I have a dirty little secret... I have kept it hidden for years and it is only now that I am able to unreel it. I collect fishing lures. I know, I know, it is not a very lady like thing to do... but they are so unique and may even catch me that big fish I am dreaming about....
How can you resist these beauties?
*These are my Cisco Kids.
*These are French Mepps, they can very moody...I have never caught a fish on these. I did catch a turtle on a small one though... He asked for a cigarette and spit in my eye.
*This is a 1967 Sockeye charger. It is 4 years older than me.
*This one is a mystery to me. I haven't seen another like it. It only says Paw paw on the metal lip and is made of light weight wood. It has the sharpest treble hooks I have ever seen though, so I have to keep them covered to save my fingers.
*These are floating Finland Rapalas.
*Sorry this is dark, but a dozen tries were all filled with glare. These are Dare Devles... can you make out the tiny devil faces?
*These are my big honken lures. The silver one is a Tony Accetta Pet and the one on the right is also a Daredevle, but with out a face. Someone carved an E and O on it.
*This is one of my favorites. Big John!! Isn't he the loveliest shade of pink?
So there you have it. My secret unreeled. If anyone knows anything about Lures I would love to hear from you!
What's your dirty little secret?
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Comments: 69
Thanks for sharing!
I catch most everything on waxies and night crawlers ;-)
My Mother always went fishing with my Father, and always bought a license. While she sat nearby with a good book or sketch pad, he chased two set ups.
I love your collection and remarks.
I used to go fishing all the time with my dad and grandpa as a kid too. I even remember having my own fishing rod, but you are too cool with all these lures. My favorite of yours is "Big John"! I only remember my favorite way to go crabbing, which a string a rope and a raw chicken leg!
fresh water yes...
Cool Mandi.
love ya
Momy
I love fishing, and now I live on a riverbank. I don't fish now, but late in the summer when the snow melt is finished and the river is low and slow, we can sit on the bank and watch the fish.
Which reminds me, yet again, that I have a story I keep meaning to share about fish...*checking the time*
Anyway, thank you so much for sharing your collection. I really enjoyed it. :)
You should check on-line or at a fishing show to get a better idea of the value of some of those old lures. There are websites that deal with just that. Unfortunately, for me, my lures don't survive my fishing tactics and get old, they just get beaten up or become ornaments in the trees. I agree with you about the Mepps....too snooty for the common fish.
When I was a kid, my grandfather used to take me to his office once in awhile. His office was inside an ice cream factory, which in itself was pretty cool, but the best part was his "book" collection.
He had this bookshelf that somehow had become filled with fake books. They looked like hardcover books and I think they even had silly titles embossed on them. But the really cool part was that they were really little gift boxes and when you opened them they were filled with about 10 really bizarre looking fishing lures.
If I was good, I got to pick one of the books. You would have killed for some of those lures.
No I do not have the Deadly Dick!! I have to get one now!
I like the earing ideas but I will have to switch hooks... ewwwww.
I hope I see some stories out of all this!
Mandi Thank you for sharing this with us!
one guy was throwing his cig butts in the lake.. I calmly asked him to stop. he said whY? I said, becuase it pollutes the water and the fish could get sick. he said, really? ok.
So maybe I converted someone.
I don't collect them per se, but have a lot in my tackle box. My faves are Gotcha! lures, made for saltwater and a great way to hook spanish mackerels here on the Gulf coast. Rapala lures are great, and I've caught bluefish and redfish on them, even though they're meant for fresh-water fishing. My best success was one that had rattles inside. I cast once and hooked a hungry bluefish. Now that I've got mobility issues under control I'm going fishing the first chance I get, even though hurricane Ivan tore down the drive-on fishing bridge across Pensacola Bay. [sigh] There are still walk-on piers, so we'll go there.
It's nice to meet a fellow lady fisherman. Love your tale about getting the guy to stop tossing his ciggie butts in the lake. You go, lady!!
I've always tried to make the place where I fish cleaner than when I got there. I'm proud of you doing so too! [must be the mom genes in us] ;-)
I have been stuck a few times, but nothing serious ;-)
I don't fish but that's such a great collection! Like Nancy said, you have taken something of no interest to me and have made me fascinated by all of the colors and shapes! Seems like a very fun collection!
:)
L.
I don't actively collect them as a hobby anymore, but I have made myself a nice little rubber band ball for those spare rubber bands I find lying around...
I love fishing lures, but don't collect. They remind me of my grandpa, who would have been jealous of your collection. He had several tackle boxes full of lures and flies and they were all lovely and colorful. I'm not sure which ones he actually used, but they all looked to be new or hardly used. I loved the ones that were segmented, painted and looked like small fish. He had a couple that looked like small frogs.
Great secret hobby Mandi.