Joe Pepper was a true innovator, inventor, and sportsman in the world or lure manufacturing. He starting selling lures commercially around 1900 and had many variations of his baits. Many of his wooden baits are not hard to find and are very sought after by collectors.
The Roman Spider is a classic bait made by Pepper. It features a notched head and a vibrant color design. It also has string legs attached to its large round body in order to imitate a bug more in the water.
There are many versions of this lure. Some thinner, some fatter. Some are 1 ½ inches long while others are nearly 5 inches long. Some had a notched head, others a flat head. Not to mention the large amount of color schemes. It seems that Joe Pepper had a basic design he followed, but no 100% set pattern.
I found this bait in an old tackle box quite a few years ago. The paint in heavily chipped, but I still enjoy this bait and the history that it can share. And, at 100+ years old, I bet it could tell a lot of stories if it could speak.
Roman Spider
Joe E. Pepper
Rome, NY
1915
February 2023
