About the Author

Tom Jacomet, editor and webmaster for Lure Lore, retired from police service in 1997 after 32 years, from the New Berlin, Wisconsin Police Department as a Police Lieutenant. He worked for a computer software VAR as a sales representative and did customized database work following retirement until 2004. His wife, Lynn, is a LPN with Banner Health Care and he and his wife currently reside in Queen Creek, Arizona. . He has two sons, Chad and Kristopher and two step-children, John and Mary Vanhimbergen.

He is a member of the National Fishing Lure Collector's Club (NFLCC) and the Old Reel Collectors Association (ORCA). He began publishing Lure Lore in October of 1996 as a way of sharing information on collectible fishing tackle and through 2005, over 70 editions have been published. Tom has also written several articles for the NFLCC's print publication, the Gazette and has co-authored a 'book' CD on Heddon River Runt Lures which is now in it's third edition.

Like many collectors, his collection is varied but his primary focus has been in Heddon's River Runt Spook lures.

I constructed this shelf display case from pine and finished it in yellow shellac to give it a 'old' look. The Heddon banner was printed on special transparent material to allow for backlighting. All items in this display are Heddon and include a early Heddon 100 with brass hardware, several Heddon wood lures in Green Scale, several of the 1st River Runt Spook boxes (top shelf), and several River Runt Spooks (lower).

Heddon River Runt Spooks in Waterwave colors in original boxes
In 1938, Heddon produced a special line of River Runt Spooks in what was termed "Everlasting colors." The color was mixed into the plastic rather than painted on. Three different colors were produced, the red/white, green/black, and yellow/black. This color process was only used for River Runt Spooks, only made in the Floater and Sinker models, and only made for that one year. The above is a complete set of these I have in my collection, all of which are in their correct boxes.

Below are some other pictures of part of my collection which can be viewed by clicking on the underlined text - all lures pictured in boxes are correct for the lure:

Wall Display #1: Collection of Black Shore, Yellow Shore, and Silver Shore runts. This is 1 of 3 wall display boxes I made just for River Runt Spooks.
Wall Display #2: Collection of Pike Scale, White & Red Shore, and Green Shore Minnow runts; River Runties (in small plastic box on lower shelf).
Wall Display #3: Collection of White/Red Head and No-Snags.
Rod Display: Collection of miscellaneous River Runt Spooks in various colors
Case Display #1: WaterWaves, miscellaneous tough colors including very unusual transparent blue with white ribs (lower right hand corner)
Case Display #2: Early Glass Eye River Runt (top left), early boxes, Silver Salmon Runt Spooks, miscellaneous tough colors.
Case Display #3: Complete set of Fish Flash Runts in Black/Silver and Red/Silver & Flash kit.
Case Display #4: Complete set of Fish Flash Runts in Black/Gold and Red/Gold, Spook Glows including Spotted Orange Spook Glow.
Case Display #5: Gold and Silver Sparkle River Runt Spooks
Case Display #6: Early jointed floaters in two piece hardware including a Goldfish Shore (2nd from top in middle row)
Case Display #7: Early sinkers, 1st version boxes, 'long' floater models.
Case Display #8: Spook Rays including Red/White, Black/Yellow, and Chartruese; lure at bottom right is in a plain brown box marked '9010I', a research box.
Rotating Store Display Stand: Miscellanous runts and other items. Tackle box on top is a very early Heddon box painted in original Green Crackleback paint!

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