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Jonathan Manteuffel's Collections
Jonathan first started collecting Bagley lures when he decided around the year 2000 that he wanted to put together a lure collection, but didn't know what might make an interesting set. Put off by the prices of a lot of the better known lures, he went looking for less expensive baits that still looked good and had some history. About that time he "met" Johnny Garland through an ebay transaction, and began learning about Bagley's.
When Jonathan learned that Johnny was writing a book, that sealed the deal - Bagley's was it! Several of the pictures and some of the material contributions for the first Collector's Guide for the Bagley Fanatic came from Jonathan's discoveries. Jonathan is listed in the acknowlegments of Johnny's comprehensive book on Bagley's along with many other major contributors. He still loves to share what he knows about Bagley’s and help bring new collectors into the Bagley fold.
After building a fairly complete Master collection, and starting several mini-collections, Jonathan has moved his focus to purples, 1-inch Bang-O-Lures, 7-inch 2-hook BOLs, Balsa Shiners/Pinfish, Finger Mullets, Shad-A-Lacs, Fat Cats, and some color sets including 74G and FSF. He also has quite a bit of the old Bagley plastic worm type baits, spinnerbaits, spoons, tailspinners, and saltwater lures that were made by the Bagley Bait Company during its time in Winter Haven, FL.
You can find several great articles penned by Jonathan over at BassFan website. Go to this page to read an informative article on Bagley lures and the people who collect them.
Nobody has helped me more with editing and color code confirmations than Jonathan has over the years. He has been an important contributor to the Bagley world for many years now. Thanks Bud!
"Bill's 13" Pig Skin Magic Collection
In 1954, Jim Bagley bought a company that manufactured pork rind trailers for fishermen. The product line struggled until Field & Stream magazine did a feature titled "The New Black Magic" which was about The Bagley Bait Company's pork rind line called "Bill's 13".
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1" Bang-O-Lure Collection
The 1" Bang-O-Lure, at 1 3/4", is the smallest hard bait manufactured by the Bagley Bait Co.. Casting with traditional bass fishing gear would be all but impossible with this diminutive lure, making a fly rod the weapon of choice for the angler looking to slay some bass with these beauties! Pictured are 15 of the 18 known colors made in the U.S.A. in this size.
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Lit'L John Collection
The Lit'L John was one of the last baits designed and put into production out of Winter Haven. This lure was made using rejected Bang-O-Lure blanks. Never featured in a Bagley catalog, according to Johnny Garland, it was included in Bass Pro Shops 1998 & 1999 catalogs. Pictured are all 12 of the known colors made in this model.
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Walleye Snack Bass'N Shad Collection
If you collect Bass'N Shads, some of the hardest to find colors are Walleye Snacks in 2C, 6C, 8C, and M2. Jonathan has 3 of 4 covered in this collection and is actively seeking 8C's for this, as well as his purple color collection. He is not alone in his quest, as most of us would like to add the Purple on Silver Chrome Snack to our color collections!
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3" Spittin' Twitcher Collection
The 3" Spittin' Twitcher was designed to "walk the dog" much like the Zara Spook. The lure was introduced around 1996 at, or near, the height of the tail walkin' craze in topwater bass fishing. As you can see from the picture they were made in some "eye popping" colors.
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3" ICU Collection
The ICU, short for Intensive Care Unit, was introduced by Bagley around 1993. This hardwood bait was only offered in a few colors in the U.S.A.. The Japan market was a different story however, as brightly colored lures were very popular in the "Land of the Rising Sun".
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Commemorative Lures Collection
Jonathan has 4 of the 5 Commemorative lures Bagley offered including the very tough Miss Bagley. All he needs now is a Bicentenial Balsa B. If you have one to sell for a couple of hundred dollars you can reach him at 256-ICantWaitToGetYourCall.
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Submarine Shad Collection
The Submarine Shad was introduced in 1972 inspired by the success Tom Mann had with his Little George. The Bagley metal baits came in 5 different sizes and 11 different colors. Jonathan has put together quite a nice collection of them!
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