South Bend Fishing Photo Contest

South Bend Fishing Photo Contest

 

Advertised in 1922 Catalogs

Send Us Pictures of Your Catches Tell us About 'Em

 

We are always glad to receive photos of interesting catches made with South Bend lures and prefer that lure is shown in picture.  We appreciate a few words always in connection with the catch.  Send in your photos and it may be we will have use for them in an advertising way, as all our advertisements show photographs of actual catches.

 

The first South Bend Bait Co. Fish-Photo Contest was held in 1923.  A South Bend Bait $2,000 Fish-Photo Contest pamphlet was issued for the contest.  The rules for this contest was anyone except for employees and their families could enter this contest.  There was no entrance fee of any kind.  Photographs entered must prominently show the South Bend Bait with which the catch was made.  Pictures will be judged for photography, that is, background, naturalness, human interest, and outdoor atmosphere, for the kind and size of fish, for clearness and detail.

1925 Contest Judges

  • Ivar Hennings - President of South Bend Bait Co.
  • Lew B. Jones - Vice President of Eastman Kodak Co.
  • Claire Briggs - Eminent Cartoonist "The Days of Real Sport"
  • Eltinge F. Warner - Publisher Field and Stream
  • Earle G. Thomas - Director of Publicity, South Bend Bait Co.

$2,000 in Prizes

  • Grand Prize - $300.00 in Gold Pieces (Thirty new $10.00 gold pieces)
  • 1st - Eight $75.00 in Cash Prizes
  • 2nd - Eight $50.00 Prizes of Tackle Selection
  • 3rd - Eight $25.00 Prizes of Tackle Selection
  • 4th - Eight $12.50 Prizes of Tackle Selection
  • 5th to 9th - Forty $5.00 Prizes of Tackle Selection
  • 10th to 34th - Two Hundred $1.00 Prizes of Tackle Selection
Contest Entry Form
Contest Entry Form
The Fishing Photo Contest continued through the 1920's, 1930's and into the mid 1940's but it's unclear if South Bend offered prizes after the 4th annual 1926 contest.  We know throughout the years anglers continued sending in photographs of their catches and South Bend advertised these photo's along with a few words describing the catch in their catalogs.
After the end of WW II South Bend immediately began promoting their 1944 Fishing Photo Contest.  South Bend didn't start production of tackle again until 1947 but to stay in the minds of the public they issued the 1945 Fishing Photos catalog.  This catalog featured prize winners from their recent 1944 Fishing Photo contest.  South Bend offered $3,000 in prizes which included $750 in War Bonds to the 1st place winner.

 

The first South Bend catalog to be printed after WW II was the 1945 Fishing Photos catalog.  There was a "Preferential Order" form in this catalog for anglers to fill out and take to their dealers.  This would give the angler a priority by reserving tackle for them until the factory resumed production of fishing tackle once again.

1945 Fishing Photos Catalog
1945 Fishing Photos Catalog
South Bend took eight of the finest photo's from the 1944 Fishing Photo contest and reproduced them on paper, lithographed in duotone, 11" x 15" in size and made a portfolio available for the public.  They were printed in limited quantities and made especially for framing.  The complete portfolio of eight prints were available for $1.00 postpaid.

 

South Bend Fishing Photo Portfolio
South Bend Fishing Photo Portfolio
South Bend Fishing Photo Portfolio

 "Angleworms" by Perry Cragg, Cleveland, Ohio - First Prize Winner

"Saturday Mornin" by Carl Mansfield of Bloomingdale, Ohio - Fifth Prize Winner
"Saturday Mornin" by Carl Mansfield of Bloomingdale, Ohio - Fifth Prize Winner
"Trout Waters" by N. N. Nadeau, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Sixteenth Prize Winner

"Trout Waters" by N. N. Nadeau, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Sixteenth Prize Winner

"Take a Boy Along" by Josef Muench, Santa Barbara, California - Seventeenth Prize Winner
"Take a Boy Along" by Josef Muench, Santa Barbara, California - Seventeenth Prize Winner
"MOTION IN MAINE" by L. M. Powell, Hartsdale, New Youk - Thirty-second Prize Winner
"MOTION IN MAINE" by L. M. Powell, Hartsdale, New Youk - Thirty-second Prize Winner

 

"HONEST" by William H. Lattimer, South Bend, Indiana - Thirty-fourth Prize Winner

"HONEST" by William H. Lattimer, South Bend, Indiana - Thirty-fourth Prize Winner

 

Back Cover

Back Cover

 

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Related Articles / Pages:

History Index:  A quick index of all of our history pages.  From Lure Lore and Fishing History sections to everything else we have on My Bait Shop dedicated to the preservation and education of fishing history.

Antique Fishing Lures:  More articles from the archives of AntiqueFishingLures.com

Lure Lore:  More great Lure Lore articles on My Bait Shop featuring in depth lure reviews and historical data.  An ever-growing section started in 1997 and continued on today at My Bait Shop.

Lures For Sale:  See what we have in stock at My Bait Shop for vintage lures.  Our ever changing inventory makes this worth repeat visits.

  

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(Originally Published on AntiqueFishingLures.com)
Moved to My Bait Shop in 2024 and updated as applicable

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