May 2018
“Deebottom” Scratcher
D and S. Bait Company
Mountain Home, AR
1950s
Are you a real outdoor man who likes to rough it? Do you want a bait that gets ‘em and that will snag them for you? How about a bait that has set a record in all the years it has been used that it has never lost its catch – even though held in the sportsman’s hand? Well, then you need to give this lure a fair trial as it is guaranteed to get the “lunkers that hug the bottom”.
Does all of this sound too good to be true as all of these claims are taken right off the box that holds the bait? When the box is opened, the fisherman will be quite amused to see that this bait is only a piece of dried corn cob, shelled, with hooks on it. That is when you realize the “bottom” and “lunkers” they are referring to are not fish and are…well…I don’t feel I need to explain it anymore. If you don’t understand, maybe you need to research what shelled corn cobs could be used for before indoor plumbing and toilet paper was more available. Yes, you got it…cobs and old Sears and Roebuck Catalogs had other uses that were greatly needed in the country in the ol’ days.
Of course, this was not intended to be a serious bait, but was sold or given away free to farmers purchasing seed from local feed stores to amuse customers. This box, as well as others that I have seen, have a stamp on the bottom showing who supplied this bait to the public. This one was supplied by Canton Feed Store from Canton, South Dakota. I guess this joke sounds fitting to a place named after Canton, China as early residents thought their new town was on the exact opposite side of the world.
The lure really has no value, even to collectors, as you could easily make one. The value is in the lure in the box, as not many of these original boxes survived being handed around from person to person for a laugh.
For over half a century, this box has been amusing folks who come across it. However, I have yet to grasp this bait and apply it to catch a real “lunker”.
