The Crackleback was made in two sizes, a 3/8 ounce, 3 7/8" size (catalog #8000) and a 5/8 ounce, 4 1/2" size (catalog #8050). It is made of plastic, has painted eyes, and two treble hooks. The name of the lure, "Heddon Crackleback" appears on the bottom side of the diving lip.
The name 'crackleback' is in reference to the paint design which gives the appearance of cracked paint. It is interesting to note that very early fishing lures by Heddon and other companies used this paint design back in the early 1900's. Back then, however, Heddon, however, didn't call it crackleback but always referred to it as 'fancy back'.
In its first year of manufacture, Heddon's 1971 catalog listed ten (10) colors as shown in the table below, plus in 1972, another color, SSD (Silver Shad) was added. Thereafter, the colors remained the same until the lure ceased being manufactured in 1976. Some un-cataloged colors have also been found.
WBC - White/Black |
YBC - Yellow/Black |
WBR - White/Brown |
BAR - Barfish |
SSD - Silver Shad |
GSD - Green Shad |
YOC - Yellow/Orange |
GBC - Green/Black |
BOC - Black/Orange |
WGC - White/Green |
WYC - White/Yellow |
CBC? - Chrome/Black [1] |
XRY - Yellow Shore Minnow [1] |
L - Perch [1] |
NC - Natural Crab? [1] |
VGE? - Metallic Green? [2] |
RH - White, Red Head[2] |
Shown in the picture above are two variations of the cataloged colors. The top picture shows the color Green Shad but one has the spot on either side of the head while the other does not. The Green Crackleback has large glass eyes according to the owner.
This unusual wooden lure measures 3 1/2" in length and is unmarked. The color is indicative of Creek Chub's Pikie Scale.
UNKNOWN UPDATE:The 'unknown' has been identified as a Shur-Strike Flat Face lure and in fact is pictured in Harold Smith's Collector's Guide To Creek Chub Lures & Collectibles on page 175.
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Web Author: Keith Bell
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