Sealand Manufacturing Company Weedplane Lure

Sealand Manufacturing Company
St. Petersburg, Florida

Fletcher Bouton moved to St. Petersurg, Florida in 1915, where he pursued a successful real estate career, just as he had previously done in New York and Boston. A Pinellas County biography says his previous training and natural qualifications have been of great value to him, and his business has been a successful one from the start, while his value to his community is ever on the increase. He is one of the progressives in his line, and never considers any effort too great which has for its object the further development of the city or county....It is such men as Mr. BOUTON who have interested not only outsiders in the present and future of St. Petersburg, but the residents themselves, arousing in them the helpful local pride so necessary for a proper expansion, and judged alone by what he has accomplished in this way, Mr. BOUTON's work here has been of great value...

Bouton belonged to the local Country Club, Yacht Club, and Sportsmens clubs, and was active in all of them. One of his interests was fishing and Fletcher Bouton designed his own lure. He applied for a patent on his weedless fish lure design in 1938 and it was granted the following year.

Bouton called his bait the Weedplane Lure and it was manufactured by Sealand Manufacturing of St. Petersburg. The colorful drawing seen here is from the lure box paperwork. The Weedplane lure was designed with a chromium plated body and had a unique rear section made of sponge rubber. It was designed to be used with a pork rind trailer attached to the hook. Bouton proclaimed the lure to be "...more than weedless; it is WEEDPROOF"

The lures shown here are part of our collection. Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger image

Sealand Manufacturing Weedplane Lure


The Weedplane was sold in two piece cardboard boxes. Box paperwork does not indicate available colors. Weedplane boxes have also been found with paperwork indicating that lure was being made by Empire Tackle Co., Hartford, NY. I have no information about how or when this took place.

We are always interested in adding to this collection. Please send an email if you have any old Weedplane baits or boxes for sale or trade.
Visit my page about Antique Florida Lures to see other lure makers from Florida.