During the first few years, the lure was made of wood but by 1952, the company began making it in tenite plastic to be more cost-effective. The standard size Flipper Fish lure measures 3 1/2 inches, has 1 piece surface hardware for the belly treble and eye-screw hardware to hold the tail treble. In a at-rest position, the lure floats nose up but when retrieved, the scoop nose design causes the lure to behave erratically and it will dive, zigzag, roll (clockwise and counter-clockwise), break water and make a 'pop' when it does according to the fishing instructions that came with the box.
Starting in 1954 the company also manufactured a small 1/16 oz., 1 1/2 inch flyrod size in plastic. This size is very scarce.
301 - All orange with spots 302 - All black-yellow spots 303 - Frog finish 304 - All yellow with spots 305 - Orange back/silver belly/spots 306 - Silver/black scale 307 - Red head/white body 308 - Black head/orange body 309 - Black head/white body 310 - Dark orange/black scale/spots 311 - Bright red/cream belly/spots 312 - Dark red/black back/spots 313 - Orange/silver scale 314 - Blue/white belly/scale 315 - All white/spots 316 - All silver/black spots |
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The early 3 1/2" lures were produced in 16 different color patterns,each assigned a number as listed in the illustration above.
The rarest of these colors, we believe, is the #314 (Blue Scale with White Belly). By the late 1950's the company discontinued this color numbering code and all 3 1/2 inch lures were assigned #300 followed by a letter (i.e. 300-E was for Blue Scale with white belly).
The early lures came in a two piece cardboard box having a yellow background and beautiful green graphics. It depicted a fish breaking water, chasing a "Flipper Fish" flying through the air at the end of a fisherman's line in a distant boat. The caption on the box reads, "The Catch-en-est bait in the world." By the later 1950's the company had switched to a one piece cardboard-plastic top box, but was still produced at the same Detroit location.
Values for the 3 1/2" lure range from $25-$35 without the box to $50-$60 with the box. The flyrod size is estimated to range from $35-$45 without the box and $65-$75 with. Please note that all values are for boxes & lures in excellent condition.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE FLIPPER FISH!
1. What was the number assigned to the flyrod size?
2. What colors did the flyrod size come in and what were their codes?
3. What does the box look like for the flyrod size?
8/30/99: From reader Chad Kotarba comes the following information on the flyrod size Flipper Fish:
The flyrod size was the #700 series lure. As earlier stated, the color codes changed to letters and were as follows:
A - Frog Finish
B - All Orange - spots
C - Dark red - black back - spots
D - All silver - black spots
E - Blue - white belly - scale
F - All black - yellow spots
G - All yellow - spots
H - Red head - white body
I - Orange - silver scale
J - Dark orange - black scale - spots
K - Silver - black scale
L - All white spots
The flyrod size came in A, B, C, F, G, J, K, L while the standard size came in all listed colors.
Flyrod Flipper Fish Box and Box Paper
The box for the flyrod size was a 1 piece cardboard box with plastic top and measured 2 3/4" in length.
Many thanks to Chad for providing the information and the pictures!
This neat mouse lure was seen at the NFLCC Nationals in July and was one among many lures seen at various tables throughout the show with the ever popular "CAN YOU ID?" sign! This one belongs to NFLCC member Michael Kechkaylo - thanks, Mike!
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Web Author: Tom Jacomet
Copyright ©1999 by Tom Jacomet - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED