WesternBass Magazine April 2011, Page 46

WesternBass Magazine April 2011, Page 46

WAKE baITS

Baits provided by rich Thiel and Photos by Don Bauders

wakE baIT?

was it the first

By Gene Buchholz

I

s it possible that your great grandfather threw

a wake bait long before you? Take a look at this

lure from The Hook’s Way-Back Machine .

The Bass Oreno, made by South Bend, first appeared in 1915 and was in production and in wide

most of which were modifications in the lure’s length and also the body taper at the end of the lure. From 1915 to 1925 they had up to sixteen different colors to offer to anglers.

In 1926 South Bend started to put glass eyes

use until it was eventually discontinued in 1964. It’s

embedded on the sides of the lure. The company also

the bait that South Bend would build its name and

made additional changes to the hardware and in 1934

reputation upon.

changed the eyes to tack eyes. Apparently the glass eyes

It may well be one of the most frequently

that were being used added too much weight to the lure

slightly modified baits in the annals of bass bait

and would not allow the Bass Oreno to work correctly.

manufacturing, going through subtle changes often in Againtheyaddedtothecolorspectrumabitandadded

the fifty years it was available.

eight new colors, expanding the line to twenty-four colors.

As you can see in these photos, there were two

In 1964, South Bend Tackle was purchased by B.F.

types. One has three sets of treble hooks and is shaped Gladding&Co.,wellknownmakersofcastingandflylines.

like a small pencil popper. The other has a metal blade

Changes happened almost immediately. B.F. Gladding

at one end that you can tie your line to and another

decided to discontinue all of the existing colors and

eye at the opposite end. When tied to the metal it

introduce 12 of their own colors. And they went to painted

works very similar to a wake bait and when tied to the

eyes on the lures instead of the tack eyes.

opposing end it works much like a Zara Spook.

That being said, the original Bass Oreno is no

The bait was made to

longer being produced and

work sub surface or on top

should you happen to have

water; either way it had a

any of the original Bass

great deal of wobble and

Orenos, they could be worth

darting action.

from as little as $6.00 to as

The lure was

much as $200.00 or more,

manufactured out of wood.

depending upon condition.

The original models made

Gladding continued to

didn’t have eyes and had

produce the lure until 1982

just the chopped tail and

when Luhr Jensen acquired

measured about 3-1/2”.

the Bass Oreno rights. They

Peter Bernhart, an expert on

are now producing a new Bass

the South Bend Bass Oreno,

Oreno, in a smaller version and

explained that the chopped

available in only four colors.

tail was really a result of poor

Prior to Luhr Jenson

quality control and that over

taking over the production,

time the company would

the original Bass Oreno went

purchase their own mill.

through over fifteen body

The Oreno went through

and hardware changes from

five body changes by 1925,

1915 to 1964.

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