Fishing Gift Magnets
Description: James Heddon came upon the idea for an artificial fishing lure in 1894 when he threw a stick he had whittled into a local lake known as Mill Pond and watched as a bass hit it. His original lures were frogs carved from broomsticks and, over the next several years he shared them with fellow fishing enthusiasts in his Dowagiac, Michigan community and used their feedback to further refine his designs. By 1900 he was selling his lures locally, but as word got out, he formalized things and founded the Heddon Company in 1902. . He continued to make every lure by hand in the Heddon family kitchen, but by 1904 he opened a new factory in Dowagiac. By 1950 the Heddon name was well known and the company would go on to other peripheral fishing gear.
Description: In the early '40s, C.S. (Clarence) "Turby" Turbeville and Ike Walker fished their local Texas lakes and found themselves working to improve existing lure designs to work better in their local fishing spots. After coming up with a new design altogether that proved to be highly effective, friends began requesting them, and soon after, so did local stores. Seeing the potential, these two north Texas fishermen set up in a garage in 1944, working nights making their new lures as Bomber Bait Co. In 1946, the Bomber Bait Co. was incorporated, and new machine processes were developed. A year later, Bomber was already making 1,000 lures a day – a significant output for a product that had yet to see national advertising!
Description: This funny trout fishing design features a caddis dry fly illustration and the phrase "the trees demand a sacrifice". Anglers who know the frustration of getting a fly snagged in a tree while double hauling a fly cast will understand. If you fish for browns, brookies, bows, and cutties on rivers you will appreciate this design. River anglers who carry fly boxes full of dries and nymphs, and plenty of extra tippet will get the inside joke.
