Acme Tackle Company

C.V. "Charlie" Clark, a songwriter and music publisher based in New York City, founded Seneca Tackle Co. in 1951. Clark observed Little Cleo doing a hoochie coochie dance in the 1930s. In 1953, he created a spoon lure that had a swaying motion, naming it Little Cleo after the dancer he had seen. His rationale was that the fish would be entranced by the bait similar to how he was captivated by Little Cleo the dancer.

Acme Tackle Company, which is based in Rhode Island, purchased Seneca Tackle in 1980. Between 1953 and 1996, the rear of Little Cleo was illustrated with an exotic dancer who was scantily dressed. After a woman who worked at an influential retailer became upset by the image in 1996, the retailer demanded the elimination of the illustration. Acme Tackle stopped printing the illustration on Little Cleo that year to allay the retailer's concerns and maintain them as a buyer. According to Field & Stream's John Merwin, the removal was "for the sake of newfound political correctness". Little Cleos adorned with the exotic dancer were sold as "collector's edition kit[s]". The lures each have "a bucktail-dressed, single O'Shaugnessy hook" and are produced in the colors of gold; chrome; chrome and neon blue; and chrome and neon green.

Little Cleo comes in nine sizes, ranging between 1⁄16 oz and 1 1⁄4 oz. Because of Little Cleo's thick metal and narrow width, the lure goes deep under the surface of the water. As a result, they are commonly used to fish for trout though can also be used for ensnaring panfish, striped bass, and sand bass. Little Cleo spoons were not built for use in saltwater. A saltwater edition was released in 2000.