This early gold-plated spinner was made by Percy Tackle Co. of Portland, Maine, in the 1920s. It's the only collectable bait I've ever seen from Maine, which has lots of fish and fishing. This example is still in its original cellophane wrapper and likely was used for trout and pike. 

This is another in the distinguished line of Missouri's "barberpole" baits. Made during the 1920s and 1930s, the Reel Lure has a weighted keel to make the bait sink. This little dazzler is a descendant of the famous Charmer Minnow discussed elsewhere in this site. Reel Lures can be found in many colors and variations.

This is an earlier, much rarer version of the Reel Lure box shown above. The lures inside are the same, but this interesting maroon box with an applied label is believed to be the earliest of the Reel Lure cartons.  Collectors of "made in Missouri" baits go bonkers whenever these boxes appear.   

This Rhodes Wooden Minnow from Michigan dates to 1904 or 1905 and has brass cups, "egg-yolk"  eyes and a wonderful early box with papers. Kalamazoo Fishing Tackle Co. was acquired around 1905 by William Shakespeare Jr. and the Rhodes Wooden Minnow lures were briefly incorporated into the Shakespeare line.  Note the hi-forehead and round body.

Constance Roberts started making his famous "Mudpuppy" lures around 1920 and obtained a patent in 1928. The glass eyed version shown here dates to the 1930s and has a detachable hook that allows the lure to break free from those toothy muskies, while the hooks held fast.

Similar to the musky version shown above, this is a scaled down Mud Puppy suitable for small muskies and big bass and pike. This glass-eyed version in the earlier picture box (as opposed to the later "cartoon box" above) turned up in an estate auction in Kansas City, Mo.

The finely made Royal Brand Wig Wag minnows date to the 1920s and were made in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, by A.J. Bukoske & Son. Little is known about Bukoske and his Royal Brand Wig-Wag lures. The company is also known as the Canadian Bait Manufacturing Co. and made many versions of the Wig Wag, including an unusual lure with line ties on each end.

The Royal Brand line of lures was made by Canadian Bait Manufacturing Company in the 20s and 30s. This is the highly sought Master Minnow that came in six colors. The Royal Brand Master Minnow has a treble fixed in the belly and a wagtail flasher in the tail. This one is in Golden Shiner. Royal Brand lures are both scarce and desirable. This lure is mint in its original, colorful box.

Joseph K. Rush of Syracuse sold the Rush Tango lures in the mid teens. The white picture box to the right introduces the new "Midget Tango," and dates to around 1918. The rare illustrated  flyer has a photo of "the Mahoney Boys" with a big stringer of fish. I suppose they were using Tangos!

This yellow box offering a $50 prize to the most successful anglers using the Rush Tango baits is rather common for a mid-teens miscellaneous company. The red and yellow bait inside is beautiful, and has the early "twisted" screw eye hook hangers. The Tango can be found in at least a half a dozen sizes, from flyrod to musky

The "patented victory finish" in this small Tango lure was made during the final years of World War I, when the nation's eyes were focused on defeating the Germans. The patriotic red, white & blue intro box likely dates to 1915 and is considered one of the rarest of the Tango cartons.   

  Sometime in the 1920s or early 1930s, the rights to manufacture the famous Rush Tango Minnow were acquired by Horrocks-Ibbotson of New York, a very interesting company that swallowed up many miscellaneous lure makers during its long tenure in the tackle industry.  

  Here is an even harder-to-find Tango box made by Horrocks-Ibbotson in the mid 1930s. The graphic logo for this simple, applied-label carton was lifted from a mid-teens advertisement. The aluminum finish tango inside has screw eye hardware, no primer on the wooden body and the distinct hooks often found on H-I baits.