As a young boy, I would often wander into the local sporting goods store or Coast to Coast Hardware store and check out the fishing gear. The little money I had saved that didn’t go to baseball cards or comic books generally went to fishing lures. I was a picky shopper to make sure I got the most out of my limited fishing lure funds. Many times, I would identify a bait I wanted and keep checking back for a sale.

The lure I am profiling today was before my time as a child, but I can tell you had I seen it when I was a kid, I would have snapped one up in an instant. A chance to get a lure that could essentially be two lures in one would have been too great a temptation for me to pass up as a young fisherman. Based on the years in which this lure was in production, I bet I wasn’t alone in that thought.

Two baits in one

The Daily Double was made by the Millsite Steel & Wire Works Company, later renamed the Millsite Tackle Company out of Howell, Michigan. The lure was originally invented by Jack Withey & R.J. Hall from Millsite, with a patent filed in 1941. It was also introduced in 1941. In fact, it just barely made the 1941 catalog, requiring a full page insert to the catalog to be included. The Daily Double stayed in production through 1962, with some special orders available after that. It was a completely unique lure shaped somewhat like a triangle/boomerang.

The most interesting feature was that it had two line-ties. You could attach and pull it from one side to have it run deep or pull from the other side to have it run shallow. Essentially, this gave you the “2 Baits In 1.” The lure was designed to be either cast or trolled and designed for all gamefish. The Daily Double was made to float at rest.

The bait was molded out of tenite/plastic and came in a variety of colors. Millsite was an early pioneer in the use of tenite, an early form of plastic, on their baits and a strong competitor to companies such as Heddon. Their use of tenite allowed for some amazing colors on their baits. Their tenite baits were marketed as “indestructible,” which I can tell you hold pretty true from all that I have seen decades later. Unlike some other companies’ early plastic baits, these tend to hold up reasonably well.

I have never personally fished this lure, although as I am researching this article, I have added one to my tackle box. I’ll have to give it a try come open-water fishing season. I have had many customers who both collect and still fish this lure. I have heard many stories of successful pike and walleye fishing trips using this lure.

Colors, sizes and packaging

The Daily Double originally was introduced in twelve colors and two sizes. The original colors were Red and White, Silver Speckle, Perch Scale, Pike Scale, White Black Wings, Black White Scale, Gold Fish, Yellow and Black Wings, Frog, Red and Black Spots, Orange and Black Spots, and Silver and Black Spots (See 1941 ad—also matches the catalog insert). Additional colors were added over the years. Special order colors have also been found, making this a wonderful bait to collect.

Over the life of the bait, there were three sizes offered. Muskie size, 700 Series (4 1/6”) was only available from 1941-1942. The Casting size, 800 Series (3 7/16”) was available from 1941-1962. Spinning Size, 400 Series (2 5/8”) was only made from 1956-1962. The Spinning Size is the most difficult to find.

Collectors value

A Millsite Daily Double in its correct matching box with paperwork can sell in the $20 to $30 range in excellent condition. Loose without the box, in excellent condition, they sell for around $5 to $10 each. A special order color would double those values.