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Show 'N Tell - Series #100 - #2300:

Series: #100 Wiggler

Years Produced: c.1916 – 1964     
Length: 3 1/2”     Weight: .8 oz.

Series: #200 Baby Wiggler

Years Produced: 1917 – 1954     
Length: 2 3/4”     Weight: .5 oz.
Series: #300 Crawdad

Years Produced: 1917 – 1964     
Length: 2 3/4”     Weight: .5 oz. 

Series: #400 Baby Crawdad

Years Produced: 1918 – 1964     
Length: 2 3/8”     Weight: .5 oz.

General Notes: Creek Chub’s first lure. Originally thought to be produced c.1906. New evidence shows not made until c.1916. The early baits had three different types of hardware, no lip marking, a flat head, a double line tie, etc. It was later changed to a rounded head, single line tie &  improved lip.
Description of Pictured Lure: A #100 Intro lure (pre-1920) in Chub finish. This finish is sometimes confusing because it was produced in many patterns and Chub color variations. This example has a thin unmarked lip, double line tie, bulging eyes, washer hardware, no tail cup, hand painted gills, thin treble hooks. Found  in a yellow Intro box w/ the original c.1917 one page flyer for this bait.
General Notes: A smaller brother to the Wiggler. Often seen with a  double line tie in later production. The “Silver Shiner Special” with a Toad Van Houton hand painted lip is usually observed in this series. The Baby Wiggler was discontinued ten years before the #100 Wiggler.
Description of Pictured Lure: #205 (#202 during the pre-1925 era). An Intro bait in the early “Intro Red Side” which is distinguished by a reddish stripe on the side of the bait instead of the large red scales of the slightly later Red Side and Dace (which share the same number). Unmarked lip, double line tie, no rear cup, thin treble hooks. Housed in a yellow CCBCo Intro box with an image of the Wiggler series on top.
General Notes: The lip (tail) is painted on the #00 Natural Crab, #15 Tan Crab & the #16 River Peeler colors. Other colors have an unpainted lip. The rubber legs are usually missing on this & the #400 series Baby Crawdad or they are often replaced with cut rubber bands. Pre-1920 baits won’t have text on the lip & may have washer hardware.
Description of Pictured Lure: #315, Tan Crab. A catalog color  on only three series: The Crawdad, Baby Crawdad, and a fly rod Crawdad. This pattern is scarcer than the #00 Natural Crab pattern. The lip is painted tan on top & red on the bottom.
General Notes: Made in the same colors as the #300 series: #00 Crab, #01 Perch, #02 Albino, #15 Tan Crab, #16 River Peeler, #18 Silver Flash. Originally known as the Baby Creek Crab Wiggler, Baby Creek Crab, & Baby Crawdad. Early Intro era models don’t have the company name on the lip. Usually missing the rubber legs which  doesn’t affect value to most buyers.
Description of Pictured Lure:
 #400, Natural Crab style. Lip painted on top in Army Green & red on bottom. This color used on the #300 series & #400 series, plus a fly rod Crawdad only.  This bait was fished “backwards” with the tail (lip) attached to the line.
       
Series: #500 Open Mouth Shiner

Years Produced: 1918 – 1931     
Length: 3 1/4"”     Weight: .5 oz.

Series: #600 Husky Musky

Years Produced: 1918 – 1954     
Length: 5"”     Weight: 1.4 oz.
Series: #700 Pikie

Years Produced: 1920 – 1978/79     
Length: 4 1/4"”     Weight: .6 oz.
Series: #800 Deluxe Wagtail

Years Produced: 1922 – 1954     
Length: 2 3/4"”     Weight: .6 oz.
General Notes: Produced for only 14 years, this lure is tough to find in nice condition. Also seen in sizes other than the standard 3 1/4”. The #03 color in this series is the “Natural Shiner”, actually a variation of the Silver Shiner. This was CCBCo’s first painted eye bait.  It is also found without eyes. Usually seen with a pair of double hooks. The early catalogs refer to the “darting action.” From this, collectors have concluded the #2000 series Darter lures evolved from this bait.  
Description of Pictured Lure: #503, Natural Shiner. An odd departure for Creek Chub during this period of time. Painted eyes, no metal lip. The hooks aren’t soldered so they can be removed in case the angler wanted to change a damaged one.
General Notes: Made in only five catalog colors. Very popular with collectors due to its scarcity in prime condition & its size. This series contains many body styles, hardware changes & paint patterns within the colors offered. Similar to many lures discontinued in the 1950s, some limited production , although not cataloged, is known from the 1960s and 1970s.Description of Pictured Lure: #601 (#603 during the pre-1925 era) in Perch pattern. This is an early example  with a thin unmarked lip, double line tie, early paint design, hand painted fins, & thin hooks. It is housed in a very scarce tan/yellow Intro era box. General Notes: CCBCo offered many sizes of the Pikie design. They were the bedrock of the company. #700 series Pikie & #2600 series Jointed Pikie were the top sellers.  A study in itself, this lure encompassed all the transitional changes expected on a bait that was made for almost 60 years. Produced in 19 catalog colors during the “glass eye” era plus an untold number of special order colors. Also made with an oversized Deep Diver lip beginning in 1950. A salt water version was introduced in the 1950’s. It has two treble hooks (instead of three).  #700 series first offered tack eyes in 1961. Plastic was an option from 1961-1978.
Description of Pictured Lure: #710, Blue Head & White. A catalog color only in this series. Produced from 1920-1949.  Scarcer than the #11 Black Head & White also made in the #700 series.

General Notes: Originally made with a plain tail, CCBCo soon changed to a fluted tail. The same body as the #200 series Baby Wiggler except the front hook cup is drilled on the belly closer to the chin of the lure to allow room for two belly treble hooks instead of the single treble belly hook ( & a tail hook) on a Baby Wiggler. The #06 Goldfish is among the most desirable colors in this series, but not necessarily the rarest color.
Description of Pictured Lure: #806, Goldfish. This catalog color was made for only four bait casting series: #100, #200, #800, F10 Feather Casting Minnow. Also, one fly rod bait (F-3). It’s considered by many to be one of the most admired colors produced by this company. A later variation of this color was made in the 1960’s, after the focus of this study.

       
Series: #900 Baby Pikie
Years Produced: 1921 – 1978     
Length: 3 1/4”     Weight: .4 oz.
Series: #1000 Bug Wiggler
(Trout Size)

Years Produced: 1922 – 1946     
Length: 7/8”     Weight: .05 oz.
Series: #1100 Bug Wiggler
(Trout & Bass Size)
Years Produced: 1922– 1946     
Length: 1 1/4”     Weight: .10 oz.
Series: #1200 Fly Rod Pikie
(Trout Size)

Years Produced: 1922 – 1946     
Length: Listed at 1 1/4”
Weight: .1 oz.
General Notes: This bait was made until 1963 in wood. Also made in plastic exclusively from 1964-1978. Some early wooden specimens were made without any eyes. 
Description of Pictured Lure: 
#903, Silver Shiner. Sometimes it is confusd with Chub & Mullet colors. There are many paint variations within Silver Shiner. Some have a faint pink stripe on the side. The pictured example is a later variation with a single line tie & “Pikie” gold imprinted on the lure's back.
General Notes: The #1000, #1100, #1200, #1300 series are all fly rod baits. They are listed in the regular numbered series unlike most which are listed with a “F” prefix in the fly rod section of the company‘s catalogs. This & the #1100  series were made in only three catalog colors: #00 Natural Bug, #02 White & Red, #13 Black. Either series is scarce in better condition.
Description of Pictured Lure: #1000, Natural Bug. A metal leader attaches to a small line tie on top of head. It has a twisted two piece string tail. The details are hand painted. Has one double hook in the belly.
General Notes: A cute & popular bait for collectors. Similar to most fly rod baits made by CCBCo, it is very difficult to locate, especially in excellent or better condition. Slightly larger than the #1000 series.
Description of Pictured Lure: 
#1100, Natural  Bug. Hand painted red face & brown two-tone body. Has a braided string tail.
General Notes: Produced in #00 Pikie, #02 Red & White, #05 Red Side and Dace. A wire leader is attached to the line tie. No lip, painted eyes. One double belly hook. Priced at 65c in 1924. Scarce in any color. Numbered in the regular line of  baits, evidently before the company decided to list other fly rod baits in their own series with an “F” prefix.
Description of Pictured Lure: #1200, Pikie. Known as the trout size, smaller of the two fly rod Pikies offered by CCBCo. Painted eyes, one double hook and a metal leader. No lip or tail hook on this bait.
       
Series: #1300 Fly Rod Pikie
(Bass Size)

Years Produced: 1922– 1946     Length: Listed at 1 5/8”     Weight: .2 oz.
Series: #1400 Big Creek Bug Wiggler

Years Produced: 1922 – 1931      
Length: 2 1/2”     Weight: .4 oz.
Series: #1500 Injured Minnow

Years Produced: 1923 – 1978     
Length: 3 3/4”     Weight: .8 oz.
Series: #1600 Baby Injured Minnow
Years Produced: 1923 – 1978   
Length: 2 3/4”     Weight: .5 oz.
General Notes: A larger companion to the #1200 series. CCBCo issued the #1000 through #1300 fly rod series in the regular numbering system used typically for larger baits. It was quickly decided to allot a special fly rod “F” prefix to the balance of the growing family of fly rod baits added in 1924. In 1937, the “F” series also started using the #F1000 to #F1300 numbers for other fly rod baits. Don’t confuse the two groups. #1300 Fly Rod Pikie has no lip, one belly hook, painted eyes, a metal leader attached to the line tie.
Description of Pictured Lure: #1300 Pikie pattern. Slightly larger than the #1200 trout size. Same type hardware and painted eyes as the #1200. Made in only a few catalog colors: Pikie, White with Red Head and Red Side or Dace (both shared the #05 color code).

General Notes: Listed in the early catalogs as a bass bait. Similar to the #1000, #1100 series, it was made in three color combinations: #00 Bug, #02 Red & White, #13 Black.  This bait is a scarce one in any color, particularly  in black. the correct boxes are even rarer. One of the few CCBCo bass baits made without a lip or spinner. 
Description of Pictured Lure: #1400, Natural Bug. Hand painted details on a dipped body. One belly hook & a braided string tail. 

General Notes: Made of wood with glass eyes until 1960. Wood with tack eyes 1961-1965, then 1974-1978. Plastic models made from 1966-1978. Original glass eye types were produced in eighteen catalog colors through 1960. This selection & its design make it a collectors favorite. Known by many names over the years – Flat Side, Crip, Crippled Minnow, etc. Many body profiles in this series: thin bodies, then a rounded body, evolving into one with a sharp edge where the flat sides meet the back & belly. The model name didn’t appear on early wooden baits, then was back stenciled. Later, "Injured Minnow" was imprinted in one line, then two lines on the left side.
Description of Pictured Lure:
 #1514, Yellow Spotted. Although this color had been around since the 1920’s, it wasn’t offered on this series as a catalog color until 1950.  This example is an earlier specimen from the 1930’s in a box marked “1500 Special”. 

General Notes: Produced in seventeen catalog colors through 1960, although the bait was made in wood for a few more years.  It has one side hook instead of two as seen on the #1500 series Injured Minnow. Sometimes an example is observed with the side hook on the left instead of the right side. CCBCo also made a Shur-Strike brand that resembles the main line, but will exhibit differences in paint patterns.  Plastic baits were introduced in 1965. 
Description of Pictured Lure: 
#1605 Old Red Side – A double hook on left side instead of the right. A 1920’s example with the early paint pattern & a silver belly. You will also see many other variations of this #05 color in this and other baits. 

       
Series: #1700 Polly Wiggle
Years Produced: 1923 – 1931     
Length: 1 3/4”     Weight: .5 oz.
Series: #1800 Underwater
Spinner Minnow

Years Produced: 1923 –1933     
Length: Listed at 3 3/4”    
Weight: Listed at .75 oz.
Series: #1900 Creek & River Fishing Lure
Years Produced: 1923 – 1933     
Length: Listed at 2 3/4”     
Weight: More than .5 oz.
Series: #2000 Darter

Years Produced: 1923 – 1978    
 Length: 3 3/4”      Weight: .5 oz.

General Notes: The #00 Pollywog pattern with the metallic green spots is unique to this series. Also made in red & white. Offered with a synthetic “pork rind” & a wire weed guard from the factory. Both are usually missing. A missing cloth ribbon passing as a pork rind doesn’t seem to affect value, but if the guard is gone, the value is cut in half. A very unusual bait from CCBCO. It has bead eyes & a single tail hook.
Description of Pictured Lure: 
#1700, Pollywog. Produced as a “weedless” bait with the weed guard, single hook & a rear screw eye. Usually seen with the paint cracking or missing around the lead belly weight. A special flat sided single hook was utilized. 

General Notes: The “5 hooker” is one of the most coveted CCBCO issues. Sold in #05 Red Side, #08, #09, #18. The body blank is shared with the Injured Minnow. The body profile changed as this lure evolved – some rounded, some flat sided. 5 double hooks were shown in the catalog on this bait. Has a belly weight & 2 spinners. Watch out for fake Injured Minnows with a weight & extra hooks added. Shur-Strikes were also made in this series. An independent expert should be approached before purchasing this series to help determine if the lure is CCBCo, Shur-Strike, or a fake. 
Description of Pictured Lure: #1808 ,Rainbow. Produced from c.1924-1933. A flat sided body, five double hooks and an internal belly weight. This EXACT lure pictured in Dr. Smith's book on Creek Chub baits.

General Notes: Overall rarer than the 5 hook #1800 series. #08 Rainbow mistakenly listed as #11 (a black & white color) in the 1925 catalog when CCBCo was trying to standardize all their color codes. A 1927 catalog shows the correct number. Produced in four colors. Has three double or treble hooks and two props. Shur-Strike baits were also made in this series. They are generally thinner & have different paint patterns. However, an expert should be consulted when purchasing this lure. 
Description of Pictured Lure: #1909, Brilliant Greenback. Without a doubt, among the rarest Creek Chub bait casting series. It took over five years of aggressive searching to find my first example.

General Notes: One of CCBCo’s most popular baits. Apparently replaced the #500 Series Open Mouth Shiner, a fatter version of this lure. Also, made in a salt water version with two treble hooks instead of three. Darters were first made without a name on their back, then replaced with a stenciled "Darter", followed by the name gold imprinted. The last type introduced in the 1960's had a gold foil label (often missing or removed). This bait also known as the “Creek Darter” or simply the “2000“.  Plastic examples offered from 1961-1968 in tandem with wooden Darters. Plastic was dropped, but wood was continued until 1978. See the next page for the Spinnered Darter. 
Description of Pictured Lure: 
#2002, "Bar Mouth" Red Head & White. The #02 color is usually seen with a dipped red head on most series. This type with a blended head was airbrushed over the white body. Has the usual line tie on top of the head & three treble hooks.

       
Series: #2000–S Spinnered Darter

Years Produced: 1946 – 1978
(except 1965-1967)     
Length: 3 3/4”     Weight: .7 oz.

Series: 2000-SW

Years Produced: 1957-1964
Length: 3 3/4" Weight: 1 oz.

Series: #2100 Fintail Shiner

Years Produced: 1924 - 1946
Length: 3 1/2”     Weight: .8 oz.

Series: #2200 Midget Pikie

Years Produced: 1924 – 1961     
Length: 2 3/4”     Weight: .4 oz.

General Notes: A scarcer variation of the Darter, which isn’t actually another CCBCO model., This one has a spinner an “S” marking on the box end. Due to a shorter production period than the regular Darter, this variation and the correctly“S” marked boxes are less often located.
Description of Pictured Lure: #2038-S, Pearl. This color produced on this lure from 1955-1958.  “Creek Chub Darter” gold imprinted on its back. This is perhaps the most fragile of all CCBCo paints, resulting in age lines & paint bleed-through, even on baits never fished.  It’s seen with different overtones of pinks & lavenders. 
A two-hook saltwater Darter was yet another variation within this design. It was offered from 1957-1964.

General Notes: Although the standard #2000 Darter was first offered in the 1920s, this saltwater version wasn't available until the 1950s. This model has two hooks and thru-wire hardware compared to three hooks and a nose tie on the regular #2000. Painted eyes are standard fare for virtually all Darters. Description of Pictured Lure: #2002-SW, Red Head and White. Although many of the standard colors #2000s (not all) are quite common, the opposite can be said here. All of the saltwater versions are very difficult to locate.

General Notes: The body profile started slim & became thicker over the years. The fins & tail were an ongoing problem. CCBCo tried a rubber compound, then a striated flexible plastic type material. Both either melted into the bait, chipped, or dissolved.  Finally in the late 1930’s metal fins & a tail solved the problem. Very difficult to find in superb condition in any color, although lower grade baits are available.
Description of Pictured Lure: #2101, Perch. This bait has all the flexible fins intact. It is one of the earlier examples produced before the metal fins were introduced in 1938. Notice the flexible fins were airbrushed to add realism. 

General Notes: One of the many sizes made in the Pikie profile. Some 1920’s examples are seen with painted eyes instead of glass eyes. Oddly, CCBCo didn’t protect the body with cup hardware on this series. The belly  screw eye is screwed directly into the body. Although  #13 Black is a scarce to rare color on many Creek Chub baits, it is fairly common on this series. 
Description of Pictured Lure: 
#2213, Black. It has a gold stencil  “Pikie Minnow” on its back. Black was made on the #2200 series from c.1924-1954.

  Series: #2300 Husky Pikie

Years Produced: 1925 – 1978       
Length: 6”     Weight: 1.9 oz.

Series: #2300-L Husky Pikie

Years Produced: 1957-1962
Length: 6" Weight: 2 oz.

 

  General Notes: One of the most popular large size CCBCo lures. It was produced with glass eyes in fourteen catalog colors through 1960. Earlier models are thinner than post war examples. By the late 1930’s the bait was updated with a single line tie, a reinforced lip, through-body rigging, etc. The glass eye style is difficult to find in mint condition on many colors. Its mass & weight causes body hurts, even on unused baits. Tack eye wood baits were introduced 1961. No wooden lures in 1965-1966, reissued in 1967 to 1978. Plastic first offered in 1965. A salt water version was introduced in 1957. It has belly weights & two trebles instead of three. It is known as the "L" #2300 Series. 
Description of Pictured Lure:
 #2330 in Orange w/ Black Spots. Available as a catalog color on this series from 1952-1954. Has the factory through-wire rigging, improved lip. Also, the late marking of “Creek Chub Pikie” gold imprinted on its back. This color was used in limited instances as a catalog color on only nine bait casting series. 

General Notes: Although some might consider this a mere variation of the #2300 Husky Pikie, there are enough differences to place this sub-type in its own category. The standard Husky Pikie has three trebles and weighs 1.9 oz. This lure has two hooks and an internal lead weight (hence, the "L" code). It weighs 2 oz. A very rare series. Only produced for four years with glass eyes and two with tack eyes. Description of Pictured Lure: #2335-L, Purple Eel. An incredibly tough catalog color in a very scarce series. The combination of a short-lived series and a bait produced for a specialized market is reason enough to explain why virtually any catalog color with this body would be considered a prize in your collection.

 

Series #100 - #2300 Series #2400 - 5600 Series #5700 - 9600