Northwest Fishing Reports

Where can I buy more of these lures? I lost my last one had it 20 years.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=bolo+lure" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylc=X3 ... s&ei=UTF-8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://m.ebay.com/itm/BOLO-2003-LUHR-JE ... nav=SEARCH" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My absolute favorite spinner as a kid, circa: 1975.

Thank you Quadfather thats the one I am looking for.

look at the e-bay list I posted, there are more colors also.

I saw this post awhile ago. I was cleaning up some gear and found a couple Bolo gang trolls.

Bolos were my go to back in the late '70s / early '80s for cutts on the Nisqually, Skookumchuck, and Deschutes rivers.

Dang, I miss those days.

onmygame

We need a fishing gear museum in the Pac NW.

I just found a half dozen bolo gang trolls in my stash too, some new in the box. They are not silver plated like the old bolo spinner blades were though. The old silver plated blades were super bright and flashy when polished up.

Sideburns wrote:I just found a half dozen bolo gang trolls in my stash too, some new in the box. They are not silver plated like the old bolo spinner blades were though. The old silver plated blades were super bright and flashy when polished up.

Silver plating would've never stood up - Bolo blades were chromed.

Not trying to split hairs here, but there is a huge difference.

onmygame

I'll have to take your word for it, as I cant find any of my old bolo blades. Agreed, real silver does not hold up forever, it wears through eventually. Many silver blades are clear coated though. I'm sure you are aware that many production spinner blades are or have been genuine silver plated. Blue fox vibrax, mepps, rooster tails etc.... I generally have to custom order my silver and gold plated blades though.... and yes there is a huge difference.

"Frosty Silver" along with brass and nickel were available finishes on Bolo's in the 1966 Les Davis catalog. Silver plate was(and still is) a very common finish on Salmon spoons as well.

Thanks for the info db340, seems like the bolo's i had did have an odd sheen, maybe even frosty? That's why I was second guessing...... maybe it was nickel? They were garage sale finds, in the original packaging. I think the lure parts ended up getting "repurposed"and painted because the original finish failed. Yep, just checked, my homemade "torpedo" downrigger weight has a single bolo blade for a tail!

All those lures that are called vintage lures are what I have in my tackle boxes. My favorite spoon was the Krocodile. My favorite spinners were Mepps and Bolos.

Sideburns wrote:Thanks for the info db340, seems like the bolo's i had did have an odd sheen, maybe even frosty? That's why I was second guessing...... maybe it was nickel? They were garage sale finds, in the original packaging. I think the lure parts ended up getting "repurposed"and painted because the original finish failed. Yep, just checked, my homemade "torpedo" downrigger weight has a single bolo blade for a tail!

You hit the nail on the head - with nickel.

They started using 'nickel silver' (which contains no silver) in the '30s on ferrules and guides for better split cane rods, and soon after started nickel plating spoon and spinner blades with it. Silver is much too soft a metal to electroplate hardware, and I'd be surprised if it were ever used on lures - is quite spendy too.

onmygame

Most shiny lures are indeed not genuine silver (nickel, stainless, chrome), but many many lures have been and still are genuine silver plated. Most are also clear lacquer coated to protect the silver. Mepps, blue fox, rooster tail etc are some common ones available in genuine silver plated. The silver plated blades are extremely flashy in the water, and ive been playing with them for years. They seem multiple times brighter than chrome or nickel when in the water, and a lot of the time tend to spook fish. Gold plated stuff is available also, and also very bright. Gold does not tarnish like the silver does, and is usually left bare. The last small gold plated indiana style spinner blades i ordered cost 24c each. The silver plated colorado blades were 18c each.