Another Blast From the Past

The Gurgling Joe lure is a plastic lure dating to the early 1940s. National Fishing Lure Collectors Club (NFLCC) member and author, George Richey, documented this lure in his book as "Made in Michigan Fishing Lures" (1995). It came in a red cardboard tube with a paper label that reads "Gurgling Joe, Large Mouth Chub, Manufactured by Van Hee Bros. Co., Exclusive Representative, North American Products Company, Wayne, Michigan."

The Gurgling Joe is a sinking lure that measures two and three-fourths inches long from the tip of the lip to the tail and has two treble hooks. It has a large, flat, molded lip and four holes that extend completely through the body, from belly to spine. These holes angle forward at the bottom and apparently would cause the lure to "gurgle" or bubble when retrieved (likely in a short jerking motion).

The body is made of a transparent plastic, and as far as collectors can determine, came in four different body colors, including clear, yellow, red, and blue, with the latter being the most difficult to find.

The holes are of a different color, including yellow, red, white, and black. It's suspected there probably were a total of 15 different lure body-hole color combinations in the beginning, but only 10 different combinations have been discovered so far.

The red cardboard tubes these lures came in have been found with two different labels: one with a silver background, and the other with a white background. These labels come off rather easily, so many are found with no label.

Current collector values usually range from $25 to $40 in excellent condition, with tube. Anyone who buys one of these lures off eBay, however, should be advised not to expect any paperwork in the tube. For some unknown reason, no one ever finds instructions, color charts, etc. when buying one of these lures.