Today we’re taking another look back to the early 1950s and a company we’ve written about a lot on the Bass Fishing Archives, Bomber Bait Company. Established in 1944, Bomber was an instant hit amongst anglers in the Texas/Oklahoma region and word of its success quickly spread throughout the US. Today in Bomber Ads Early 1950s, we’re going to look at some of Bomber’s earliest national ads that were placed in Field & Stream.
Starting off with the lead-in image, we have a Christmas / New Year’s ad from the January issue of 1952. I thought it was kind of strange to have this ad in a January issue but I guess people were still bringing in the new year.
It’s a simple ad that features the namesake of the company, the Original Bomber. But there was something else that caught my eye. Specifically, the line that said, “Write for a Free Copy of ‘The Bomber Style of Fishing.’”
I’ve never heard of this booklet, or whatever it was, but I’d sure like to get my hands on one. I’m interested in finding out exactly what “The Bomber Style of Fishing” was and how or if it differed from other forms. I’ll have to hit up my buddy and Bomber expert Blake Taylor and see if he knows of the publication.
The second ad comes from the January 1953 issue of Field & Stream and again is another Christmas and New Years greeting. This ad has another interesting line in it, “Write for FREE Catalog showing all baits in natural colors.”
I am 100% sure I haven’t seen all ads from previous years, but this is the earliest ad I’ve seen that stated Bomber had a color catalog. We actually wrote about this catalog back in March 2022. I purchased the catalog off eBay, scanned it, and then posted the story. I don’t know if this is the first color catalog they produced but it’s darn close. Again, I’ll have to talk with Blake about when their first catalog came out.
The next ad also came from 1953, this time the May issue of Field & Stream. In this ad Bomber deviated from showcasing their Original Bomber and placed the Gimmick in the ad.
The Gimmick was a weight-forward inline spinner, that could easily be mistaken for a Paul Bunyan “66” spinner. In fact, I would bet a couple original Bombers that Bomber Bait Company copied the “66” due to its productivity.
Bass Fishing Archives writer, David Smith, wrote an excellent piece on the Paul Bunyan lure company back at the start of June, giving the history of the company. The “66” was first introduced sometime before 1946 by a man from Kansas. Paul Bunyan had a contract until 1949 when they bought the bait and its rights outright. Hence why I say the boys in Gainesville copied the “66”.
The final ad in today’s post was from the 1954 June issue of Field & Stream and again featured their namesake bait. The headline in the ad stated, “First Choice with Fish and Fisherman!” This was a pretty accurate statement at the time as the Bomber had become a staple in every serious angler’s box.
What made the Bomber such a prolific bait was it was reaching fish no other running lure could get to. Essentially, they were fishing brand new water and brand new fish. Imagine going back in time and experiencing that. I guess today you could equate it with the Forward Facing Sonar crowd and the “new” fish they are targeting.
That about does it for today’s post. I hope you all enjoyed looking back at some of the early ads from one of the most prolific bait companies of all time.
I’d never heard of the Gimmick lure before. Boy, you are right sir, that sure does resemble a Paul Bunyan Lucky 66. Bombers, the original lure, are, imo, one of the most attractive, cool-looking lures ever made. So simple, so aerodynamic, with such great paint jobs. If they weren’t fishing lures I’d want to collect them anyway. They look like toys you might have when you’re a kind “playing army.” Great article, Terry.