Human beings have been catching fish to eat since the beginning of our creation. Our brains became more developed over time and we began making tools. Time went on and we started devising more intricate trade items used for different purposes. This is why so many antique fishing lures exist today. They are collected by many these days because they are not made like they used to be.
Something similar to baits was something called fish decoys which actually do still last today. They were used for catching fish in frozen over bodies of water, most commonly in lakes. A hole is cut into the ice, a fish comes and it is hopefully caught by the fisherman with a spear.
These were commonly hand crafted from wood and can be worth hundreds today in good condition. They were normally painted to mimic the look of real fish and attached was something called a jig stick. The jig stick was basically a cross section of two wooden sticks attached with a string to the decoy that was used to move the fish around as if it were alive.
Determining factors which assign value to the different types of decoys are obviously the materials used and the name of the maker. If a signature is present, the value increasingly goes up depending on the person who made it and how skillful they were in their trade. Although this tool is not used so much these days because rods are so accessible to people, some people still enjoy using them and it will always be in existence.
The more mainstream way to fish however has always been with bait and a rod. In the past, people were highly skilled in their trades taking great pride in their work. This produced many quality items that have become rare and highly collectible today. Most of them came painted, but sometimes they were left alone with the original medium showing.
The availability of materials was not the same in those times. Aluminum was known as a precious metal because the smelting process was not as refined as it is today and had a high cost of production. That is the reason so many people used aluminum for its rarity, although there was a period particular governments disallowed the use of it with fishing supplies for that very reason.
Believe it or not, the first bait makers were actually jewelers. This was very common as it they easily brought their skills over. They knew what materials were good to use such as wood, cork, animal hair and plastics. The jewelers of the time were normally proud of the items they produced and would apply their brand name to all of their pieces.
The higher end models known back in the day are now worth thousands of dollars. Something to keep in mind when collecting these is that a lure by itself is essentially only half of the item. If the original box accompanies the lure, it is like having a complete item and is worth much more all together. Collecting antique fishing lures can be a very fulfilling hobby because there are so many things to take into consideration as we as having items crafted with utmost care and skill.
Something similar to baits was something called fish decoys which actually do still last today. They were used for catching fish in frozen over bodies of water, most commonly in lakes. A hole is cut into the ice, a fish comes and it is hopefully caught by the fisherman with a spear.
These were commonly hand crafted from wood and can be worth hundreds today in good condition. They were normally painted to mimic the look of real fish and attached was something called a jig stick. The jig stick was basically a cross section of two wooden sticks attached with a string to the decoy that was used to move the fish around as if it were alive.
Determining factors which assign value to the different types of decoys are obviously the materials used and the name of the maker. If a signature is present, the value increasingly goes up depending on the person who made it and how skillful they were in their trade. Although this tool is not used so much these days because rods are so accessible to people, some people still enjoy using them and it will always be in existence.
The more mainstream way to fish however has always been with bait and a rod. In the past, people were highly skilled in their trades taking great pride in their work. This produced many quality items that have become rare and highly collectible today. Most of them came painted, but sometimes they were left alone with the original medium showing.
The availability of materials was not the same in those times. Aluminum was known as a precious metal because the smelting process was not as refined as it is today and had a high cost of production. That is the reason so many people used aluminum for its rarity, although there was a period particular governments disallowed the use of it with fishing supplies for that very reason.
Believe it or not, the first bait makers were actually jewelers. This was very common as it they easily brought their skills over. They knew what materials were good to use such as wood, cork, animal hair and plastics. The jewelers of the time were normally proud of the items they produced and would apply their brand name to all of their pieces.
The higher end models known back in the day are now worth thousands of dollars. Something to keep in mind when collecting these is that a lure by itself is essentially only half of the item. If the original box accompanies the lure, it is like having a complete item and is worth much more all together. Collecting antique fishing lures can be a very fulfilling hobby because there are so many things to take into consideration as we as having items crafted with utmost care and skill.
