Heddon Dowagiac Zaragossa - Centennial Edition

Japan Market Find - sourced directly by Wilder's Fishing & Supply Co. from the Japanese tackle market during a sourcing trip in 2026.

Specifications

• Length: 110mm
• Weight: 16g
• Type: Walker / Pencil Bait
• Buoyancy: Floating
• Dive Depth: Surface
• Hooks Included: Yes

Condition Notes

• Near mint lure condition, no structural issues
• Packaging showing some minor signs of aging and handling marks, but near mint

The Heddon Zaragossa is arguably the most written-about lure in American fishing history. The subject of thousands of articles in fishing and outdoor magazines since its introduction in 1922, when it first appeared in the James Heddon's Sons catalogue as "The Florida Wonder," a design by W.T. Heddon at his lakeside winter home and granted U.S. Patent #1,424,385 on August 1, 1922. Its celebrated walk-the-dog action has been the subject of more "how-to" articles than any other lure ever produced, and it has appeared in every Heddon catalogue from 1922 to the present day, a continuous production run of over a century that no other American lure can match.

The 1994 Centennial Edition was produced to commemorate Heddon's 100th anniversary, an authentic wood reproduction of the original #6500 Zaragossa, complete with Certificate of Authenticity documenting the lure's origin story from patent application to catalogue history, presented in the commemorative Centennial Edition box. The RHF (Rainbow Herring Finish) renders a silver-grey herring scale pattern with vivid red gill marking and gold 3D eye - a naturalistic, broadly effective baitfish finish that represents the Centennial Edition's most versatile and accessible colour choice across its documented fifteen-plus colour range.