The evolution of the Shur-Strike Pikie lure took on many faces over the short span of 15 years or so. In 1932, Creek Chub decided to make a more economical lure to deal with the Great Depression, and the Shur-Strike brand was born.
Here is a picture of catalog from 1932 that revealed the first offering of Shur-Strike lures that included the Round Nose Pikie, simply called a Series 4.
The above page was published in the NFLCC Gazette, and attributed to Charles Huffman. To further confirm the introductory date of the Shur-Strike brand, a 1932 Farwell, Ozmun, and Kirk Hardware catalog shows a Shur-Strike Style A and B.
The 1932 catalog page from Huffman, confirms the Pikie was one of the first lures Creek Chub came to market with under the Shur-Strike brand. The catalog confirms that the Shur-Strike version differed significantly from the traditional Creek Chub Pikie.
The jointed round nose style of Pikie was introduced in 1933 a year after the straight version. The round nose version of the jointed is extremely hard to find, and only a few examples are known. The colors listed were Pikie and Frog on the Series 4, and W/R & Silver/Black Head on the jointed. The 1932 catalog had R/W and Pikie as the two colors on the Series 4.
Round Nose
This round nose style must not have been accepted well with the fishing public, but the Shur-Strike line was thriving. A year or so later, the Pikie took on a slimmer look, more in line with the all ready successful, Creek Chub version. Notice the flat head, and sleeker body, but the same inserted lip as on the previous model. I have found the intro-round nose with two positions for the line tie, and it appears they settled on the snout tip for now in the early to mid thirties. That would change again in due time.
Flat Head Insert Lip
I would like to note that during this timeframe, Creek Chub introduced another lure that gets confused with the intro round nose Pikie, but was a completely different style lure. The HV style which stood for Heddon Vamp Style, was introduced around 1935/1936. It was developed to compete with their arch rival’s Heddon Vamp lure. Notice the indented area around the eyes that was the signature of the Heddon lure. The Shur-Strike HV was moderately successful, but had only about a 4 year run until around 1939, when it disappeared from the catalog offering.
HV Series
The next version of the Pikie, came with the introduction of the ventral lip. This lip was applied to bottom of the lure for more stability, and was cupped. The eyes took on the indented look of the HV series. The line tie is now moved to under the nose and above the cupped lip. I am sure this was all part of trying to improve the action of the lure as well. The final change was back to the rounder head, and the ventral lip.
Indent Eye & Flat Head Ventral Lip
Collecting Shur-Strike Pikie lures can be daunting task with all the variations over the years, collecting jointed, baby, and midget versions, and not to mention all the standard and special order colors. I have found several special colors over the years, and even a double line tie (DLT), similar to what Creek Chub provided on their main line.
Under Chin Line Tie
It should be noted that you could order the tack eye versions of these lures around 1938, as an option to save a penny or two. If you are CCBCO collector, this was not an option on the main line lures. CCBCO eventually went to tack eye, but not until the 60’s on the main line. Some retailers even ordered the baby size Shur-Strike Pikie in painted eye. These are actually very hard to find, but do come up, usually mis-identified as a Paw Paw or something else.
Variety of Pikies
In conclusion, the Pikie may have been one of the most common Shur-Strike lures sold, but the variations are endless, making it a very challenging lure to collect!
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