The history of the Pflueger company is a little confusing and convoluted. It’s a long history – officially founded in 1881, although the company traces its founding back to 1864 and the American Fishhook Company – and one I’m not going to discuss here. In a nutshell, Pflueger is no longer a family-run business. They are presently under the Pure Fishing umbrella. They no longer make plugs, spoons or spinners. But they do still produce quality reels and rods. This brief piece is really just an excuse to share some cool old images from a couple of Pflueger Pocket Catalogs I stumbled across online and decided that I must have.
I am not certain as to the dates these were published, but a little cursory digging leads me to believe they were printed sometime in the early to mid-1960s. They are surely no earlier than 1952, as that was the date that I believe the Ballerina and Scoop Minnows were introduced, which are in the catalog. Also, I did a little perusing of a few old newspaper ads and based on the advertised prices of lures like the Chum Spoon, and the prices advertised in the pocket catalogs, I’m guessing these catalogs were published sometime between 1962 and 1967. I certainly could be wrong about that, but that’s my best guess. If anyone knows differently, please comment below.
Anyway, I think the color images in these small, single sheet, folded catalogs are wonderfully appealing. They scream vintage, retro and old school, whatever adjective you prefer, all at the same time. One catalog highlights solid body plugs and is titled “Bait action that lures!” It features a cover illustration of a rainbow colored Pal-O-Mine, ostensibly in mid-cast. The other catalog features spoons and spinners, and is titled “Spoon action that lures!” This one displays a fun illustration of a largemouth in mid-air, mouth open and about to engulf a flying Pflueger feathered Chum Spoon.
My Dad was very high on Pflueger reels, and the company certainly became famous for manufacturing high quality reels. In my opinion, their Trion Spinning Reel is one of the best, most reliable affordable reels on the market today. In my neck of the woods in the upper Midwest certain Pflueger baits were standard in tackle boxes from the 1960s and ’70s (and before). Just about every old tackle box I’ve looked in held some Chum Spoons, a few Tandem Spinners, and at least one or two Pal-O-Mine plugs. Musky and big pike anglers seemed to demand Muskill Spinners and Globe Baits as part of their arsenals. I was always intrigued by the Tandem Spinners and Globe Baits, although I’ve never used either. I do intend to throw a small vintage Pflueger Tandem Spinner I recently purchased, just because the old draw is still alive for me with this funky multi-blade spinner. I’ve got a couple of giant Globe Baits that were once used for musky, but those look more like modern art to me than functional fishing lures. I wouldn’t want to risk losing one.
Folded the catalogs measure a little under 3½ inches x 6 inches; unfolded approximately 13½ x 6 inches. Each small catalog unfolds to reveal four “pages” per side, for eight total pages. Each page generally displays one, two, or three lures. Part of what makes old marketing publications like these so appealing are the prices of these lures back in the day. $1.85 for a big Muskill Spinner. $.90 cents for a ⅜-ounce Tandem Spinner. $1.90 for a 5¼-inch Globe Bait. $1.35 for a 4¼-inch Pal-O-Mine. Man, I realize we have to account for inflation, but those prices seem heavenly. I just purchased an old Pal-O-Mine in Strawberry Spot color scheme and it cost me $16, which frankly is a steal. I’ve seen the same lure priced at upwards of $100, although most look to be in the $25-$30 range.
Because my scanner was not big enough to scan an entire unfolded catalog side in one image, I had to break it up into two images per side. If you’re on a desktop or laptop computer the images will appear side by side, which is equal to one side of the catalog. If you’re on a phone the two halves of each side will appear one atop the other. Here they are, below. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do.
And the second catalog, below. Again, if you’re on a laptop or desktop computer you can see how each image connects to make for one longer, unbroken sheet.
