Museum Archive: Vintage Fred Arbogast Hula Popper, 1/2oz Black / Red fishing lure #4165

Weighing in at a substantial 1/2 oz (14 g), this vintage specimen from the Fred Arbogast line represents a pinnacle of mid-century surface lure design. The 2 1/4" (6 cm) body is finished in a deep black, punctuated by a vivid red interior within its signature deep-cupped mouth. This specific model, identified by product code 4165, showcases the classic yellow-ringed eyes that have peered out from tackle boxes since the 1940s. Its tail is adorned with a thick, dark rubber skirt—the very feature that gave the Hula Popper its name—designed to move even during long pauses between twitches. The hardware includes two well-distributed treble hooks, one belly-mounted and one at the tail, which show light signs of age while maintaining their structural integrity. For those targeting bass in thick vegetation or during the quiet hours of dusk, the heavy profile and water-displacing mouth are legendary. Currently rated at a 4/5, the lure is in very good shape with minimal surface marks, preserving the high-contrast aesthetic that makes this black-and-red variant so visible to predators from below.