Weird Fishing Lure Thingy -- An Attachment??

[mlw67]

A while back someone gave me a bunch of old wooden fishing lures to sell online.

I went through and researched them as best I could, and even bought a book on lures. Most of them in that batch I had were made by small tackle companies in the Seattle area, circa 1930s and 40s. One of those companies was "Martin".

This weird lure thingy here is marked "MARTIN" and came from that same batch, so it is probably also from circa 1930s to 40s. I'm wondering what it is? My best guess is that it was an attachment for an existing lure to give it more hooks?!? Is that right? I never saw anything like that in the lure book or online or anything. At least, I didn't see it. If that is right, is there a particular name for such a device? Or is it for something else entirely?

The interior is hollow, and open to that 'clamp'-looking device there on the end with the spring-loaded pincers.

The plastic part measures 1.5" long.

Thanks for looking.

 

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[EDDE]

a top water poper the pincers hold a live or dead frog in place ,string goes over its back,the hooks go behind the legs

 

[Diggincoinz]

It looks to me like the front where you tie your line on is the "diver" part, it allows it to dive down into the water with the pressure against it it gets forced down into the water.
Where the metal extends? Maybe it's missing the body to the lure?

Also, why isn't it rusted a bit, the metal looks clean and new. Even if it were from the 30's or so I think it should have some discoloring?

The strings with hooks, most likely "trailers" used to entice strikes from larger fish. Minnows will follow some other fish and makes for a very attractive bait for fish looking to eat.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI, Agree on the froggie thingie. Dig is essentially correct, except that the blades are fashioned to force the lure to the surface, not down.

A frog is most vulnerable while on the surface swimming, so it either gets out of the water or dives to the bottom where it can hide. If there is no apparent danger it may just float on the surface since a static object doesn't attract a fish very readily.

This lure is designed to keep the pore froggie on the surface, apparently swimming.

Sort a reminds me of towing a diver on a diving plane in shark waters hehehehe.

Tropical Tramp

 

[EDDE]

a top water poper the pincers hold a live or dead frog in place ,string goes over its back,the hooks go behind the legs

Right on the money.

Doc

 

[diggummup]

Good id dekalb.I guess you could also attach a live shiner to it instead of a frog if you wanted to.The pinchers would go through the eyes of the shiner.However it was more than likely designed with a frog in mind ,at least with that hook set up.A different rigging on the string and hooks could provide a better set up for Golden Shiners.
Anybody have much luck using frogs for bait on Bass? I've never tried.Except maybe a plastic one a time or two in the past.Live wild shiners are the best natural Largemouth Bass bait in my experience.I know you can use frogs for Bass,just never had access to many live frogs,except bullfrogs.I guess frogs would be good for Muskies or maybe Pike though huh? They got "Peacock Bass" down here now in the wild,I know they would eat a frog on the surface in a hearbeat.Cool lure.Good job dekalb.

 

[Tabfry]

I do a bit of river fishing here in Western Washington. The item you have there looks to me to be an old version of a bait diver. The main fishing line would attach to the small loop on the sloped end of the object. Then, natural bait like cut herring or sandshrimp would somehow be attached to the larger wire hoop. The hooks would then get embedded into the bait. We use newer versions of this type of gear while fishing from a drift boat. You let out the line in the current and that current brings the bait into the deeper (6-10 feet) holes. Works well for steelhead, Coho, Kings,...

 

[Tabfry]

Here are a couple of newer bait divers.

 

[diggummup]

Bait divers,we call them planers(poor mans downrigger) down here,good for (smokers)King Mackerel.It's not that for sure.No weight anywhere on said object.It's exactly what dekalb said it is.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

[diving doc Dig is essentially correct, except that the blades are fashioned to force the lure to the surface, not down.
*****************HI Doc, i ah er havea simple exerient inmind---ae yu still qualified/
OOPS! I mis read the illustration, it 'IS' down, sniff. OK apol. Diggum , the location of the line attachment and the blades make it a diver.

Wanna help me wth my experiment with a shark and Doc on a diving plane?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sort a reminds me of towing a diver on a diving plane in shark waters hehehehe.
******
Why tow the wee thing? Good to eat are they says me.
*****************

Hi: err, ah, Doc are you still qualified? I have a simple experiment in mind----. But will me yer books and tapes first, ok?

EL Tropical Tramp

 

[mlw67]

Ahhhhh....for attaching live bait--of course! That makes so much more sense than attaching it to a lure. I wonder why I didn't think of that.

Thanks for the help everyone! It is much appreciated.

As to the age of the piece, it is almost certainly that old since all of the other lures that came with this one were from a very narrow range of years from the late 1930s to the early 1940s--and many of them were still mint in the boxes with instructions and everything. The fact that it is in good shape doesn't tell anything about it's age.

 

[diggummup]

[diving doc Dig is essentially correct, except that the blades are fashioned to force the lure to the surface, not down.
*****************HI Doc, i ah er havea simple exerient inmind---ae yu still qualified/
OOPS! I mis read the illustration, it 'IS' down, sniff. OK apol. Diggum , the location of the line attachment and the blades make it a diver.

Wanna help me wth my experiment with a shark and Doc on a diving plane?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sort a reminds me of towing a diver on a diving plane in shark waters hehehehe.
******
Why tow the wee thing? Good to eat are they says me.
*****************

Hi: err, ah, Doc are you still qualified? I have a simple experiment in mind----. But will me yer books and tapes first, ok?

EL Tropical Tramp

OOPS! Your right! I can see that now.It is a diving type lure.Still made to attach natural (live or dead) bait to.Sorry Tabfry,didn't mean to sound like a jerk.Jose-You think we can talk him into it? HE-HE-HE-HE!

 

[Tabfry]

Sorry Tabfry,didn't mean to sound like a jerk.

Didn't mean to? What, it just comes naturally? Kidding...no offence taken.

 

[Bassfish]

Wiggle that thing a little further over here to the left, we'll see if it's a bass lure then.

Frog is to Bass as Prime Rib is to Guy Holding the Bass!!

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

=diggummup ]
,didn't mean to sound like a jerk
****************

0---------5th -------------0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.Jose-You think we can talk him into it? HE-HE-HE-HE!
***********

Yes, just appeal to his ego and he will follow, just like gollum dig after a gal.

El Tropical Tramp

 

[rck_1]

I agree this is for holding some sort of live bait but, its not a frog.

its illegal to use any kind of live frog for fishing.

 

[EDDE]

so is fishing for muskies with baby ducklings
but back in the day they did it
so they prolly used them(frogs) back then also think 70 years ago

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

=so is fishing for muskies with baby ducklings
but back in the day they did it
so they prolly used them(frogs) back then also think 70 years ago
*******
Also live worms, small fish etc. etc., still do for game fish, active predators. It was common to stake out a live goat for Tigers to kill, then while the tiger was eating, shoot it.

In olden Egypt it was not unknown to stake out an older useless slave for this for Lions, particularly where they were troubled by man eaters.

Man isn't noted for being very humane even today.

Ex. Michelle still will not appear in red skivies.

Tropical Tramp

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Doc , about el diggum's and my experiment ?

Tropical Tramp

 

[lordmarcovan]

Totally off-topic, but your "pic isnt me-but I make that face when I find stuff" lady cracks me up.