Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 20
PENNSYLVANIA TACKLE
EARLY PENNSYLVANIA LURE MAKERS
by Alex Zidock Jr.
photos by the author
T
he town of Dowagiac, Michigan, sprang up in about
1831 when William Renesten dammed the Dowagiac
Creek and made Mill Pond to harness energy for his
mill. About 50 years later, James Heddon tossed a handmade
fishing lure into Mill Pond and caught several fish.
His " Dowagiac Casting Bait " is credited with being the first
commercially successful fishing bait sold in the United States.
The Heddon company is still producing fishing lures. " I've
collected other things, " said Larry Ott, Northampton County,
" But, what fascinated me about fishing lures is the history.
And, there's a rich history of lure makers right here in
Pennsylvania. From tinkerers to major manufacturers, some
have changed the course of fishing history. "
Ott is a retired biology teacher, fly angler, and for 30 years,
an avid collector and curator of fishing tackle. His extensive
collection enhances his primary residence and spills over
into a spacious outbuilding, where walls are covered with an
assortment of categorized lures. There are also many boxes
and stacks of lures on the floor and in filing cabinets, waiting
for his attention.
" The Yale reels were made in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, in
the 1920s. They all have a unique, utilitarian tulip design on
20
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater
their sides. They also manufactured several bigger saltwater
reels, " said Ott.
" Another old Strasburg company was the Pequea
Company. They date back probably to the early teens or 20s,
and they made many wooden plug-type lures. They made a
lure called a Quillbee. It had some weight on it, and it had a
feathery tail. They were manufactured up to the early 1950s, "
said Ott.
Larry Ott, collector and curator of fishing tackle, shows a reel
made by the York Company, Lancaster County, with unique tulip
design side cutouts to aid in drying old silk fly lines.
fishandboat.com
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024
Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - Cover1
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - Cover2
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 4
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 5
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 6
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 7
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 8
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 9
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 10
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 11
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 12
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 13
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 15
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 16
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 18
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - 48
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - Cover3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2024 - Cover4
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