Home 
Canadian Lure Companies Ontario Companies Frank Burdett
Canadian Lure Companies Ontario Companies Frank Burdett
| Frank Burdett |
Frank BurdettHamilton/Gravenhurst, OntarioA huge thanks goes out to Ken Kerr for his dedication and effort put into the Frank Burdett research. Without his investigations and resulting literature, this information would not have been possible. Francis 'Fank' Burdett Jr. was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1875 and was the son of an English father Francis, and an Irish mother, Maria Burdett. In the 1880's, father Francis and Frank's brother Joseph were both earning a living as 'brush manufacturers' in Hamilton, Ontario (Francis Sr. also held a Canadian patent for a 'shoe brush'). by 1892, Frank had moved to the area now known as Muskoka, and was living in Gravenhurst, Ontario working as a machinist. This was (and still is) an area known throughout North America for it's varied and superb fishing. Frank came up with an idea for a metal trolling lure that he thought was a big improvement over previous lures on the market. his idea was for a flat, two-sided metal lure (shaped like a minnow), seperated by an empty space in between and held together by soldered metal struts or 'wings.' Burdett was convinced that the fins sticking out from the sides of the other lures were an obstruction for fish when they tried to bite it (complete opposite from the Marsh Minnow). Instead, his lure was smooth-sided, so fish slid down the lure when biting it, causing a solid hook-set. To make up for lack of stabilizing fins, he used metal wings to hold the two sides together, which also caused the rotation of the lure when water poured over them. Burdett patented his lure in Canada in 1903 (#CA 81017) and in the U.S. in 1904 (#755, 612). It appears he sold his invention to the large American tackle maker Hendryx of Hartford, Conneticut, who widely marketed his lure. Hendryx also kept the name of the lure, selling it as the 'Burdett Bait.' It appeared in the 1915 Wm. Croft & Sons catalogue. The four-inch long lure, with a 2/0 hook, was made in both copper and nickel-plate. There have also been a couple of rare brass lures found, in a 6-inch length.
|
