March 2010
River Runt Spook Floater
James Heddon's Sons
Dowagiac, MI
1939 - 1980s
It is hard to believe, but this month is the one year anniversary of my website.
So, what lure do I chose for the “Lure of the Month” on the anniversary? Well, how about the lure that started it all for me as a “lure collector”. The Heddon River Runt Spook Floater…in the color of green crawdad.
I bought this lure new sometime in the late 1970s…I would guess. The lure worked great for bass and northern pike…and I found myself using it all the time.
Sometime in the early 1980s, my father, who farmed, went to a local auction sale. At the sale, I noticed some lures for sale. With those lures were 4 River Runts in different colors from what I had. I told my dad I wanted to bid on them…and got them at a very cheap price. Soon I was buying a few different lures at sales too, mainly for fishing.
Then, not too much later…I lost my green crawdad River Runt to a large fish. I was bummed to lose my favorite lure, but thought it would be easy to replace. To my surprise, I could not find this lure color…let alone the lure at any tackle shop I went too. I heard “Heddon” was now owned by PRACO, so I wrote them. I got a response back saying they no longer made this lure.
I started thinking about old lures that were no longer made…and even wondered more about some of the old wooden and metal lures that I now owned from sales I attended. Pretty soon I was looking for any “cool” lure I could find.
My collection is not the “best” or the “most valuable” when it comes to collections. But, it is my collection and the thoughts of a young man seeking lures and knowledge of these lures hold many great memories for me. For years, my collection was kept secret. Now I enjoy sharing my lures, stories, and knowledge with anyone that wants to listen.
