The History of Arbogast Lures

The Tin Liz, Fred's first commercially produced lure, was trademarked in 1932. Fred described this metal minnow as "the most natural cripple ever made." His fishing friends thought so, too. Demand for the lure grew so quickly that he started his own fishing lure company. Fred eventually produced over a half dozen models of this lure including a fly rod Tin Liz in three sizes; the Twin Liz, a tandem bail; a "snake" Tin Liz, which resembled a two-inch pickerel, a "sunfish" Tin Liz, which swam on its side, and a "Kicker."

In 1936 Fred added a second lure to his product line and introduced the now famous Hawaiian Wigglers. These featured the nw and revolutionary Hula Skirt -- a flexible rubber skirt, attached at the rear, which provided a lively, swimming action. This family of lures quickly acquired a fine reputation and made the company famous.

There probably isn't a bass fisherman alive who hasn't heard of or used the famous Jitterbug. The wobbling surface bait immediately captured the attention of the fishing fraternity when it was introduced in 1938. As soon as the Jitterbug hit the water, letters of praise from enthusiastic fishermen began pouring into Fred. Fishermen throughout the country wanted to share their successes with the inventor.

In 1940 fly rod fishing for bass was becoming popular. To accommodate these interests, Fred introduced the Hula-Spinner, a Hawaiian Wiggler type of lure that weighed only 1/16 oz.

After the Hula Popper was introduced in 1941, it quickly established itself alongside the Jitterbug as a surface classic. It was the first surface lure to feature a Hula Skirt.

When Fred added the Hula Dancer to the Arbogast product line in 1944, he said, "I have experimented with and tried out the Hula Dancer in northern and southern waters for several years. It is a sinking bait that runs at medium depth. This little honey is small, but no impractical toy. In open water, she does her stuff!"

A variation of the popular Hawaiian Wiggler was brought to the fishing market in 1946 when Fred announced the creation of the Sputterfuss. This noisy surface lure had a double-bladed front spinner and came equipped with a large skirt and trailer hook assembly. It was designed by Fred to be quickly retrieved or "skittered" across the water surface. Skittering, sometimes referred to as "buzzing," became a very popular fishing technique just recently but Fred recognized it effectiveness 34 years ago when he invented this original "buzz" bait.

What better idea than to follow the Sputterfuss with the Sputterbug? That's exactly what the Fred Arbogast company did in 1955. A noisy, splashy surface bait, the Sputterbug featured the famous Hula Skirt for added action.

The Arbo-Gaster was designed in 1956 to solve deep water impoundment fishing problems. The extended lip of this fast-swimming, floater-diver allowed it to go down deep and also acted as a guard to keep it from snagging on under-water obstructions.

The Scudder, Prancer and Dasher are large wooden wire-through lures designed for ocean species. The Scudder is a surface popping plug; the Prancer is a surface bait with buck tails for surface action; and the Dasher, introduced in 1962, with propellers fore and aft, creates a surface commotion, similar to a floundering food fish. The Dasher was named in memory of Mr. "Dash" Gowen, a longtime Arbogast sales representative and saltwater fisherman, who passed away in 1974.

The Mud-Bug created a sensation from the moment it was introduced in 1968. It resembled a crayfish in appearance, even to the extent of being retrieved "backwards" to simulate a fast-moving or retreating crayfish. This deep-diving lure has been a winner in numerous bass fishing tournaments. By 1980, the Mud-Bug was available in five different sizes for fresh and saltwater fishing.