Fred Arbogast is infamously known for his invention the Jitterbug; however, many in the fishing world do not know is that he started making lures at the age of twelve. Born in Akron, Ohio on Brown Street, he grew up in the city, and developed a love of biology and fish early in life. As a teenager, he became a star athlete with his high school football team and entered the workforce during his high school years during summers. In addition to fishing, he had a passion for journalism, making bamboo casting and fly rods in his spare time, and working with taxidermy. As he became an employee of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, he honed skills in the rubber industry. During those years, he worked in different roles which taught him a new trade and gave him skills in molding, development, and rubber manufacturing. These skills combined with his uncanny desire to create his own fishing lures led to many unique ideas outside of work. As he developed lures at home, publicly, Fred Arbogast grew in notoriety in tournament casting. He became a very competitive tournament caster and his experience outpaced his competitors in the 1920s. Because of his inept abilities to cast with accuracy and distance, he became a "World Champion" bait caster. Out of this experience and notoriety in the tournament casting circles, Arbogast started his own fishing tackle in 1925 at his home in Akron, Ohio. This book uncovers much of the history of his early company and the products he manufactured at his home for many years until in 1932, he moved his business to 313 West North Street. His company, aptly named Fred Arbogast, created some of the most iconic fishing tackle in history. This book provides a guidebook and related history for collectors of Fred Arbogast fishing lures of the metal brands, his Kicker and Tin Liz families of lures. This volume provides insight into Fred Arbogast's early fishing lures and provides knowledge for collectors.
