Museum Archive: Buck Perry Spoonplug, 3/4oz fishing spoon #9900

A vibrant orange head with bold black eyes marks the focal point of this classic Buck Perry design. Weighing 3/4 oz (21 g) and measuring 3 3/4" (9.5 cm), the metal body carries a bright yellow finish accented by dark green patterned sections along the sides. This particular specimen, identified by product code 9900, remains unused and is rated as a 6. Manufactured by Buck’s Baits in Hickory, N.C., these lures were central to Perry’s "Spoonplugging" system, which treated fishing as a technical science. The back of the original packaging indicates this model is designed to reach depths of 4 to 6 ft (1.2 - 1.8 m) when trolled or retrieved at the proper speed. It represents a significant era in North American angling history where lures were tools for mapping underwater structure.