Is the large metal wire on the front some sort of bumper, or a 2nd very large line tie place? This is a strange older lure and I just wondered how it works? Thanks.

The infamous seals, that 's how I call them.

I have a couple of Heddon Cousin and Heddon Cousin II, have had it for more than 30 years and never caught even a cold with either, heck I 've even thrown them into the nastiest cover to loose them and ..... they seem to love me dearly cuz they don 't go away, they never snag and they always return back, ahh, but if I throw a Rat L-Trap into the same mess I assure you it hangs up in an eyeblink.

So Heddon Cousin and Heddon Cousin II are in the box of lures I never use any more, actually I keep them as collectibles.