Earnest Pflueger Antique Lures & the Enterprise Manufacturing Company

Born of German lineage, old fishing lure maker Earnest F. Pflueger should and is considered one of the pioneers of the fishing lure industry. With an array of fishing tackle, and antique lures ranging from the use of crystal, hard rubber, solid metals, Pflueger, and The Enterprise Manufacturing Co. from Akron Ohio would create design and influence the fishing lure industry and our hobby for many generations. I cant think of another old fishing lure maker with the depth and breadth of a fishing lure and fishing reel line up that lasted as long as Pflueger.

   In some of the previous manufacturers line ups I spoke of the use of Paint and its impact on the fishing lure industry. More specifically Creek Chub and the use of scale painting, well here in the Pflueger section I believe it would be amiss or a great tragedy if we didn't use this as the beginnings of the Pflueger section. Pfluegers' fishing lure Paint Patent, notably which his first patent was for a paint and not for a fishing lure itself.

Patent # 272,317 February 13, 1883

Be it known that I, Ernest F. Pflueger, of Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Artificial Fish Baits, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to that class of artificial baits in which a gaudy, brilliant, or rapidly moving object is used to attract fish, so that they may be seized by a hook connected with such object.

....The material used should be in the form of a paint, and may be either self-luminous as phosphoric compounds or luminous by an inherent retentive powers, whereby after having been exposed to light it remains luminous for hours afterward. The substance which I prefer to employ is a paint composed of sulphide of calcium and a drying oil or varnish; but any other luminous or phosphorescent material or compound may be used.  

   Although the above is from the patent itself in 1883, Pflueger was in some form of existence in the fishing tackle business all the way back to 1864. Pflueger would remain a force to be reckoned with in the fishing tackle industry, especially reels, until the advent of the Ambassasduer Reel, and its sale to Shakespeare in or around 1970.

 As time progresses I will add to the Pflueger pages, adding more history, to the evolution of some of their lures, from the luminous crystal minnow, to some of his rubber minnows, and metal blades to the underwater minnows. There will be pages on this website to help distinguish colors painted on Pflueger lures, boxes and the numbers stamped on the ends. All in effort to provide a enjoyable education website devoted to the Old Fishing Lure. 

Pflueger Antique Fishing Lure Resources