Nick Creme

Nick Creme (1910—1984) invented the modern plastic worm in 1949 while living in Ohio. Nick and Cosma Creme cooked up the perfect combination of vinyl, oils and pigments to produce a molded worm that not only looked and felt soft and alive, but also stayed that way when exposed to air over time. The first marketed worm was the Creme Wiggle Worm. It was sold by mail in 1951 at a cost of $1 for a pack of 5. When the product was shown at the Cleveland Sportsman’s Show, a distributor sold 9,600 in just a few days.

The demand soared and quickly outgrew the kitchen. That’s when the Creme’s set up a small manufacturing plant in Akron, Ohio.

In the late 50s, word of the soft plastic worm began to spread to bass anglers in the South. Crème decided to move his company into the center of the bass activity and built a plant in Tyler, TX. When professional anglers began winning early B.A.S.S. tournaments on Creme Scoundrels and Shimmy Gals, his business really took off.

Nick began to work with avid bass anglers who came up with many product innovations and rigging techniques. Creme was one of the first lure manufacturers to utilize a field staff network, and Nick used expert anglers nationwide to introduce his worms to other fisherman. He also became one of the first companies to sponsor a pro when, in 1967, Nick offered John Powell $18,000 a year to fish Creme worms.

Seldom does one individual in our industry have such a major impact. Nick Creme’s invention of the plastic worm in 1949 actually revolutionized bass fishing.

Nick Creme died in 1984, but today the tradition continues. Creme Lure Company continues to produce the original Scoundrel worm as well as new and innovative products.