February 2018
CastJet
The CastJet Co
Sanborn, MN
1960s
The following Lure Of The Month was sent to me back in March of 2016 from a visitor to my website (thanks Jon!). He had acquired a tackle box that had several of these lures in it.
I had seen this lure before, but the address and manufacturer were different than what I was familiar with. Also, the address had a zip code, which shows that it was sold in 1963 or later (the zip code was introduced in the USA on July 1st, 1963).
The original “Cast Jet” was made by a company started by Erlind Hovde in Westby, WI. His company, Hovde Enterprises, distributed this lure on a large paper card that held 6 lures in plastic cases with cardboard backs. To purchase a lure, you just slide it off the paper card to get your individually “bubble pack” containing the plug. Hovde sold the Cast Jet from 1940 to 1948.
The 3” deep diving lure featured a hole cut all the way through the middle of the plug. This caused water turbulence as it was retrieved which, of course, attracted fish. The only color I have seen available was white with a red head.
After 1948…the lure was no longer sold by Hovde….
What happened after that…I am not sure….
It appears that sometime later, in the 1960s or 70s, someone in Sanborn, Minnesota bought a pile of these lures that were manufactured but were never sold. They used the same bubble packaging, but changed the cardboard in the back to use the new Minnesota address. Also, the lure was now called the “Castjet” (all one word). The back of the lure packaging still claimed to be “the newest plug on its kind”.
If anyone has any history of this plug and the transition from Hovde Enterprises to The Castjet Co, please let me know!
