October 2010
Little Wonder
Clinton Wilt Mfg Co
Springfield, MO
1913
Hmmm, I have a brother nicknamed “Wonder”, was this lure named after him? Well, I think not as my brother is much younger than this lure and he is not "little"! Hey, he is my big brother...the oldest of 5 boys.
The Little Wonder is a very interesting and tough to find lure. It was made by a company that did not produce many types of lures and the company was small and short lived. However, these lures are very popular among collectors and highly sought after. A Clinton Wilt lure in good shape can sell for $200 - $600, or maybe even more. The price is hard to estimate as they rarely show up for sale.
The Clinton Wilt Little Wonder used the “barber pole” effect for attracting fish. The 3 blades on the back of the lure would spin, causing the attached wooden body to spin with it. The wooden body came in a variety of colors and was painted like an old-type barber pole, and the spinning would give the lure a “drilling” effect that, of course, attracted fish. Many of these lures have bright contrasting colors, such as red and white. This lure is darker in color (brown and green), but the “drilling” effect is still visible.
A feature unique to Clinton Wilt lures was a weight that was added next to the spinner on the front of the lure. This weight would rotate to the bottom of the lure after cast, causing the lure to sink making this an underwater minnow. The Little Wonder also featured a buckskin rear hook.
I have had this lure in my collection a long time and it is one of the most “hard to find” lures that I have in my entire collection. In fact, I acquired it in my very first years of collecting old lures…and used it fishing a few times. Lucky for me, the times I used it were brief enough that a hungry fish did not take it away from me.
