The document discusses the evolution of different fishing lures from their origins to modern designs. It describes how fishing lures started as simple handmade items but progressed over the centuries. Key lures mentioned include crankbaits, plastic worms, spinnerbaits, jigging spoons, and topwater lures. Each has undergone innovations in materials, designs, and functionality that have made them more effective at attracting fish and more popular with anglers. Today's extensive variety of fishing lures shows how much the sport of fishing has evolved from its beginnings.

1. Hayden Galloway
Ms. Bennett
British Literature
Fishing Lures from the Beginning
“Give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day. Give a man something to fish with, you will feed him for a
lifetime” (Chinese Proverb). Fishing started out as a means of attaining food. People did not use lures or
anything of that nature, they used nets or live bait. There were few progressions through the centuries
as far as how people viewed fishing. Most thought of it as a way of making a living. It was not until the
nineteenth century that fishing lures became widely used, and in this time fishing evolved into a sport
that is wildly popular in the United States. Although there was little change in the past there has been an
explosion relatively recently.(oldmaster85.com) There has been the most distinguished change in the
fishing lures that have been created and then evolved to become the most efficient they can be, such as
crank baits, plastic worms, spinner baits, jigging spoons, and top water lures.
Crank baits are used in many different situations today. The first crank baits were handmade and took a
long time to make. They were made out of wood whittled down to the desired size and a metal lip was
attached to front of them to allow the lure to dive downward while being retrieved. The lure would have
to be hand painted to try and mimic a baitfish. When fishing lures began being made commercially the
lure became wildly popular because it was easy to use and was effective. When the treble hook, which is
a hook that has three hooks connected by an eyelet at the top, was invented, it made the lure much
more effective and widely used. Today they make many different types of crank baits that have different
colors along with different sizes to appeal to bass in different conditions. When there was a greater
understanding of crank baits, producers started making different types of lips or bills on the lures that

2. made them more lifelike, and caused them to dive to deeper or more shallow depths.(Joe Bucher).
Today a crank bait is found in most every angler’s tackle box.
The plastic worm was introduced in the 1960’s. It was accepted largely because of its lifelike action.
There is also a huge range of colors that are available, which make this lure extremely effective because
of the differing preferences of fish from lake to lake. This means that a fish in Lake Allatoona may not be
attracted to the same color as a fish in Lake Lanier. This lure takes finesse to use and can be challenging
to master, but when used correctly can catch a large amount of fish. When this lure was first released
there was a limited amount of variations that could be chosen . In the short amount of time that it has
been on the market there has been a huge increase in the brands as well as the styles which it has been
presented. In the 1970s there was a huge presence of the lure in the professional fishing scene. Today
the plastic worm has given way to more lifelike, fast- moving lures that can cover more water in a short
amount of time. The slow technique , used on the lure, makes the lure a less desirable bait to use while
in a fishing tournament. Because of the slow pace, the lure is mainly used by weekend fishermen who
aren’t looking to catch a record bag in four hours’ time. ( P. Roberts).
Today’s spinner bait originated from the rooster tail that was invented in the early twentieth century.
Which was a simple piece of wire with a skirt, string like attachments, located towards the back and was
accompanied by a treble hook that was attached by an eyelet. It had a cupped blade at the front that
was attached by a swivel to allow the shiny blade to rotate, which gave a flashing appearance to a fish.
This bait provokes an attack from the fish to protect itself. Eventually the bait evolved into a new and
much different lure that call the spinner bait. It is made out a V-shaped wire that has a more lifelike skirt
and weight attached at the bottom portion of the lure where a traditional hook is as well. At the top of
the bait there is a much larger cupped blade that causes a thumping vibration along with the

3. flashing.(Cogner). The fast pace and ease to use makes the spinner bait a very popular fishing lure
because it can cover cast amounts of water in short time, and still be extremely effective.
The jigging spoon is probably the oldest unchanged lure still used today. The name of a jigging spoon
comes from how fishermen used to take tea spoons and modify them by attaching a hook in some way
and use that as a lure. A jigging spoon is a lure that is shiny and heavy. It is used by dropping it down and
pumping the rod up and down, hence the jigging. The flashing that is created by the lure causes fish to
bite it, making it an extremely simple yet effective lure. Today jigging spoons are made from small
slender pieces of lead that have different colors of reflector tape on the sides of them for different
colors of water. The lure also has a treble hook on the bottom side that makes it extremely efficient.
This lure has stood the test of time with few but much needed improvement over the years, but is still a
useful lure in any angler’s tackle box.
Top water lures come in many different variations, but all do basically the same thing. The first popular
top water lure was made by hand out of a piece of wood that was attached to a line and jerked in a
rhythmic pattern to give it the look of a dying bait fish. This technique is probably the hardest to master
out of all the types of fishing, but is also believed to be the most exciting because the fishermen gets to
watch the lure be taken by the fish. Today top water lures are made out of plastic and have many
different modifications that make them more appetizing for the fish. One of these modifications is the
cupped front of the lure that makes a popping sound when sharply jerked. The sharp jerking and
disturbance gets the attention of the fish, making them notice it from a greater distance, and can
intimidate the smaller fish. Because of the limited number of fish this lure will attract the lure is better
suited for fishermen who want to catch a trophy fish and are not worried about the number of fish they
catch. There is also a variation of the lure that has propellers at the front and rear of the lure that causes

4. a bigger disturbance on the surface. This causes the fish to perceive that the lure is a bait fish that has
been wounded and cannot swim correctly(Roberts).
There are many different varieties in the lures that are on the market today. The crank bait, for example,
is one of the most popular lures today. The crank bait is used by most every angler today from the pros
to the amateurs. Plastic worms are the lures of choice for amateurs. Spinner baits are go to lures for
pros that want to cover a large area because of the fast retrieve of the lure. Jigging spoons are the most
basic and oldest of the lures. Jigging spoons have been made out as many different things as any other
lure. Because jigging spoons can be made out of many different things it is one of the most widely used.
Top water lures are the most lifelike to the fish because they portray frogs and things of that nature the
most accurately.

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6. . N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2011. The Lowly Worm.N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.
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