Taking a trip down memory lane through Dad's tackle box

[Fishing Cowgirl]

A look inside Dad's tackle box:

I inherited my father's tackle box when he passed away nearly 20 years ago and kept it stored away until recently. I remember going fishing with him and those are some of my most favorite memories. I've recently married and started my first year of Bass tournament competition. My Uncles and Dad's cousins who I call Uncle, all say I came by it natural. I started going through the tackle box and could tell it was a fairly even mix of salt water and fresh water tackle. My husband could tell me a little about some of them and said I should put the photos here on the forum. Some of you might remember using them, or bring back memories too. Some, I hope someone could tell me about them, what they are, how they were used and perhaps even how old or valuable they are. I plan on finding a large lily pad root, preserve it and display the fresh water lures on it. I plan on doing something similar with driftwood and the salt water lures.

I know one is a Heddon Zara Spook, One has a prop on the rear and says:9M11  floater on the belly, another is missing the front treble hook and has 52m1c on the belly. One is tiny little jointed stick thing. The two lures that are still wrapped say : No Alibi and the price says .74 cents.

More coming

[VolFan]

That Spook has seen some fish. Lots of teethmarks.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

[Fishing Cowgirl]

[Fishing Cowgirl]

One memory of mine is that my Dad and Uncle would go jig fishing in an old john boat, with pork rinds cut up like a frog. I remember after one evening trip jig fishing watching all the men gather around the big green coleman cooler. I think it is 1969 or so. I looked inside and saw the biggest largemouth bass in my life. This fish nearly reached each end of the cooler. But the most interesting thing was the size of the bass inside it's mouth! The smaller 12" bass had taken the jig and then the bigger bass snatched up the smaller bass. The jig had hooked through the smaller bass's lip and was sunk deep enough into the bigger one, well enough for Dad to get it the boat. I don't think anyone weighed it or just being a kid, don't remember if they did or not. But that was a monster size gal they got out of Shingle Creek.

Does anyone know what that little stick looking lure is?

[K_Mac]

While I can't be of any help identifying the lure, I appreciate your sharing the pictures and story. It takes me back a few years also. 8-)

[b.Lee]

I love old baits, especially Fred Arbogast ones.!

[Catt]

The salt water jigs will be close to impossible to identify since there were some many manufactures of this type lures.

The one below the Spook appears to be an early model MirrOlure®, please clarify is the 52m1c on the belly of this lure?

The NO ALIBI is still manufactured and are still extremely popular today.

Below you will find a couple links that may offer some help

http://www.oldfishingstuff.com/index.html

http://fishinghistory.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

[roadwarrior]

I found a cedar root, that is a wonderful piece of

driftwood for display. My dad's tacklebox was full

of similar stuff. Although the Lucky 13 is pretty

common, the one I have is special to me. It's

VERY "used"!

8-)

[Lund Explorer]

Howdy Cowgirl,

Gosh I'll bet that trip through your Dad's tacklebox did bring back a flood of memories.  Another priceless gift that parents give us huh?

On the first picture you posted, there were a couple of other lures that I can (or at least think I can) name for you.

The first I know for certain is the small in-line spinner.  It's called a "Shyster".  They made them in a bunch of different colors, yellow, white, orange (all with the black dots) to name a few I've owned over the years.

The second is the spoon on the lower left.  Really has the outline of a Luhr Jensen Krocodile.

The third is the fish shaped spoon on the lower right.  For the life of me, I can't remember the name of it, but back when I was a youngster in the 1960's you could buy a spoon like that as part of a kit.  As soon as this old mind kicks into gear, I'll get to you.

BTW, thanks for kicking me down memory lane too.

[b.Lee]

The second is the spoon on the lower left. Really has the outline of a Luhr Jensen Krocodile.

.

I agree I have one just like that in the package.  I found it at a junkyard inside an old toyota, when I was a kid.

[GRiver]

I took an picture frame and took the glass out. Put 1/4 mesh on the back, I can hang the lures from the mesh. Can move them change them, works pretty good.  Going to put a self under it for the old reels I have too.

[Montalvo]

On Bassmaster magazine they have a guy named Karl T white that does a page for them called "What it's worh?" He usually finds out the make and model.

His email is editorial@Bassmaster.com

Maybe he can help you to find the make and model of some of those.

[Fishing Rhino]

I'm not sure about the "stick" looking bait.  I have seen it before, and the lip on the top is definitely unique.

I'm trying to recall through the mists of time, but my best guess is that it mimics an elver, or baby eel.

When eels return from the sea they are only three or four inches long, and nearly clear.

We lived alongside a creek, which was actually the headwaters of the East Branch of the Westport River.  There was a dam downstream from our house which held back water to be used for powering a mill.

It was built right down to the rocky ledge, which was exposed by the water running over the top of the dam.

There was a gutter at the base of the dam which I thought was created by the erosion of the water, but may have been cut into the stone to provide a level surface for the structure of the dam.

Whichever is not important.  When the elvers returned, this cut would literally be full of elvers packed side by side like sardines in a can.  The mystery is how these tiny fish got by the dam unless they squirmed their way through tiny cracks between the timbers which formed the dam.

From there, they made their way to Lake Noquochoke, passing our home on their journey.

They all swam at the surface.  I used to sit above the creek on a bridge my friend and I built from trees, watching them as they passed.

I suspect that is why the lip on the top, to keep the lure at the surface.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

Wow! Thank you guys, very much! I like the idea of using the picture frame with mesh to hang some.

I had to let the camera batteries re-charge and have a few more to post. I put on my reading glasses and found writing on the fish shaped spoon:

"pflueger" then "Last word". One spoon had Alligator by Nickle Lure Vero beach Fl. Another spoon said Krocodile by Luhr Jensen. The old Mirrolure that Catt id'd has this on the bottom. What I thought was a C could be a 0, but a toothmark is right on it:

This one is very heavy, could not find any markings on it

more coming

[Fishing Cowgirl]

I had about 3 reels from Dad's tackle box. One I have on my spare flipping rod, which is an Ambassador. That thing will cast a very long distance, when I am pitching. The one above is a Shakespear with thick white line.

This box was in there with no lure, but it had some paperwork in it, I found interesting.

[RoLo]

Wow, this is a really KOOL post!

In your first image, I well remember the jointed eel located two lures up from the right corner.

My dad was not a very good bass angler but had an uncanny ability to catch chain pickerel,

and that funny-looking lure was his favorite. He called it an eel lure, and though I found nothing

on the Internet, I'm almost certain the commercial name was Jointed Eelet.

The lure in the lower right corner of your first image reminds me of a Phoebe,

although it looks wider than a phoebe. My dad, who was a tool & die maker,

tried to break into the lure business and built a coining die of a Phoebe knockoff.

We named his lure the Savage Minnow, and distributed them in New Jersey on consignment,

but it never got off the ground.

The hammered spoon on your first page resembles a Hopkins Spoon but it's probably a knockoff.

My dad passed in 1964, and its possible that my mom still has his tackle box.

I never even gave that a thought, but thanks to this post, I will now pursue that possibility.

Roger

[Catt]

I'm trying to remember the MirrOlure numbering system; the 52M is a Sinking Twitchbait but a floating model. The last number is the color code and appears to be either a 10 or 18. By elimination it appears to be the number 10 since the number 18 designates the color Green Back, White Belly, Silver Holographic.

The thick white line on the reel is either braided Cotton, Micron, or Dacron; all three were popular long before Spectra or Micro-Dyneema came along.

[crank4bass]

Really enjoyed the trip down memory lane.  I too discovered many lures in my grandfathers tackle box some years ago. My grandfather was Fred Young, famed for his creation of the "Big-O". His box was loaded of course with highly prized Big O's but he had many of the old lures you show here. Couldn't tell you much about them though I enjoy seeing them.

[Tokyo Tony]

It's always fascinating just thinking of these lures being used many years ago to catch fish that have long since passed, the ancestors of fish that are likely swimming around somewhere as I type this. Thanks for the pics and stories. What an absolute fluke that a large bass could be hooked through the lip of a smaller one!

[Fishing Cowgirl]

I want to thank all off you for your posts, they are very informative about the types of lures dad fished with and I am very glad it stirred some memories of your own.

Tokyo Tony, that big old gal had just the tail of the small bass sticking out of her mouth. She was hooked so good, deep down in her gullet, the small bass was removed only after they were fileting her. I wish I knew exactly how big she really was, but back then the men folks were just figuring out how many filiets she would have.

If the wind dies down some this weekend, I'll probably head to north cove in Lake Kissimmee, cast a few times and see if I come across a unusual looking lily pad root floating around.

[SkilletSizeBass.]

Thanks for sharing the memories and the cool pics Cowgirl

[Paul Roberts]

Very nice. I have my grandfather's Jitterbug. I never met him, but I remember my Dad catching the first bass I ever saw on it in the mid60s, and many more after -including one horse he hooked at night that sounded like a cow in the water! We never saw that fish, but we got our Jitterbug back! He gave it to me and I've caught a bunch on it. My son is next. It's hanging over my desk as I type...waiting.

I've had the opportunity to look through, and buy, several old timer's boxes. Amazing what some collectors will pay for certain lures.

That stick shaped one, if it's the one by the measuring tape, is a European lure called..."Eel-ie"...or something like that. Gosh I can't remember. I had one when I was 10.

If it's the spoon, it could be anything as many were made by small outfits and basement shops.

Thanks for sharing.

[Paul Roberts]

The one fish-shaped spoon in two of the pics might be an Al's Goldfish, or a Phoebe. Either way it's either a knock-off, or an early original. Hey, maybe the Al's was the knock-off  -who knows?? lol

Look at the hook hanger on that spoon. How cool is that! I can appreciate lure collecting when you start looking at details. But that kind of collecting pales compared to lures with memories attached.

[Paul Roberts]

Ahhh...while we're on the subject, I also have my maternal grandfather's fly reel -an old Pfleuger brass bird-cage. Dates from early last century. I still use it every now and then, just for kicks. Darn pretty reel.