Open any vintage tackle box and you are sure to find a Heddon River Runt—probably the most successful early plastic lure (spook) lure ever invented. It was advertised on their box, “For ALL Game Fish Everywhere,” and I can attest to having caught pretty much everything on one of these in my fishing career. The River Runt is truly a classic. In fact, it is so much of a classic that I hesitated to write about it, wondering if I could summarize such an important and historic fishing lure in such a short span. Heddon itself has many books written about its history, and for us fishing lure collectors, there is a complete book written about just the Heddon River Runt. That’s how plentiful and wonderful a history this lure has.

River Runt history

Heddon is probably the most famous name in American Fishing Tackle. It was founded in 1894 out of Dowagiac, Michigan by James Heddon. The company would lead tackle innovation and manufacturing for most of the next century. The company was family owned until 1955. After a series of ownership changes and mergers, it was sold to PRADCO and moved out of Dowagiac in 1984. Heddon lures are still made today by PRADCO. Heddon tackle is highly sought to this day by fisherman and collectors alike.

One of Heddon’s greatest contributions was their “spook” baits, which was their introduction into plastics in 1932. Early versions proved to be somewhat unstable mixes of plastic, but quickly improved. This is why you might find some early spooks, including River Runts, that have shrunken or disintegrated completely over time in tackle boxes.

Heddon introduced the River Runt Spook in 1933. The design was modeled as a smaller version of a Heddon Vamp. It differs, however, from its namesake, the original Heddon River Runt, which has a more rounded nose and is made of wood rather than plastic. In addition, River Runt Spooks had painted eyes rather than tack or glass eyes.

The first River Runt Spooks were the “standard sinking” models (#9110). It was a casting lure and measured 2 1/2 inches in body length. Given its weight of only 1/2-ounce, the lure sank slowly after entering the water, thereby giving the angler control over how deep the lure traveled. Early instructions suggested it be allowed to sink to a count of 15 before retrieving. As a sinking lure, however, it could be fished in weedy areas if not allowed to sink as far as suggested.

Just two years later, in 1935, two new models were added to the River Runt Spook lin: a floating model (#9400) and the jointed floating model (#9430). The floating model measured 3 1/8 inches, a bit longer than the standard sinking model, while the jointed floating model was 4 inches long. The jointed floater consisted of two pieces, held together by a pinned metal plate. Both floating models dived when retrieved to a depth of 2 to 3 feet, depending upon retrieve speed.

Heddon saw great success with the River Runt and continued to add models to the line. Adding the jointed-sinking model (#9330) and a fly-rod lure, the River-Runtie-Spook (#950) in 1937, the Midget River Runt Spook (#9010) in 1939, two “Go Deeper” Spooks (D9110) and the midget size (D9010) in 1940.

In 1941, one of the most interesting variations was introduced, The “No-Snag” River Runt Spook (#N9110). It used the body of the standard sinking model, but rather than treble hooks, used an elaborate hardware system to make the lure “weedless.” It has the distinction of being the shortest production run of any River Runt. It was only catalogued in 1941, 1942/43 and 1946. If you look at the one in the images clipped from their 1942/43 catalog cover, I am sure you can understand why. Casting that lure through the water is anything but weedless! This is the only River Runt I wouldn’t recommend fishing.

After the war, more models started to appear again. In 1949, the Midget Digit River Runt Spook (#9020) was introduced, designed for spinning gear at 1 5/8 inches. The jointed Go Deeper River Runt Spook (#D9430) and Tiny Runt (#350) joined the group in 1952, weighing a mere 1/5 ounces and measuring 2 1/8 inches in length. Finally, in 1953, the last two models were added to the series, the Tiny Floating (#340) and the Tiny Go-Deeper (#D350). This brought the total varieties of River Runt Spook lures produced by the original Heddon Company to 16 including lip style changes made in 1949.

Heddon River Runt lures continued to be produced under PRADCO. They last appeared in a catalog for purchase in 1989. Including the wooden River Runt name, it was the first time a River Runt had not been in a Heddon catalog since 1928! Quite the run.

Colors and packaging

The River Runt Spook was first introduced in 1933 in only six colors. They were Rainbow, White and Red, Yellow Perch, Dace Scale, Shiner Scale and Pearl. By the time Heddon left Dowagiac, Michigan in 1984, well over 100 catalogued colors had appeared on River Runts through the years. Once River Runt production ended at PRADCO, that number had easily doubled. Add in special-order colors and slight variations, and the possibilities are almost limitless.

Over the years. the River Runt was packaged in over 25 different boxes and packaging variations. Unlike most lures, it had its own specific box, marked River Runt, for many years from the late 1930s to the late 1950s. An example is shown in one of the photos.

Collector’s value

The great thing about River Runts is that they can fit almost everyone’s budget. Fishermen can still get River Runts in more common colors in good used condition in the $5 to $10 range. Collectors can expect to pay anywhere from $10 and up for an excellent condition common color, to double to triple that with a matching box with paperwork. More difficult colors can be quite a bit more expensive, depending on rarity. Some extremely rare River Runts in excellent condition with boxes can go for hundreds of dollars.