June 2013
Bass Oreno (red, white, and blue color)
South Bend Bait Co
South Bend, IN
Early 1920s
The end of May brings Memorial Day and the Bass Fishing Opener in Minnesota. This year, I will be hitting the lake with my brother, Bruce. To celebrate this, the Lure Of The Month for June will be a patriotic version of the Bass Oreno!! More on this later….
In 1915, a fishing lure manufacturer obtained the rights to a lure invented by a man named Jim Olds. They called this lure the “Wobbler” for a very brief time…then changed the name to “Bass Oreno” as there were already several lures with the “Wobbler” name on the market. “Oreno” is said to mean “attractive, alluring, or beautiful”.
Little did South Bend Bait know at the time…they just obtained the rights to a lure that will be their #1 seller and one of the best fish catchers of all time….
If you know anything about lures or have fished earlier than 1985…you HAD to have heard of the Bass Oreno. Yes, it is still being made today and it will soon celebrate its 100 year anniversary, but I admit it is not near as popular now as it used to be.
My family has used the Bass Oreno for years. The key to taking advantage of this fish catching lure is to reel it in slow. You want the lure to just break the surface of the water, causing it to have a very unique and erratic darting action in the water. Believe me, this lure catches fish.
Probably about 40 years ago (give or take a few years), a young boy caught his first HUGE large-mouthed bass on this lure. This boy was my older brother, Bruce. Now you know why I selected this as my Lure Of The Month.
Now, what is special about the red, white, and blue Bass Oreno? Well, this color was only made for a short time and was made to celebrate the victory and end of “The Great War”…which later was called World War I. Another reason why this is a good LOTM.
What is the value of the Bass Oreno? Well, it depends. Being it was available for so many years and the huge popularity of the lure…there are a lot of Bass Orenos out there. This brings the value down. Most Bass Orenos, even though old, can sell for $15 or less.
However, some of them, like the original red/white/blue Bass Oreno can sell for much more. This color can sell for $200 and up due to their rarity. Even a "beater" like the one pictured has value.
I think it is safe to say that I won’t be using this original color for fishing anytime soon….
On a side note, Luhr Jensen (who now makes the Bass Oreno) did celebrate the red/white/blue color by re-releasing it in the 1990s (which is clearly marked). Please be aware of this if you think you found one of the originals!
