miscellaneous antique fishing lures

Toledo Weedless Bait, Ohio Toledo Bait Company made the Toledo Weedless Bait in the 1920s. The well-made wooden lure featured a spring-loaded hook recessed in a slotted body that prevented snags, but opened when a fish bites. Toledo Bait Company was in Toledo, of course, and this contraption was patented May 12, 1925.
Tooley Spinnered Bunty, Detroit L.J. Tooley was a world champion baitcaster who marketed lures in the early teens. The Spinnered Bunty sometimes had a hanging belly weight. This model has a recessed weight and side-mounted hooks. The box says this relatively small lure is "not a warship" like bigger plugs of the era.
Tooley's Bunty Darter, L.J. Tooley The Bunty Darter had an unusual cutout face that almost looks like a flattened rhino's face. Dating to the early teens these lures have no eye detail and are relatively simple in design and coloring. Tooley Tackle also made specialty products such as tournament casting lines and custom rods.
Trenton Surface Doodler, Kentucky The Surface Doodler was made by Trenton Manufacturing of Covington, kentucky. It came in six colors and was made of wood. The metal wings gave it a to-and-fro plopping action that was a magnet for bass. Before it was called Surface Doodler, the bait was called the Gurglehead. Why it changed from Gurglehead to Surface Doodler is a mystery.
Trenton Mad Mouse The Mad Mouse was made by Trenton Manufacturing of Covington, Ky., and was a handsome wooden lure from the 1940s. It came in six colors and this is the 'introductory' box most often found with this bait. There are other Trenton lures from the same time frame.
True Temper Crippled Shad, Cleveland The Crippled Shad was made in the 1940s by True Temper, an Ohio company whose origins can be traced back to Al. Foss, a famous tackle maker whose American Fork & Hoe company eventually became True Temper. See Al. Foss.
True Temper Speed Shad, Cleveland The Speed Shad, a mate to the Crippled Shad above, was made in two sizes, with the baby one being the hardest to find. These lures are common, and the boxes are attractive and plentiful for collectors. The black and white finish on these matching wooden lures is uncommon.
True Temper Speed Shad The Speed Shad and various metal Foss lures were made into the 1940s, and this red-bottom window box with the yellow top was one of the last boxes made. They are very hard to find, compared with the picture boxes shown above. The wonderful color papers in this example show a full line of rods, in addition to lures and tackle.
Turbulent Fishing Lure, Racine, Wisconsin Turbulent Fishing lures were made of composition material and typically consisted of several parts rotating on a shaft. They were made in the 30s and 40s in various configurations by O.C. Schaefer of Racine, Wisconsin. This is the Turbulent Headless.
Turbulent Fishing Lure, Oscar Schaefer This is another Turbulent lure - the Turbulent Tiger. These lures are as unique as any I have seen, and this specimen was found on the West Coast by a visitor to this website. Red and white is a common color for these baits, but Schaefer also made some colorful spotted finishes. This is different from the Turbulent Headless. Turbulent also made the penetrator and the Turbulent Surface.
Turbulent Fishing Lure, Oscar Schaefer This is the rarest and earliest style Turbulent Lure box that has a possibly wooden Turbulent lure inside. According to paperwork in the boxes, the Turbulent baits were made in 12 sizes, from flyrod to "giant." This Turbulent Lure is believed to be the Turbulent Diver.
Turbulent Fishing Lure Here is another look at the hard-to-find "intro" box for these interesting Wisconsin antique lures. Note that the box is covered with a heavy brown paper much like grocery bags were made of. Also note that the box is exceptionally tall for a lure box and could almost accommodate a small reel.
Turbulent Surface Fishing Lure Here is another Turbulent Lure - the Surface, which has a bulbous head of cork or a buoyant wood, while the rear sections are a composition material sort of like plaster of Paris. There are two separate paper flyers inside discussing these lures in great detail. Turbulent Lures came in wonderful spotted finishes.
Turbulent Penetrator Fishing Lure Here is another Turbulent lure - the Penetrator, a heavy weighted underwater lure. The painted red tail is heavy metal and it would cast like a bullet. The spotted yellow, black and red color is fantastic and no doubt would have agitated any fish that encountered it. This box has two more separate papers inside that are both different from the two Turbulent Lure flyers shown above.
Turner's Casting Bait, Michigan This is one of the rarest boxed lures ever to be found: the magnificent Night Caster made by Zach Turner, a Coldwater barber who manufactured lures around 1910. The bait features a removable belly weight and propellers that would make a food processor proud!
Tuttle's Devil Bug, Old Forge, N.Y. O.C. Tuttle was a famous maker of lifelike flyrod lures crafted from horse and deer hair. The Devil Mouse dates to around 1919. Other baits included a crawfish, moths and various other creatures, each of which came in its own, distinct box. Tuttle boxes have wonderful graphics.
Tuttle's Whirl-O Minnow Tuttle also made handsome metal baits - including the Whirl-O Minnow, which featured a curved, fish-shaped body wiuth glass beads on a shaft and a hand-painted devil bug for a hook. The circa 1918 box is eight inches long and identifies Tuttle as the "inventor & manufacturer."
Val-Lure, Val Products, Chicago This interesting, tack-eyed lure emerged around 1934 and had vanished by the outset of World War II. The jointed bait included an unusual wire weed guard and a fixed rear hook. This box is the busiest one in luredom, with more verbage on the top than the Gettysburg address! Inside are three separate paper flyers, one promoting a 1937 contest.
Val-Lure, Boxtop Detail Here's a closeup of the box pictured above. Note the graphics, instructions, patent info, pictures of the lure, casting suggestions, how to reel the lure, the pictures of the bullrushes, stumps and rocks and - last but not least - the price. And a!!ll this on the box cover!
Vaughn's Lure, Cheboygan, Michigan Vaughn's Tackle Company sold these wonderful, carved-tail lures from Cheboygan throughout the 1930s. The elaborately cut wooden baits had a fluted- rotating head and carved fish tail. The flyer advertises a fishing contest.
Vaughn's Lure, Michigan This is another Vaughn's Lure in a box featuring a picture of the bait. I'm guessing this is an earlier box, as the graphics are somewhat superior to the example above. This box is more attractive, but the no-picture version is much rarer. Notice the little hand pointing to the rotating head.
Vaughn's Lure, Intro "Tall" box Shown here, in center with a silver lure, is the very rare Vaughn's Lure "introductory box" that is taller and narrower than the two later ones, but less sophisticated in terms of graphics. The lures found in these early boxes are identical to their later counterparts.