Review of Patrick Daridick's Ontario Lures Web Site

This week we will take a closer look at a great web site on Canadian lures run by Patrick Daridick. Ontario Lures is an extensive web site on Vintage Ontario made lures and tackle, and covers most of the major (and many minor) companies on the subject.


Great Lucky Strike bait from Patrick's web site.
Having collected Canadian metal lures (part of which I featured in a two part article run in the past two issues of The Tackle Box, the newsletter of the Canadian Antique Fishing Tackle Collector's Association), I have always had a keen interest in Canadian tackle, in particular since my favorite lure of all time--the G.M. Skinner fluted spinner--was invented in Gananonque, Ontario.


Patrick's Busty Flesher baits.
For those who don't know, Ontario was home to many major Canadian tackle and resellers, notably Hex Baits, Williams Baits, S.W. Ellis & Sons, and of course, the Lucky Strike Bait Works in Petersborough. The web site has sections on each of these companies, and additionally, an extraordinarily valuable section entitled "Ontario Metal."


The ever popular Hex baits are featured on this web site.
The Ontario Metal section includes examples of lures from the Hamilton Bait Co., the famed Allcock, Laight & Westwood (AL&W), W. Delaney, the Marsh Bait Co., J.P. Moore, T.I. Thompson, W.J. Paul, Dominion Tackle, William Croft & Sons, Canada Needle & Fishing Tackle (CNFT), J. Livingstone, and C.H. Westwood, among others. Many, many previously unidentified baits can now be properly ID'd thanks to Patrick's site.


This AL&W spinner sat in my collection for years until I was able to ID it as an AL&W May-Bee Spinner, thanks to Patrick's web site.
Additionally, the web site is supported by its own Canadian lure and tackle message board. Postings on here generally deal with Canadian made fishing tackle, and if you have a question on IDing a Canadian lure or reel, or are looking to buy, sell, or trade Canadian baits, this is a good supplement to Joe's Message Board and ORCA's Reel Talk.

All in all, this is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in learning about Ontario and Canadian fishing tackle.

-- Dr. Todd