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Canadian Lure Companies Ontario Companies George Washington Wheeler
| George Washington Wheeler |
George Washington WheelerLefroy, OntarioReference material provided with permission from Frank Baron, who wrote the book "Commercial Fish Decoys, Identification and Value Guide" George W. Wheeler applied for a United States patent on October 10, 1919, which was granted on September 20, 1921 (see below). I am sure that the inventor eventually realized that the high cost of tooling and the close assembly tolerances required made the manufacturing of this mechanical fish decoy prohibitive, for there was only a small potential market at this time. The passage of 75 years and the absence of heirs (George was a bachelor) have eroded most of the critical data on George W. Wheeler's past. His only known relative was Sherman Wheeler, a brother who also lived in the village of Lefroy. Basically, this is a 7" wooden fish decoy with four plain brass fins and a nickel-plated brass tail. The hand-painted body was green on top and silver on the bottom. The decoy has no eyes, and the bottom of the decoy was carved out to contain the complex hidden 4-spring hook release mechanism. Two shaped nickel-plated brass plates attached with brass screws concealed four release springs, four hooks and a pressure-sensitive release bar. How George Washington Wheeler was able to devise and patent such a complex fishing decoy is a mystery that will never be solved. Was it a marketing success or an obscure inventor's dream? Large amounts of time, money and, for sure, good connections to pursue this project would have been needed.
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