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DECKER BAIT COMPANY

ANSON B. DECKER

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Anson B. Decker was born in New Jersey on August 17, 1863.
His family supported themselves by selling fish to the local fish markets. 
They also guided fishermen from different parts of the country.
In 1871 Anson started guiding fisherman, at the age of 8. 
In 1878 he guided a fisherman who had some of the English Silk Phantom Minnows. 
They caught a lot of fish on the Phantoms, so the Deckers started using artificial lures at that time. 
The Phantoms were great fish catchers, but after catching 6 or 7 Pickerel, the silk bodys were pretty much torn up,
and they were too expensive to buy, at $1.25 each.
Anson Decker kept the brass heads of the Phantoms, and experimented with different materials for the body. 
In 1880, he got the idea to use wood, so he whittled out a piece of wood, and secured it to the Phantom head. 
Trying it out that day, he caught quite a few fish, so from then on the Decker family started using wood body's. 
In 1882 Anson perfected the Decker Top Water Bait, as we know it today. 
The family kept it a secret for 20 years, until some one stole one of their tackle box's, and the secret was out. 
Around 1902-1905 he started selling his lures packed in a box, and the rest is history. 
Decker died at the age of 76 on April 5th 1940. 

LARRY MOELLMAN

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LARRY MOELLMAN'S DECKER COLLECTION

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1910-1911 DECKER SURFACE WATER CASTING BASS BAIT IN THE BOX

CLOSE-UP OF DECKER BOX

PHOTO'S COURTESY LARRY MOELLMAN

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1912 DECKER GRAND PRIZE BOX AND BAIT

ALSO KNOWN AS THE LOVING CUP BOX

CLOSE-UP OF DECKER GRAND PRIZE BOX

ENTRY FORM INSERT FROM THE ABOVE GRAND PRIZE BOX

PHOTO'S COURTESY LARRY MOELLMAN

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1913-1915 BROWN DECKER BOX WITH BAIT

CLOSE-UP OF BROWN DECKER BOX

BOX INSERT FROM THE ABOVE BROWN DECKER BOX

PHOTO'S COURTESY LARRY MOELLMAN

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YELLOW DECKER BOX AND BAIT

MADE FROM 1915 TO THE MID-1930'S WHEN THE COMPANY CLOSED

YELLOW DECKER BOX WITH INSERT IN THE BOTTOM

PHOTO'S COURTESY LARRY MOELLMAN

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STRING TIED VERSION OF THE DECKER SURFACE WATER CASTING BASS BAIT

PHOTO COURTESY LARRY MOELLAMN

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DECKER'S BOOKLET "WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW TO CATCH FRESH WATER FISH"

COPYRIGHTED IN 1925

PHOTO COURTESY LARRY MOELLMAN

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1907 DECKER AD

AD COURTESY OF JIM JORDAN

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DECKER AD FROM APRIL 1913 OUTER'S BOOK

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PATENT NOTE: THE EARLY DECKER BOXES SAY IT WAS PATENTED, BUT

THE LATER BOXES DO NOT HAVE PATENTED WRITTEN ON THEM.

THIS LEADS USE TO BELIEVE THAT HE NEVER PATENTED IT,

BECAUSE NO PATENT HAS BEEN FOUND.

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