Vintage Tackle Contest: Meadow Mouse Spook

Ah, mouse lures. They're super effective and really fun to use, because any fish willing to make a move on a helpless, swimming rodent has got to be worth catching. This particular mouse was entered into our vintage tackle contest by Josh Wiedel, who bought it at an auction. Lucky for Josh, Dr. Todd Larson of the The Whitefish Press and "Fishing For History" blog knows his mice.

Dr. Todd says:

"One of the best big bass (and brown trout) baits are artificial mice, and tackle makers have been trying to build the better mouse lure for a hundred years. You have one of the great mouse lures ever made, the Meadow Mouse Spook manufactured by the legendary James Heddon Sons company of Dowagiac, Mich. Originally made in wood and introduced in 1929, the "flocked" fur finish of your lure became available in the mid-1930s. The plastic Meadow Mouse Spook was introduced in the mid-1950s. It was a fine fish catcher and one of the more iconic of Heddon's lures. It is worth $10-$20 and should still have no problem catching late summer bass."

It's August, Josh. Pick a windless evening and launch that thing around the pads. Listen for a toilet flush. Set. Fight. Thanks for sending, and enjoy the Berkley Digital Tournament Scale that's headed your way.

If you've already sent me photos of your vintage tackle, keep checking every Thursday to see if I chose it for an appraisal by Dr. Todd. If you haven't and want to enter the contest, email photos of your old tackle to [email protected], along with your name, mailing address, and story of how you acquired the gear. If I use it in a Thursday post, you get a Berkley Digital Tournament Scale (left, $40).