Posted on 03/16/2014 4:16:12 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Fishing lures are designed to attract fishermen and not fish.
I didn’t make up that line, but I wish I had. It’s nearly as true as “all fishermen are liars.”
My future father-in-law always instructed me that when I showed photos of the big bass that I had caught in his farm pond, tell people I caught them in a bar ditch.
I did as told, because I wanted to keep fishing in that pond and keep dating his daughter. The fact that she had access to a pond with big bass certainly didn’t hurt the relationship.
Old fishing lures can be quite valuable. Last week in Florida, someone paid $125,000 for a set of 89 vintage Heddon lures.
Heddon advertises itself as the world’s oldest lure maker, having started in 1894. The company was started by James Heddon in his family kitchen in Dowagiac, Mich.
Heddon is credited with inventing the first artificial fishing lure made of wood, and eventually a factory was built in Dowagiac. In 1983, Heddon was sold to Pradco of Fort Smith, Ark., and legendary lures like the Heddon Spook, Lucky 13 and Torpedo are still being manufactured today.
Recently, a friend of mine had an elderly aunt pass away. Her uncle had died many years earlier and had an old metal tackle box with a few fishing plugs in it.
Having no interest in fishing, she gave them to me. Most of them were unmarked, but a couple had identification.
One was an old-looking Heddon. Well, you know the first thought that popped into my head: Could this be some hidden treasure?
(Excerpt) Read more at newsok.com ...
I don’t know about any lures, but I do have a number of my Dad’s old Mitchell 302 salt water spinning reels.
Wow, the 1894 version of Duck Dynasty.
Always heard that medium size smallmouth bass were the best eating, better than lunker largemouths.
But nothin’ beats a mess of crappies. That’s why they’re called `panfish’. Your best fish camps serve those.
Ouch! That has gotta hurt after reading this article.
Yes, I could use a nice fishing trip far far away from here.
I used to keep the boxes, but got out of the habit as my box began filling up. Now I wish I had kept them.
Someone will always be interested in paying big bucks for things that were once considered just a tool, toy, or nicknack.
Thanks! It’s been since I was a kid, but I’ve gotten back into a little bit of fishing recently...caught some brook and rainbow trout, but that takes some travel to get to where they are found :-)
You can only keep so much *stuff.*
It warms my heart to know there are still remnants of the *what was* in America.
I still love my eclectic collection of old tools and especially where working hands on them have made a layer of patina.
I used to keep the boxes,
*********
Som boxes bring a few dollars today....
http://www.antiquelures.com/Heddonboxesneeded.htm
At least I did not see anything even close to the time that I would have tossed a box from.
I recently sold all my dad’s tackle. This year sales are not as good as last.
named lures sell best. Boxed named lures sell better. $5 is good price. $10 wou ld be very good
On ebay,good pictures. Make a bent wire frame to elevate ad let the hooks dangle for good pictures.
*Someone* is going to beat me to it.
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