Lures/Baits/Artificials

Collectors Lures.

A work in progress which all will appreciate I'm sure!

Many thanks to Mike, Derrik, Rob, Henrik, Hans, Steen, Tonny, Kalle, Uffe and others in the future

  1950's

The Hi-Fi Spinner

The Hi-Fi spinner was a special lure that was only sold through Garcia in America in the fifties. It shares the same body as the European sold Roulette and shares the spinning blade with the Sonette. The blades have "vibra-ducts" which create vibrations and sound, Abu actually claimed that the sound was high-fidelity hence the name Hi-Fi !

It was sold in three body colour combinations White and red, white and black and yellow and black. There was also a coice of chrome or gold blades. The sizes were 1/8 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz and 3/4 oz.

The body also seems to have been used as a grey coloured ABU casting weight (sinker)

The Glimmy Spoon

The Glimmy was introduced in Sweden in 1951 in two weights 1 3/8 oz (38 g) and 1 1/8 oz (30 g), both were 90 mm long. The listed colours in Europe were G, S, K, Cr, Z, S/G, S/K and Pm.

By 1954 the Glimmy in 1 3/8 oz was also being sold in America by Garcia. In America the listed colours were only G and Cr but I know that other colours like S were also sold there.

Abu ceased selling the largest size in 1957 but the 30 g was still sold until 1963.

Abu also produced a Little or Lill version in 1/4 oz (7 g) from 1952 until 1975. The lure was reprised for a 3 year period starting in 1973 in the weights 12 g and 18 g.

The lures shown in the group of 3 are (from left to right) Pm (Mother of Pearl), G (Gold) and Cr (Chrome), note the middle one is hooked in the American style with an oversized salt water hook.

Tylo-draget

My lovely 17g 77 mm long  Z coloured Tylo-draget spoon was released in 1950 and discontinued in 1959.

It was available in  S K G Z Cr S/G Pm.

It is shown complete with classic paper box indicating  8 windows in the depiction of the ABU factory on the banks of the Morrum river at Svangsta.

I believe the bait was also released later in 1954 as a  7 g  44mm long Lill-Tylo

In the early 60's it was also released as a 18g and 20g  77mm long bait with all the afore mentioned colours available.

If I had enough to risk to the water , I feel it would be equally effective as the Pegron Minnow released some 40 + years later, as it has the same degree of curve for lure density.

Tilly Spoon (Record) same lure as above released in UK

  

However, before 1956, in America they were also sold in 1/2 oz. (14 g) and 1 oz.(28 g). These lures are rarely seen with or without boxes like this one.

Lill-Atom (Record)

 

The Lill-Atom (Record) was exported as the Little Ruby (both in America and the UK). They are fairly common, however not so common is the export version of the Lill-Atom Vass which again was simply printed Little-Ruby Sweden. I have only found two, one is in Z and the other in S/G (see pics). Strangely the weed guard is fixed differently on each one ! I am yet to find reference to these lures in any publication. I wonder whether Steen knows anything about them ? I am sending a copy of this email to him also.

ABU Reflex in SL

The Abu Reflex spinner is far from being a rare bait. In terms of quantity it is probably the best selling item ever produced by Abu!

Throughout its long history some interesting versions were made, I particularly like the first version withs its neat little tail fins. I also like the fishscale patterns that were sold in America in the 1960s. However the rarest Reflex ever made was a luminous version that was pulled from production before it made any Abu or Garcia catalogue, it is the colour SL. SL is short for självysande (which literally translates as "self lighting). Abu dabbled with luminous baits on a number of occasions, just think of the Hi-Lo in Lys for example.

Because the SL was not published in catalogues it does not mean that we cannot date it. The lack of tail fins means that it is post 1955. The brass coloured beads means that it is pre 1960 (when the beads were changed to red). I am aware that some collectors think that the lure was made in 1957 and I have no reason to disagree with that.

The lure in the picture is totally mint in its box. You can see that it is the 12 g /40 mm version but I did find one in 18 g / 50 mm and I am sure that there were plans to make them in all of the standard sizes.

Unlike the Swedish version of the Zebra colour the SL is black on the reverse of the blade (some Zebra lures sold in America are also black on the reverse side). The front of the blade has 9 luminous spots in a deliberate pattern Which is not dissimilar to a certain French lure. However it is strikingly similar to one of the Myr Spinners (see pic).

The Myr Spinner was produced by Paul Johannson of Pauls Sportsdepot, Simlångsdalen, Sweden from 1951 onwards. The Myr Spinner is also interesting because it has an interchangeable blade system, similar to the Abu Variant. However Paul Johansson had been granted a patent on his lure patterns by the Swedish Royal Patent and Registration Department.

Could this be the reason that the production and marketing of the Reflex in SL was dropped ? I suspect so. Of the four examples that I have found only one was in Sweden and it was well used, it was probably an employees "perk". The others I found in the U.K. and America which is where I believe the stocks were sold off.

I have no idea of the value of this lure to collectors, I did not pay much for the ones which I had simply because the sellers did not know what they were. With a bit of luck my story change that !

Cheers, Mike.

I am attempting here to create (with the help of others), the greatest collection of images and information about Record ABU lures ever collected together and freely available for all to learn from. Obviously image copyright for alternative publishing purposes always remains with the owners.

Please feel your input, help , criticism is very welcome and I look forward to expanding with network of Record ABU lure collectors and appreciators.

Contact me here to assist.

If you have any other lures, that are un-needed or doubles in your collection and are available for swapping or a reasonable fee, I would be very pleased to hear from you.