Sporting Decoys, Fishing & Hunting

Along with their craftsmanship and appearance, antique and vintage fishing tools evoke nostalgic memories of simpler times, which make them highly collectible. As well as providing people with valuable food ingredients, antique fishing tools illustrate the history of a popular outdoor sport and recreation activity, allowing people a leisurely way to spend time in nature. Whether you are an avid collector or a first-time buyer, Bidsquare is your one-stop destination for all your antique fishing needs. Besides the relatively common, but still interesting fishing tools, Bidsquare’s fishing auction also has some rare, highly sought-after pieces.

An exciting way to explore the evolution of fishing tackle over the centuries is to collect antique and vintage tackles. We learn a lot about anglers who came before us through reels, fishing rods, lures, as well as other fishing equipment. Collectors from a variety of backgrounds are drawn to the handcrafted designs with a folk-art feel. Aside from lures, collectors look for rods, decoys, reels, and licenses, as well as items from early manufacturers such as Creek Chub, Shakespeare, Hercules, Heddon, Orvis, Hardy, and Pflueger. Vintage fishing gear as a hunting tool is part of the large category of collectibles that are in high demand.

Antique fishing lures and reels can be hidden for years in the basement of a home, unnoticed by their owners, and will eventually increase in value. A variety of materials have been utilized to make fishing lures for centuries, such as bronze, bone, plastic, and rubber. The first commercially made versions were made by Heddon and Pflueger in the late 1800s. Vintage and antique fishing decoys are prized by collectors.

Antique rods and reels are also valuable collectibles. There are many kinds of antique reels to collect since specialized reels were produced in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was not until the late 1800s that bamboo was used to make complete rods; prior to this, wooden rods were popular, often with bamboo tips. The most collectible fly rods today are those made from split bamboo, but other materials like fiberglass, bamboo, and steel are also highly sought after by collectors. In addition, collectors can choose from a variety of collectible reels, including single action, automatic fly reels, multiplication, and level wind casting reels. It is also highly popular to purchase vintage fishing licenses. 

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