Lanes Wagtail Wobbler Lure
The Lanes Wagtail Wobbler Lure was first introduced in 1924. This antique fishing lure was fashioned by Charles W. Lane of Madrid, New York. Charles Lane a prominent resident of Madrid was known locally as a fine clock maker and jeweler. The Wag-tail wobbler lure was hand painted in shades of green, silver and brown with scale marks running along the sides to mimic natural scaling. This painted eye lure measures close to 2 3/4″ in length.
The Wagtail featured a scooped front lip over the mouth where the single forward line tie is. The bait was used to entice medium size game fish such as large mouth bass and pike. Its often found with a leader already attached to the line tie. The antique lure features a hinged rear metal tail and two belly hooks secured with a cup rig style hardware to secure its prey. This lure can be found with a few different hardware, color, and body variations.
Charles Lane had already had a successful venture with the Lanes Automatic Minnow and the Lane’s Harness prior to the production of the Wagtail Wobbler antique lure. I’ve often wondered if the books didn’t have the wrong information about the Wagtail Wobbler, and its date of production being almost a dozen years after the Automatic Minnow.
Madrid New York, is a small far north town built upon the Grass River. The Grass River like so many others in Upstate NY receives its water or is a feeder from the mighty St Lawrence. The area boasted a population of around 1200-1600 in the early part of the 20th century when Charles Lane made his residence. Like many who made the North Country as its sometimes referred to, the primary occupations were logging and farming. Akin to the early fishing lure industry all were dependent on the waterway. The Grass River gave birth to a healthy population of Small Mouth Bass, Pike, Walleye, and the North Country’s prize, Muskellunge.
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Lanes Wagtail Wobbler Lure Photo Gallery
