Acme Metal Products — Chicago's Weedless Spoon Engineering

Operating out of Chicago, Illinois, Acme Metal Products—a division of the ACME Steel Company—applied industrial engineering to the tackle industry during the mid-20th century. Their most distinctive contribution to the angling world was the ACME Weedless Minnow, a design developed by Olaf Tallaksen. Records show the patent application was filed on February 4, 1946, with final approval granted on September 25, 1951. This spoon was introduced into a market already populated by established weedless designs like the Johnson Silver Minnow, yet it featured a mechanical approach that set it apart from its contemporaries.

The mechanical operation of the ACME Weedless Minnow relied on a specialized spring-loaded hook system. Unlike spoons that utilize wire guards to deflect debris, Tallaksen’s design kept the hooks flush against the body of the lure while in the "charged" position. This streamlined profile allowed the spoon to pass through heavy vegetation and timber without snagging. The mechanism was engineered to deploy only upon the strike; when a fish compressed the lure's body, the spring released the hooks to facilitate the hookset.

The company produced the Weedless Minnow in different sizes and finishes to suit various conditions. Among the cataloged items were the No. 3 model, measuring 3 inches, and the more compact No. 2 model at 2 inches. Available finishes for these spoons included a chrome plating, often referred to on later packaging as "Chromium," and a red pattern featuring a vertical white stripe. While other variations may have existed, these remain the primary examples documented by collectors today.

Evidence of the brand’s progression is found in the transition of their packaging. Early production runs were typically housed in blue and white boxes featuring a rudimentary design. Later iterations moved to a more refined red and black color scheme. These variations in packaging, combined with the metallurgical background of the parent ACME Steel Company, reflect a period of post-war industrial diversification into the specialized field of fishing tackle.