Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
226
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VA, USA
Posted: 3/16/2024 12:25:46 AM EDT
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Anyone do this as a hobby and then decide to perhaps try and get a little side-business going out of your house or garage? I have been messing around with fishing lures since the 1970's, taking them apart, studying them, fiddling around with them, reworking them, and finally reassembling them --- and they still work and they still catch fish! Should I? Should I not? Is there really a market for this? I mean, how could I compete with Bass Pro or Cabela's... selling top name brand lures? I'm just "me"  
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Making and selling fishing lures is like woodworking, everyone thinks it's too simple to pay someone for their labor and product. Make yours different than the box store suppliers. Replicas of old lures no longer made is probably one angle. Give them a handcrafted look, not quite so polished as modern manufacture, promote them as hand made, special, rare, and maybe (gag) artisanal. Nice packaging such as a little wood box lined with cedar shavings is something to consider. When I was a kid a local lure maker and wholesaler sold a modified Lazy Ike style in two sizes and two colors that were amazing in Ozarks streams. I wish I had a bucket full. I have considered calling the old owner to find out if the has a couple or sketches that I could get. Take a shot. You should have a good idea about the popular lures in your region . Streamline your process for production. |
Keep your powder dry, and watch your back trail.
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Originally Posted By BobbyHill: My friend's kid did it for a while, might still be. He made some good side cash for a 17 year old. Not so much for someone with actual bills.  This is the way I would go. I worked as an assembler for a tackle supplier in high school. He would supply components and I assembled spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Owner would sell them at trade shows and online. I find it cost prohibitive now unless you make something truly original or exclusive. I follow Marling Baits on youtube. He is truly a craftsman with his carving, molds and colors. He even does soft plastics. Spend some money and time and get good with an airbrush. Good looking baits sell or sell colors that have been discontinued from certain crankbait brands. Good Luck |
Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
230
EE: 0% (0)
VA, USA
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Thanks everyone.... It's a idea, since I'll be retiring at the end of this school year. I'm already retired US Coast Guard (military pension) I got healthcare and VA benefits already. I'm going to file for (early) Social Security as well, based on a previous career in the I.T. industry (as in... $$$$)  So the fishing lure gig would just be a little side business so I wouldn't get bored. Here's another thing that I put up on my Facebook page too. Why pay $5.99 when I can make the exact same thing for only $1.35? 
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Yes there is a market. Its just figuring out the "niche". Ive been working on my side company for about 2 years now officially. Just branched into plastics. As others have said...think outside the box and find new things. Also higher quality or things that cannot be found in the store. I make jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, a bunch of different jigheads/shakeyheads, airbrush baits and now plastics. Find the niche around you. Feel free to PM me with any questions. People will pay for quality. I sell my jigs more than most cost in a store, for example. But they are tied, and mostly custom-ish colors. I also offer options for different hooks. Ive got a guy that likes the thinner wire skipping jigs, in one color. Buys 10-15 at a time. All because he cant find the hook he wants in storebought options. |
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Originally Posted By Chadsc: Yes there is a market. Its just figuring out the "niche". Ive been working on my side company for about 2 years now officially. Just branched into plastics. As others have said...think outside the box and find new things. Also higher quality or things that cannot be found in the store. I make jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, a bunch of different jigheads/shakeyheads, airbrush baits and now plastics. Find the niche around you. Feel free to PM me with any questions. People will pay for quality. I sell my jigs more than most cost in a store, for example. But they are tied, and mostly custom-ish colors. I also offer options for different hooks. Ive got a guy that likes the thinner wire skipping jigs, in one color. Buys 10-15 at a time. All because he cant find the hook he wants in storebought options. I have been wondering about that market for painted lures and whether a huge part goes to collectors, especially the handmade wood lures that require too many hours and financial investment to sell for fishing for more than $15 or $20. Last Thursday or Friday I ran across a lure maker that offers to trade one of his for one from other carvers. That might be a smart long term strategy. I have searched for contests for custom lure makers without success. There doesn't seem to be crossover with the fly tiers that compete. The molded plastic bodies are about unavoidable if sales to fishermen are the goal. About the only use I would have is using them for painting practice. There's a NFLAA show in Effingham Illinois next weekend that I might visit to find out about the collector angle. |
Keep your powder dry, and watch your back trail.