I recently updated an article I wrote for an antique fishing lure blog. It is repeated here for those interested in collecting antique fishing lures.
Fred Arbogast started out making his own lures and sharing them with his friends. He was obviously good at it because before long lots of people wanted them and he set up his own fishing lure company. Many of these are sought after by those who collect antique fishing lures.
Knowing the history will help you in your collecting. Here’s my potted history of Fred Arbogast’s lures…
1932 – The Tin Liz, Fred’s first commercial lure is trademarked. There ended up being several variations on the original Tin Liz including the Twin Liz, Snake, Kicker, Sunfish, and fly rod versions
1936 - Hawaiian Wigglers are added to the product line. The famous rubber “Hula Skirt” provided the swimming action.
1938 – The Jitterbug is released and becomes an immediate success with Bass fishermen.
1940 - The Hula-Spinner a popular lure for fly rod fishing for bass
1941 - The Hula Popper was introduced, it was the first surface lure to feature a Hula Skirt.
1944 - The Hula Dancer a sinking lure for mid-depth and open water.
1946 – The Sputterfuss, a surface lure with a double blade spinner on the front, a skirt and the famous buzz.
1955 - The Sputterbug a surface bait with noisy, splashy action and a Hula Skirt.
1956 - The Arbo-Gaster a floating lure with a fast swimming but deep diving action due to it’s long front lip.
1962 – The Dasher, Scudder and Prancer a range of large, wooden, saltwater lures is introduced.
1968 - The Mud-Bug was introduced in 1968 it represents a crayfish and is deep diving.
Modern lures are still manufactured and sold by the Arbogast Lure Company however these have less appeal to those who collect antique fishing lures.
Scott Heston has written a really good book called The Fred Arbogast Story: A Fishing Lure Collector’s Guide all about Fred and his lures. You can find out more about it here on Collect Antique Lures
