When I first started collecting fishing lures, I was fortunate enough to stumble across some very early wooden bodies of Flutter Fins. At the time, it was just a lucky find. It wasn’t until years later that I realized just how tough it is to find wooden bodies like those. I was more interested in the history of the lure. You see, back then, as a new collector, anytime I found a new lure I would rifle through my fishing lure books and learn all I could about them. What really interested me about this particular lure is how close to where I grew up it got its beginning.

I was raised in central Wisconsin in Waushara County, on some acreage outside of Redgranite: a great place to hunt and fish, but not exactly a thriving business hub. That’s why I was so surprised to learn that the Flutter Fin got its beginnings just down the road from there in a little town called Wild Rose. Once I learned that, I was hooked on being a Flutter Fin collector.

Nova Flutter Fin

The Flutter Fin was originally the Nova Flutter Fin, first created by the Nova Tackle Company out of Wild Rose, Wisconsin in 1959. A patent was filed by Delbert F. Patterson, a retired Wisconsin game warden, in 1959 and granted in 1961. The original Nova lures were wooden, egg-shaped lures with a squared-off back. They have external glass eyes.

They were presented to Bob Worth of Worth Tackle Company in nearby Stevens Point, Wisconsin, who suggested a round design for production. Early production at Worth was wooden but was soon replaced with plastic. Early wooden production at Worth on Nova’s behalf was probably less than six months before the transition to plastic.

Before too long, Worth bought the rights to the Flutter Fin and began full production of the Worth Flutter Fin. A photo of an original wooden Nova Flutter Fin with glass eyes is shown. These are considered very difficult to find.

Worth Flutter Fin

Somewhere around mid-1959 to 1960, Worth purchased the rights to the Flutter Fin and began their full production. With their changes to a round, plastic body, they were able to ramp up production and really make a success out of the lure. In fact, the Worth Flutter Fin would go on to become one of Worth’s most successful lures. Even today, it is probably the most collected bait produced by Worth.

Between 1960 and 1962, the lure was solid with no internal rattles. It came in six colors and had pin eyes. Between 1962 and 1963, the lure was changed to hollow plastic. They had introduced some of the lures to include rattles inside and some didn’t. The eyes were now molded onto the body.

From 1963 on, the Flutter Fins were hollow with rattles, having proven successful in the prior test period. Some were now also sold with weed guards.

One of my favorite reviews I found from the 1960s called the Flutter Fin a, “…golf ball with scissors on the front that popped and left a stream of bubbles behind it that drove the bass mad.”

Worth Tackle Company is still in business today but no longer makes the Flutter Fin, nor most of the baits of decades past. Their focus now is mostly on lure components.

Colors and packaging

The Worth Flutter Fin came in a cardboard box with a plastic top. The first version measured 2 1/2” wide x 3 1/2” long x 1 5/8” deep and had a clear plastic removable top. The later box measured 1 3/4” x 6 1/2” x 1” and had a clear plastic slide box.

The lure came in six colors (the same six they started with):

• Brown body, Yellow spots, Yellow and Brown Hackle

• White body, Red spots, Red and White Hackle

• Black body, White spots, Black and White Hackle

• Green body, Yellow spots, White and Green Hackle

• Orange body, Black spots, Black and Orange Hackle

• Yellow body, Black spots, Black and Yellow Hackle

While the colors may have remained the same, the scale patterns changed slightly throughout the years, giving collectors different variants to add.

Collector’s value

A Worth Flutter Fin in excellent condition without the box sells for about $15 to $25. With the matching box in excellent condition, the price goes up to around $50 to $100, depending on the color and its rarity. The value of this bait has jumped quite a bit since I first started collecting.