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Canadian Lure Companies Ontario Companies Northern Tackle Co.
Canadian Lure Companies Ontario Companies Northern Tackle Co.
| Northern Tackle Co. |
Northern Tackle Co.Sudbury, OntarioA huge thanks goes out to Gary Peck for his dedication and effort put into the Northern Tackle Co. research. Without his investigations and resulting literature, this information would not have been possible. It's hard to dispute the engineering genius and functional marvel of the infamous Flashtail lure. This highly sought after lure was created by a Finnish immigrant by the name of Vaino Lehto, of Sudbury, Ontario. While there doesn't seem to be much known about the inventor, records indicate that he was born in Ruovesi, Finland in 1906, and that he immigrated to Canada in 1926. Mr. Lehto moved to Sudbury in 1935 with the hopes of working at the nickel mines. He started his employment with INCO in 1936, and retired from the company in 1968. While employed with INCO, Vaino Lehto filed two Canadian patents. Patent Number 415690 was filed on January 15, 1943 and was registered on October 5, 1943. In the patent description there are details such as:- allowances for water to enter an open mouth and exit outlets on the side of the body - a flexible tail and hooks concealed beneath the tail - a line extending from the open mouth complete with a bead - "preferably coloured." - a spinner attachment - the eyes to be formed of coloured glass Based on various Canadian ads from Rod and Gun in Canada and Hunting and Fishing in Canada, the Flash Tail was available in 1948, 1949 and 1950, but reference to Northern Tackle has been noted as late as 1953. This does not mean that Northern Tackle did not market their products earlier or later than those dates, but there is no reference data available to suggest otherwise. Records also indicate that Vaino Lehto was promoting a "patented" fishing line as early as 1950. Patent information shows that he received the Canadian Patent 482263, on April 8, 1952. The patent allowed for variations on the material of line which included: copper, monel, braided silk and nylon. In the pictures below you can see the two main body styles of the Flash Tail. The Model 3 lures are much more narrow and have interesting colour variations on the body. The Model 4 lures have the pregnant belly configuration and a different style of mouth opening...they are very easy to distinguish from one another. And lastly, in the picture on the very bottom is an advertisement from Northern Tackle Co. for a "Northern Minnow." To date, none of these lures has surfaced. It is unsure whether or not these lures were ever sold commercially, but it is clear that they were at the least manufactured. If anyone ever comes by one of these lures, please send me a picture so I can share it on the site.
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