Note: Many changes have been made from my earlier dated study on S-S lures and colors.

Information listed on these pages has been verified through old Shur-Strike (S-S) documents & price lists except for a few question marks scattered throughout this effort that have yet to be “decoded”. I’ve decided to move ahead & share this knowledge with you now rather than wait for answers that may never surface.

Every Shur-Strike collector approaches the challenging study of S-S in a different manner. Therefore, it’s logical that no two hobbyists can agree on every detail regarding: (for instance) catalog colors against “Specials”, written color descriptions compared to actual lures in hand, non-catalog baits that may or may not be a S-S product, plus many other mysteries. As you will see, this area of collecting is a web of confusion because production of this line of lures was helter-skelter at best. This compilation is a modest attempt to sort out the details to the best of my abilities. I look forward to hearing from collectors who have other opinions & input toward this initial effort.

I believe Creek Chub introduced these baits in the early 1930’s to compete with other discount lures flooding the market. Although Shur-Strike lures were priced much less than the regular CCBCo line, they were far superior to most second quality baits. In fact, the paint & components were comparable to many competitors’ top line of lures. Creek Chub devised some new S-S designs, copied body styles from their own line, & “borrowed” many best selling styles from their competitors.

These baits were offered for as little as $1.00 a dozen to the trade! Creek Chub didn’t sell their Shur-Strike lures directly to the public. A 1933 CCBCo wholesale “special bulletin” depicts prices for the entire line then available; special discounts & recommended resale prices for these baits. If the lures were ordered in quantities of 100 or more, they were shipped mounted on showroom display cards. Due to a very competitive price structure they weren’t offered individually to any buyers.

Several Shur-Strike wholesale price lists from 1933-1941, actual examples from a 1947 CCBCo traveling salesman’s sample case, plus a group of documents from the CCBCo archives, were used to formulate the information used here. However, there is still much that is unknown. S-S lures may have been produced before this period of study (and certainly after), which will add much to the database if & when this info becomes available. Some series & color details were taken from original factory in-house records. Unlike the regular Creek Chub line, Shur-Strike lures didn’t have a illustratedcolor chart accompanying their price list. Therefore, it’s very difficult to match existing specimens against their original written color descriptions, especially the scale patterns. A comprehensive book on S-S lures will alleviate much of this confusion. It is entitled: "Shur-Strike Minnows: The History, Models & Colors of Creek Chub's Shur* Strike Lures", by Rick Osterholt. It can be ordered from: www.whitefishpress.com.

Many colors were painted specifically for certain stores with an angling department. These Special colors weren’t listed in the Shur-Strike price lists. Western Auto is but one good example.

As the years passed, the same Shur-Strike catalog lures/colors would sometimes take on new names (and numbers), apparently due to the whims of the person at Creek Chub in charge of producing the latest S-S price list. Also, modern collectors have given certain colors & series pet names that were never originally used. All of these inconsistencies have added to the Shur-Strike riddle. Perhaps someday additional data will be unveiled so collectors will have a clearer understanding of this desirable collectible from Creek Chub Bait Company.

*All weights & measurements were taken from Shur-Strike archive materials.

*Some series were made in combinations of glass eye, painted and tack eye versions while others had painted eyes only.

*Not all of the series or colors were produced for the entire 1933-1947 study period.

* Although S-S lists #9 AND #10 as Green Scale, Shur-Strike specialist Rick Osterholt believes #9 is Green Scale and #10 is a different pattern collectors call Green Gar.

It’s difficult to list the original color code numbers because one series might use #1 for Frog color & another lure would employ a completely different color for the same number. Some colors were given slightly different name changes over the years. I’ve sorted out these changes and they are listed below. Finally, the same color might be given more than one number. Again, Frog was given #1, then a #19 designation. Every series is listed by catalog lure code and colors to help clarify this jumble of confusion.

MATCHING SHUR-STRIKE LURES TO THE CORRECT BOXES

This compilation will allow you to possibly match the end code stamped on a Shur-Strike lure box against the many series listed below.

Please remember there are many other strange box end codes that don’t fit into any known pattern. These are often codes used by individual retailers instead of the standard Shur-Strike codes. These retailer codes can’t be deciphered from these listings but many are listed in Rick Osterholt's Shur-Strike book (see order details above).

ONLY SHUR-STRIKE CATALOG COLORS ARE LISTED BELOW

Notes: Any entry marked with a star (*) is data taken from Rick Osterholt’s Shur- Strike site.

Sometimes the name of the same color was changed from one year to the next. If I found these name changes while researching a particular series, they are listed below.

D Style (“Baby Surface Spinner, Baby Surf Oreno Style”) 2 ¾”, approx. ½ oz.
From all that I have researched & discussed with other S-S collectors, this size and weight eventually became the S-S Surf Oreno A very confusing area.

Q Series (V-Groove Bass Oreno) 3 1/2”, 5/8 oz.

SS note: Grooved head, floater-diver
Sold by the dozen in one color (no mixed color lots) or offered as part of an assortment pack with Series "X"& "Y". Four lures from each series. No list of colors was shown in the old Shur-Strike documents for this or the “X” & “Y” series. One collector has seven different colors.

R Series (“Gar Minnow” Style) 4”, ¾ oz.
See GM series below

X Series (*Pointed Nose Wiggler)

  SS note: sharp nose, diamond head minnow.
See “Q” series for more information about this & the “Y” Series. No list of colors but one collector has four different examples.

Y Series (*Concave Belly Darter) 3”, 5/8 oz.

  SS note: V mouth, sloping head, and concave belly.
See “Q” series for more information about this & the “X” Series. No slate of colors but one collector has six different examples.

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