The Art of the Lure with Elissa Ruddick: The Fred Arbogast Spin-Tail Kicker

The lure that turned a hobby into a business for Akron, Ohio resident Fred Arbogast was his Spin-tail Kicker. His first commercial advertisement, which featured the Weedless version Spin-tail Kicker, ran in the June 1926 issue of Hunting and Fishing magazine. This ad, along with the lure’s ability to catch fish, would be the catalyst Fred needed to become one of Americas, as well as the worlds, most recognizable names in the fishing lure industry. Being a fisherman himself, he invented lures to overcome specific problems he had encountered while fishing various conditions in waters all over North America. He officially formed the Fred Arbogast Company in Akron, Ohio in 1928.





Fred would go on to invent many other famous fish catching lures to include the Tin Liz, Weedless Kicker, Hawaiian Wiggler, Jitterug and the Hula Popper; but the little lure that started it all, was the Spin-tail Kicker!

If you have any questions/comments, Elissa Ruddick can be reached at elissaruddick AT aol DOT com.

— Elissa Ruddick

1000 Words

1000 Words

This week we have a picture ad from a 1947 Hunting & Fishing magazine featuring the Fred Arbogast Jitterbug. Photographs have been used for tackle ads for a number of decades by this time; we've featured some nice ones including this Bristol-Horton ad from 1921 and this South Bend ad from 1930.

Although color photography was available in the nineteenth century, and Lumiere Autochrome was used by some photographers in the 1910s and 1920s, it was Kodak's Kodachrome that offered color photography up to the masses. Introduced first on 8mm film in 1935, it was not until 1941 when you could order color prints made using Kodachrome film. Of course the war dampened that process, but by 1947--when these three dapper anglers posed for their photo with their Jitterbugs--color photography was widely available. It would soon change photography, and tackle advertising, forever.



-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Arden Baker

Fred Arbogast is a subject I have been thinking about lately, as I am pondering writing a book of essays on aspects of this firm's interesting history. Arbogast was always a company in the news, and thanks in large part to both Fred and his company successor Dick Kotis, they had a very friendly relationship with the press. Here is a piece illustrating that from the 1969 The Fort Pierce (FL) News Tribune, written by long-time OWAA scribe Arden Baker. Check out the plea for early glass-eyed Hawaiian Wigglers!

Tight Lines
by Arden Baker
Free Offer for Wiggler Skirts
Historians tell us this is the 35th birthday of a famed fishing lure known as the "Number 2 Hawaiian Wiggler," first created by an Ohio Bass fisherman, Fred Arbogast. In celebration of the event, the Arbogast Company is offering free rubber skirts for Hawaiian Wigglers everywhere. Already the Arbogast Company has turned out more than 100 million such skirts, more than those worn by hula dancers in all the history of the Hawaiian Islands.

Any fisherman needing a free new rubber skirt for his Hawaiian Wiggler is invited to write to Dick Kotis, President, Fred Arbogast Company, 313 West North Street, Akron, Ohio, 44303.

Meanwhile, old-time anglers who own one of the early models of this famous lure should take a second look at that antique fish catcher. A few of the earliest ones had glass eyes. And Kotis would like to talk fishing with any one who might still have such an antique. Happy birthday to Hawaiian Wigglers everywhere.

I can still remember the only time I ever saw Fred Arbogast. A fishing friend and I were drifting along a wooded shoreline of Turkeyfoot Lake, south of Akron, Ohio. All we had to show for a busy morning of casting were two sorry little bass of about two pounds each. Now this sounds like the sort o£ catches they make on some of the hard fished lakes up there in these modem times. But the year was 1931 and there were still seme good bass in Turkeyfoot Lake.

Coming from the opposite direction were two fishermen in another boat, and as they got fairly close one of them reared bacback on his rod and was into a nice bass. And then we recognized the angler as Fred Arbogast. At the time he was using one of his famous "Tin Liz" lures. The lure was made in the shape of a small shiner minnow, the minnow body being cast of lead and molded onto the hook. There was a flap tail attached to the bend of the hook. To me the only virtue of this lure was that it could be cast a country mile, and it sailed through the air like a bullet. But I'm sad to say I could not catch fish with it. The last one I owned is lying on the bottom of some lake somewhere up in the north country.

But we were polite and asked how the fishing had been for them and Fred held up a nice string of bass running from two to four pounds. And they'd caught them on the Tin Liz! We tied the boats together and had a gab fest while we ate our lunches, and then separated and went our ways. Partner and I put on our Tin Liz lures and fished them as hard as we could, and you know what we wound up the day with? Those same two sorry bass!

-- Dr. Todd

Back from Vacation...and A New Book on Fred Arbogast!

I have returned from vacation to discover many orders for my new book, The History of the Fish Hook in America, Vol. I, and have been exceedingly happy with the results to date.

I also nearly got arrested for trying to fish at Walt Disney World in Orlando. I am in the process of writing up my experiences in a story I call "There's No Fishing in the Magic Kingdom." Look for it next week!

Finally, while I was gone, a new book has been published on Fred Arbogast. "The Fred Arbogast Story" was written by Scott Heston, author of a 2005 work "Ohio Made Fishing Lures and Tackle." I will try and get a copy in the coming weeks and post a review. For those interested, the book can be found at:

http://www.ohiolures.net/

Glad to be back and will work hard to update the blog on a daily basis.

--Dr. Todd