I Will Buy Old Fishing Lures & Antique Tackle (Especially Lures Made in Indiana http://www.old-fishing-lures.com )

I buy old fishing lures and antique fishing tackle for my collection.   If you have any vintage fishing lures for sale, please send an email to indianatravis@gmail.com or visit http://www.indianafishinglures.com and contact me from that old fishing lure web site.

I like to buy lures that were made in Indiana, but I will buy other old lures as well.   Some Indiana lures I buy include Outing, Bite 'em, Staley-Johnson, Homarth, Creek Chub, South Bend, etc.

Skipper Bill Lure Made In Mars Hill, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Skipper Bill lure was produced in small quantities for a very short time during the 40-50s.  The lure was manufactured by the Mars Hill Wood Product Company at 3638 W. Troy Ave in Indianapolis, Indiana (Mars Hill area). 

The Mars Hill Wood Product Company produced pallets and furniture, but when orders were slow they would take the scraps and make clothes pins.   At some point they decided to use the scraps to make bobbers, then later the Mars Hill Skipper Bill lure.

These old Indiana wood lures measure approximately 2 3/4" and they are eerily similar to Homarth Near Surface Lures.  Apparently the accessories were more important to Homarth, as the metal "wings" of the Mars Hill lure are stapled to the side of the lure.

While the lures are rare, the boxes are even more elusive.....there are only 5 known to exist!

side view showing "wings" stapled to body

wood lure with painted eyes

EXTREMELY rare Mars Hill Skipper Bill Box

If you have any old or antique lures that were made in Indiana, please call me at 317-216-4331 or e-mail indianatravis@gmail.com

I collect any old fishing lures that were manufactured in Indiana.  Visit http://www.indianafishinglures.com/ for more information on Indiana-Made lures.

Indiana - Made Fishing Lures (Darby)

Here is a very neat wood lure made in Whiting, Indiana:

Antique Darby Fishing Lure (Whiting, Indiana)

This old Indiana lure was manufactured in the 1930s by T&M Dary or M.L. Darby.  The boxes are printed with T&M Darby, but the advertisements refer to M.L. Darby.  The hooks on this hoosier made lure rotate and can be "set" into 2 small holes in the body of the lure.  When a fish grabs the lure and pushes down on the 2 metal weed guards, a spring is activated, causing the hooks to spring out of the body (like a switch blade)!
If you have any antique fishing lures that were made in Indiana, please e-mail indianatravis@gmail.com

I collect any old fishing lures that were manufactured in Indiana.  Visit http://www.indianafishinglures.com/ for more information on Indiana-Made lures.

Hildebrandt Wood Lure (Old Indiana - Made Fishing Lure)

The Hildebrandt company in Logansport, Indiana has been making metal baits and spinner baits for years.  The company bought the inventory of my all-time favorite fishing lure (the Floyd's Buzzer) when the inventor, Pat Floyd  of Royal Center, Indiana, passed away about 10 years ago.     I'll post some information about that lure in the future.

But back to Hildebrandt.  Hildebrandt only made one catalogued wooden lure that I am aware of and here is a picture of that lure in  a box.

One day I purchased a box of old lures from a guy and the box contained several old wooden lures that were made in Indiana.  The box included this green lure that is remarkably similar to the Hildebrandt wooden lure.  See the pictures below:

The green lure I purchased has a scooped out area at the head and has a hook placed at the tail end compared to the normal Hildebrandt wood lure that has a full, rounded head and an under body wire and hook attachment.  However, these lures are nearly identical in size and shape (the green lure body and metal inserted lip are a tad wider), but it looks like if you hollowed out the head of the red lure, you'd have the same end product.

I believe this green lure could be a second wooden lure manufactured either by the Hayes Company of Indianapolis or Hildebrandt.  If you have any details on the green lure, please let me know.

If you have any antique Indiana - Made lures or tackle for sale or trade, please contact me at 317-216-4331 or indianatravis@gmail.com. 

I collect any old fishing lures that were manufactured in Indiana.  Visit http://www.indianafishinglures.com/ for more information on Indiana-Made lures.

****  Hoosier Made Fishing Lures   ****

Antique Indiana - Made Fishing Lures

page contents I collect old fishing lures that were made in Indiana and I will buy any odd fishing lures / baits that were made in Indiana.  Some of the lures I collect are:
Skipper Bill by the Mars Hill Bait Company, Lure Made in Indianapolis (Mars Hill, Indiana)

Outing Getum Lures (Feather Getum, Porky Getum, Du Getum, Bassey Getum, Pikey Getum), Made in Elkhart, IN

Outing Pikey Getum Lure

Outing Bassey Getum

Dewey's Feather Getum Box (very rare)

Staley - Johnson Twin Minns and Staley - Johnson Honey Lures, Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Staley - Johnson Twin Minn

Bite 'Em Baits, Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Bite 'Em Bait

Homarth Near Surface Lures, Made in Indianapolis, IN

Homarth Near Surface Lure

Josephs or Homarth Doodlebugs, Made in Jasper, IN and Indianapolis, IN (respectively)

Collection of Doodle Bugs

Please e-mail me at indianatravis@gmail.com or call 317-216-4331 if you have any of these old Indiana lures for sale.  I will be posting pictures of other odd Indiana baits soon.

I collect any vintage / old fishing lures that were manufactured in Indiana.  Visit http://www.indianafishinglures.com/ for more information on Indiana-Made lures.