The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

This is an old lure. It has wings and is red one side and silver the other. I believe it is quite old. If anyone has any knowledge of it them and what it might be worth, it would be appreciated.

It's a Colorado Spoon, Mark, and it's not worth much, I'm afraid. They are quite common and you can still buy new ones. I suggest you take off the old rusty treble an fit a new one. Normally there is a bright bred wool "tail" on the hook. Feed a length of wool through the eye and then cut it so that it extends beyond the hook. Bind the top part to the shank with spiral turns of silver tinsel then fray the wool beyond the hook. Good as new.

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(Allcocks) Colorado spoon - missing its red woolly tail though! With no name engraved and in that condition it has no value to speak of - go fish it (if you catch a giant pike on it the value to you will be immense!)
ATB
Jim

Ha! Great minds think alike ST!

Thanks for that, I have a few old lures and this one I was not sure about with no name or maker on it. very helpful. I do not do much Piking, the occasional foray so, I might just do it up and give it a try.

More importantly, this lure is illustrated by Bernard Venables in his Mr.Crabtree Goes Fishing, published in 1950 and therefore every angler in the UK knows it because we've all read it.

It was an early ambition of mine, never got around to actually doing it, mind,... of collecting all the 'plugs' from one of the few colour pages in the book......

Nobby wrote:More importantly, this lure is illustrated by Bernard Venables in his Mr.Crabtree Goes Fishing, published in 1950 and therefore every angler in the UK knows it because we've all read it.

It was an early ambition of mine, never got around to actually doing it, mind,... of collecting all the 'plugs' from one of the few colour pages in the book......

That would make a interesting ambition Nobby.

Mark, I sold one in very similar condition to yours on ebay last month. It got 2 bids and sold for £1.20.

Paul

The top lure is an Allcock and has the maker' s mark on one fin and 'Made in England' on the other. The Colorado, as we know it, dates from 1878 and is first attributed to the famous bait-maker James Gregory. Alfred Courtney Williams suggests this may have been only a slight modification of an earlier spoon by Alfred & Son of Moorgate circa 1860.

The bottom spoon has a curious paint-filled design impressed into the body. It is the only one of its like I have seen and I wonder if anyone recognises the mark as a logo or Trade Mark?

The best Colorado in my collection is this Victorian beauty by Warners of Redditch with pin-mounted glass eyes and original wire-gimp leader:



This lure is far too valuable to fish with, but ordinary Colorados are plentiful enough and will still catch pike:

Fascinating, good stuff, many thanks.