created the first Creek Chub lure, The Wiggler, which had a metal lip that caused the lure to move in the water, causing more fish to hit it. Another early lure was the Pikie minnow. This bullet-shaped lure had more than one variation available, allowing you to choose the amount of movement desired in the water. The Open Mouth Weedless, later renamed the Open Mouth Shiner, is another early lure. These lures were designed to be weed-proof and featured rear-facing double long-shank hooks so they could be dragged over snags without hanging on them. Open Mouth Weedless lures are a hard to find vintage fishing lure and all three are great examples of Creek Chub vintage fishing lures and collector’s items.
One of Creek Chub’s most important innovations in the lure industry was the process of spraying lures by spraying paint through a net. Paint applied to this net (originally from lady hats!) was used to create the scale patterns now common on Creek Chub lures. Creek Chub was also a very innovative company in other areas. His early adoption of the use of glass eyes in lures and the invention of the aforementioned weedless bait are great examples of this spirit of innovation. Creek Chub also held many other patents related to lure improvements.
Pflueger
Ernest F. Pflueger founded the Enterprise Manufacturing Company in 1881 manufacturing hooks. When his son took over the business in 1906, he changed the name to the EA Pflueger Company. During this time, Pflueger was the first company to open commercial production of wooden fishing lures. The company would also grow from just a hook manufacturer to all areas of fishing gear. As competition in the industry became fiercer, the company began to focus more on real ones than lures.
Two of the lures the company started with were the Flying Helgramite and the Luminous Crystal Minnow lure. These are two very old Pflueger fishing lures that incorporate the E. Pflueger Foundation’s invention of a luminous lure paint.
shakespeare
William Shakespeare, Jr. founded his company in 1897 with a first product that was not a fishing lure. He started with reels before expanding into the lure market. Shakespeare started making fishing lures around 1900 and soon after the first catalog containing just four lures was published: Revolution, Bucktail, Evolution and Frog. The Shakespeare Revolution is one of Shakespeare’s most collectible classic fishing lures. Many of Shakespeare’s early products were rubber lures, including rubber frogs that mimicked the movements of a real-life frog when in the water. A very rare collector’s item is the Shakespeare Tournament Casting Frog, which is a prize find for any enthusiast of Shakespeare’s classic fishing lures.
South Bend Bait Company
South Bend was founded in the early 1900’s by FG Worden of South Bend, Indiana.
Worden had already been selling their Bucktail baits since 1894 before the official founding of the company. These bucktail baits were minnow-shaped wooden lures that were invented and popularized by Worden. South Bend Bait Company also made the famous Oreno fishing lures. The Oreno was also a minnow lure and would become a long-term popular seller for South Bend. The Bass Oreno, which began production around 1915 and was still in production until the mid-1960s, was the most popular bait in South Bend. Another popular vintage South Bend lure is The Vacuum Bait, which can be quite difficult to find and makes a good collector’s item.
Use this information
Now that you know more about the “Big 5”, go ahead and start using this knowledge to build your collection. Try going to a local fishing tackle show or event and with this initial information you will feel able to hold your own in an initial conversation and start the network that will help you build your collection. Or if you want to go online to find more information or find out how to find articles online, visit the website in the author box below.