Walk into any mall or antique store today and you will see evidence of the growing interest in collecting fishing lures, tackle and other fishing gear.

Today, we see that the price and value of the rarest antique fishing tackle increases as more and more unique fishing tackle is discovered. More and more old people are downsizing and gems can be found.

What values ​​are we talking about?

According to Carl F. Luckey, author of “Old Fishing Lures and Tackle, Identification and Value Guide,” “Consider the 3-inch Snake Tin Liz lure produced by Arbogast circa 1933. Today it can cost anywhere from $ 200 to $ 300. The 2- inch Airex Spinner, on the other hand, manufactured by Airex Bait Company in 1948, is valued at less than $ 5.

“As for the reels,” Luckey wrote, “Abbie and Imbria’s Lakeside in 1946 is worth around $ 10 to $ 20, but a Bivan’s Mfg. Company Arnold Fly Reel, 1955 costs around $ 20 to $ 30. “

“The types of decoys that have appeared on the road range from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the ineffective to the explosively successful fisherman. Thousands of fishing collectibles are available in the market, such as hooks and harnesses, tackle boxes, lures, rods and reels. Scarcity, demand, condition, and age determine the value of fishing collectibles.

According to Karl White, author of “Fishing Tackle Antiques and Collectibles”, “The older the item, the more it is worth, because the older it is, the less there is. In simple terms, supply and demand come into play. Some lures from the 1920s and 1930s, made for a short time, are quite rare and valuable, others made in the 1940s through the 1970s are also valuable.

Where to find them

Try out old general stores in your area, especially storerooms and basements. Many treasures ended up on dusty storage shelves. Anywhere hardware has been sold for over 40 or 50 years. Online Collector Exchange Tables. Garage sales and flea markets are good places, although in some flea markets a few people think that old items are very marketable and the prices can be very disproportionate. Explore malls and antique stores and make comparisons.

At Sarah’s Uniques and Jim’s “Tick Man” Antique Mall, St. Charles, owner Jim Kieffer tells us, “We have several different fishing reels, including Pflueger and Shakespeare reels from around $ 5 to around $ 35, and a variety of lures for everyone. Some are in boxes and many are just very old and collectable ranging from $ 2 to $ 40. We also have the spools. We also have a great selection of minnow buckets and what is now a very collectable item, fishing spears. Fishing spears are a unique collector’s item, as there are many different sizes and styles, as well as some very old and unique designs. spears cost between $ 20 and $ 100, depending on the style and condition. “

“The really interesting thing about old tackle tackles is that each of them is still usable today, even though some are over a hundred years old,” said Brad Sissel, Old River Valley salesperson. Antique Mall, in Stewartville. Lures can range from $ 2 to over $ 100. Vintage reels can range from $ 10 apiece and regular fishing rods mostly cost less than $ 30, but split bamboo rods cost around $ 80 to $ 100. $, and my collectible fish spears usually cost less than $ 30, with fish lures in the same price range.

Lure collector – and manufacturer

Wayne Carrigan, a collector, also enjoys the art of making decoys. He owns Root River Lures in Chatfield.

“We have a lot of decoys prepared and ready to go at shows and on the Root River Lures website, Facebook, emails and phone calls from regular customers,” he said. “I also have quite a few custom orders of lures that I make that cannot be purchased off-the-shelf. An example of a custom lure is, when fishing in certain Canadian provinces, you have to use only one barbless hook. A client from Ohio had a very specific lure which was a large barbless stainless steel hook attached with multiple squirrel tail colors to mimic some of the bait fish in the lake he was fishing. lures that mimicked perch, whitefish and grayling. He was looking for northern northern pike. “