Hearst, Ontario

     A huge thanks goes out to Gary Peck for his dedication and effort put into the Fishmaster research. Without his investigations and resulting literature, this information would not have been possible.

     One day while fishing with a party of four on Fushimi Lake west of Hearst, Jalo Kurki hooked and landed a 37 and 3/4 pound Northern Pike. from memory, Mr. Kurki recalls that the year was 1948 making the young fisherman 28. He remarked that the lure was a Circle H Lure (from the Holdenline Company of Cleveland, Ohio) previously bought when he had been in Cleveland. What he did do was enter a contest resulting in first prize in a category for "Canada, Alaska and 48 States." Mr. Kurki found the lures to be quite effective in the Hearst area. However, after a few seasons his stock of what were Circle H Lures were depleted. Upon contacting Cleveland, Mr. Kurki learned that the lure operation had ended and a switch had been made to the production of lighting fixtures. Not to be daunted, Mr. Kurki travelled to Cleveland and there he located the lures, molds and accessories. An engineer named Mackay had the items in storage. For a few hundred dollars the soon-to-be tackle entrepreneur now had a supply of lures and the means to manufacture all he would ever require.

     There were the inevitable trials and errors. Quickly it became evident that the molds were worn and were "low pressure molds." New ones were made for Automatic Plastics in Toronto. Supplies that he could use that came North included the coloured paper liners and the interior bars that ran the length of the lure. The hooks he required were Mustad hooks that he found in Toronto. The lips were made from stainless steel sheets. Now a "cottage industry" was ready to assemble lures in Hearst.

     Newly designed boxes were made in Timmins, Ontario for the lure that henceforth would be known as the Fishmaster. The boxes were two-piece with the container part red and the top acetate. Generally "Fishmaster" would be stamped on one side of the acetate lid. On the underside of the box would be stamped the colour and either Sinker or Floater.

     Production, when time permitted, was from the Kurki home at 813 Front Street in Hearst. given that he hauled gravel in the summer and lumber in the winter, time was at a premium for Northern Bait. When able to set aside a full day for the production of lures, Mr. Kurki recalled that about 100 to 125 lures could be completed. A total of around 2000 lures were made in a two year span during the early 1950s with distribution concentrated in Hearst and area.

     An examination of the lips on a few of the lures reveals a personal touch added by Mr. Kurki. One can find a number of the lures with the design incorporating the name "Jalo."

Vintage Fishmaster lure from Hearst

A picture of the Fishmaster lure from Hearst, Ontario. The paper insert came in various colours...looking to add a lure and box to my collection.