What can you tell me about this "grizzly" tackle company. It is something I found in my grandfather's collection.



Matt

[ 09-27-2001: Message edited by: RipDatLip ]

That's a cool fishing collectible, Matt. I'll bet it has special meaning for you since it belonged to your grandfather. I can't tell you anything specifically about Grizzly Tackle, but Maxwell Manufacturing was located close to you. Shouldn't be too hard to get info about them from some of the oldtimers fishing around there. The amber Okie Drifter was one of my all time favorite steelhead lures.

Matt,

Hang on tight to them, the original okies are some hot items in waters closed to bait. A lot of people would like to have those. My favorite is the nail polish pink one!!
Keith

Amber, what color is that? Red?

Amber, as in amber ale Kind of golden. It's the okie in the lower left hand corner.

The lower left hand okie is called "egg fluorescent". It is not a solid color. What I mean is that The plastic is a yellow/clear color and that you can see through it. There is no amber on this list, but I know many more color exist. There is a cheese color, 5th down in the middle row.

Matt

Matt, I did a bit of research on Grizzly Tackle and Maxwell Manufacturing. The company was owned by Jim Maxwell, who advertised heavily in fishing publications from the late sixties through the seventies. I have numerous older fishing guides that feature full page ads from Grizzly showing Mr. Maxwell and friends with lots of fish caught on Grizzly tackle, including Okie Drifters. Some of the ads are pictures and descriptions of other lures that carried the Grizzly name such as: Ray Bobbers, Andy Reeker Spoons, Bear Valley Spinners, Vibr-O-Lite Trolls, Jay Jigs, King Dodgers, and Lucky R Spinners. Gaffs, nets, rods, fishing line, a troll speed indicator, and the Oregon Diver were also Grizzly products. A friend who knew Jim Maxwell said he went out of business, probably by the mid-eighties. Some of the Maxwell products were acquired by other tackle manufacturers. I believe Okie Drifter became a Luhr Jensen item. No doubt your Okies would still catch fish, however, I wouldn't remove any of them from the card. A complete advertising display of the original Okie Drifter line would be virtually impossible to locate. It would have considerable value to a collector.

BTW, Amber is yellow translucent. Maxwell called the amber colored Okie "egg fluorescent".

[ 10-01-2001: Message edited by: CedarR ]

CedarR,
I'm with you on the amber/egg flourescent, its an awesome color. They've produced fish when nothing else will. I found a bunch of them over in Spokane at a place called the white elephant and bought everone they had.

Just out of curiosity how do you guys rig the oakies big side up or big side down. I've always rigged mine big side down. Everyone says that I have it upside down, but it still catches fish. Besides It looks more realistic when you put a little yarn on the hook.

OK, I get it. Amber Ale and the stuff the bugs or whatever were stuck in in Jurassic Park. Now that I've had my color lesson for the day, I have another question. Yakima Bait Company makes corkies and spin'n'glows, right. But they don't make okies, nor did they ever make them? Nobody makes them anymore, right?

What color is the black with white dots? Also what color is the red with silver speckles? I can give you a picture of both okies. Later

Matt

Pickled Herring-- I fished the Okie with the big end down, also. I know experts could cite several reasons why this was wrong, but the fish seemed unaware of those reasons. Egg fluorescent body/chartreuse yarn was a good combo.

Krome Brite-- I don't think Worden/Yakima Bait ever had anything to do with producing Okie Drifter. Their successful product line probably helped bring about the demise of the Okie Drifter and Ray Bobber, though.

Matt-- The colors you mention don't seem to be on your display. I've never seen them on the river. Could they have been custom painted by your granddad? Maybe Luhr Jensen added those colors to the Okie line. Just guessing...

[ 10-01-2001: Message edited by: CedarR ]

Don't have time to post pictures, will post pictures after I finish this stupid paper...

Matt

Finally I get around to having some free time... Here are some pictures of the weirdest colors I could find.






Maybe you could name some of them like the black w/ white dots, the red w/ silver speckles, and the color that is half-way between hunters orange and pink.

Matt

I've been blinded by the first row in the second pic! Tell ya what though, I could eat that second one from the left in the first row of the first pic. CANDY!

[ 10-04-2001: Message edited by: Krome Brite ]