Fishing Lure 1886

Cantstopdigging · Sep 5, 2018

Hello Forum,

I found what I believe to be a Hendryx American Spinner Metal lure. Patented Aug. 10, 1886. Does anyone know of a good lure Restoration company? Thanks for looking!

deerhuntinghippie · Sep 5, 2018

I would have never thought lures were being made that long ago. Crazy.

A2coins · Sep 5, 2018

that iz reslly cool I have found those Big O wooden ones nothing that old

arrow86 · Sep 5, 2018

That’s a cool find , what’s it made from? I wonder f these were ever replicated later on?

Hawks88 · Sep 5, 2018

Nice save. Congrats

Cantstopdigging · Sep 5, 2018

I really don't know what it's made of. It rang up like a nickel on my ACE 250. These go for $129.00 in good condition. I would love to have it repaired.

dig deeper now · Sep 5, 2018

Use a good line and see if it catches fish, pan fish perch- blue gills, just a thought, Being that old maybe not- worth a try- worked then why not now. Super fishing lure--- HAPPY HUNTING

bologna321 · Sep 5, 2018

Go to walmart and look in the trout fishing section at rooster tail or mepps spinners. You might be able to get parts of those that might be close

Eu_citzen · Sep 5, 2018

As someone who likes fishing that is beyond cool!

Shakakka · Sep 5, 2018

Can you imagine what fishing must've been like back then? Probably like metal detecting was back in 1965.

Reanm8er · Sep 5, 2018

Fish in amongst a group of fly fishermen using corn. That's the look he probably got.

Hillbilly Prince · Sep 5, 2018

Not sure I would restore it. Some things that would make worthless.

gunsil · Sep 5, 2018

Shakakka said:
Can you imagine what fishing must've been like back then? Probably like metal detecting was back in 1965.

Fishing was a lot better back then, there were still millions more fish around than there are today and they weren't any smarter then than now. People have been using fishing lures for thousands of years. I didn't start detecting until 1970 but detecting was a WHOLE LOT better then even with BFO detectors with no discrimination. In my county all sites were virgin, nobody knew what we were doing, and nobody cared. Permission was a lot easier to obtain. I probably dug more good stuff from 1970-1976 than in all the years since then simply because there was more good stuff still in the ground.

Regarding "restoring" that lure remember there was no stainless steel back then so parts from modern lures would not do the trick. Stainless steel was not available for commercial use until the end of WW1.