1916 -- The Moonlight “Bug”
Today's ad comes from the May 1916 issue of The National Sportsman. Several things strike me about this ad and the accompanying write-up by Dixie Carroll. A sign of the times is that the bait is described as “very light” yet it weighs 3/4 of an ounce. The bait comes in six colors and is priced at 50 cents with a complete set of all six colors available for a mere $2.50.
I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I find it difficult to imagine that one could come up with a lure any more homely than the "BUG". As we all know the most important thing about a manufactured lure is that fishermen will buy it. Fish catching abilities come in second to this first priority. I have been attending antique lure shows for more than 25 years and looking through old tackle boxes longer than that and can say that unless my experience is unusual, the "BUG" is a very scarce lure. It may have caught fish but my guess is that it did not catch fishermen!
-- Bill Sonnett
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