Gardiner Mills Skinner

Gardiner M. Skinner was born January 24,1845 to Sylvester and Amanda Skinner of Brockville,Ontario.The family owned a business manufacturing horse related items and other farm tools.Some years later, the family and business were moved to Gananoque,Ontario.By 1865,Skinner had developed an improved  trolling spoon with flutes to better enhance light reflection and offer better appeal to game fish in area waters.Within the next several years Skinner was tinkering with lure designs, until in 1874 he was granted patents in US and Canada.His Canadian patent was granted February 3,1875.Skinner married in 1871 Marianne Girard a Clayton New York resident.They lived in Gananoque after the marriage.

Skinner carried on his tackle business in Gananoque for several more years.But in 1879 Charles A. Ellis a druggist from Clayton convinced Skinner to relocate his tackle business to Clayton New York.This ended the canadian connection to this Ontario tackle maker.

The most prized metal baits for Ontario collectors would be any Skinner blades with the distinct Gananoque stamping in the blades.His "Turkey foot" and "Turkey wing" blades are elusive and are in high demand by collectors worldwide.

G.M SKINNER FLUTED BAIT,PAT'D 1874 (TURKEY WING)

G.M.SKINNER METAL BAITS,GANANOQUE,ONTARIO