What ever happened to the Bass-Oreno? It was my #1 GO TO lure for bass in the 1950s and '60s. Then it got left in the dust.. Any

[DakotaMan]

What ever happened to the Bass-Oreno? It was my #1 GO TO lure for bass in the 1950s and '60s. Then it got left in the dust.. Anyone here know what happened to it? Has anyone had any luck with it?

[Big O]

Sorry DakotaMan little before my time. Have you checked the "web" for any info on them?

[Kkeltic]

Wow! Those are some old school lures. The eyes were innovative for the time. You could probably carve your own lures to mimic their catalog. I think they were using pine, but you could use balsa wood, just add some eyes. You can get them at a costume/variety store.The fish haven't seen them in a while, you might kill 'em.

[MLH]

Ask and ye shall receive:

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0011974110218a.shtml

[shane]

Well I was just going to say I have a L-J in red and white, and used to have a frog one. Great lure. It's kind of that iconic lure you always see in old fishing pictures.

[Hunter Savage]

man i used to love a bass oreno . some scummy pike stole my last one few years ago .

[ProMoe]

thats finny I just found 1 of these in red in white in 1 of my dads old tackle boxs

[DakotaMan]

Thanks guys and special thanks to MLH for the link... I didn't know tht Luhr Jenson still made them. I think I will get some and give them a try. I'm glad to see that they haven't disappeared.

[David Hutton]

this is 9 years old but Ill take a chance.

The Oreno lures came in a range of sizes, from mini's suitable for fly rods, up to pike sized 4" and 5" models. I think there were 33 different finishes at one time, but the white-red head was always the most popular.

No one currently makes them that I know of, (2018), so you can only get them in the vintage and used market.

I've been looking for a source of blanks but have yet to find one.
South bend used to get them from a mill that was partnered with their business, and my research indicates they were red cedar, at least in the early decades. Eventually they were molded from plastic, and there were a lot of knock offs... all of which I've tried worked pretty much like the originals did.

Basswood or paulownia wood would be good choices if you want to make your own. The shaping and compound curves of the scooped head are a little tricky to reproduce exactly by hand, should you try carving them.