Southern Bait Company - Joe's Old Lures

Southern Bait Company
Coral Gables , Florida

One of the companies that used the Southern Bait Company name was located for a while in Savannah, Georgia. They manufactured a lure called the Tilton Porpoise. It was made of wood and had a fairly heavy lead weight in the nose. The lure has a very pleasing shape with smooth flowing lines.

	At some point, Southern Bait Company moved to Coral Gables, Florida. The move must have been sometime after 1939, as a patent for a new version of the lure was granted to John L. Wyatt while he was still in Savannah.
	The new lure was made of plastic and had a different shape than the older wooden version. It also has a lead plate attached to the chin, which replaced the weighted nose of the original Tilton Porpoise..

A picture box for the lure refers to Tilton's New Porpoise Minnows. Perhaps the "new" refers to the change in material. The bait is described as The Minnow With Action and is said to be equally effective for fishing in fresh as in salt water.

Southern Bait Company New Tilton Porpoise

A later version of the Tilton box shows a Miami, Florida address

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