LureCraft is the Ultimate Fisherman’s Shop
It all started for Shawn and Kim Straley when their son, Mitch got involved in fishing bass tournaments. At twelve years old, Mitch won a bass tournament and being the supportive parents, Shawn and Kim saw that they were going to need money to fund their son’s passion for fishing. So, Shawn used the money he had saved up for a Harley-Davison motorcycle and bought a boat so they could go out fishing. Some of the money also went in to buying materials and molds to building lures. As fate would have it, Shawn ran into Mark Zona who asked him to build some soft stick baits with lots more salt in 10 different colors for him to fish with. The bait that Zona wanted is the 6-inch Jerk which is still being built today this started the demand for lures poured by Shawn.
At first, Shawn began pouring the lures at his desk in the living room then moved to the garage followed by a pole barn and finally the building they are in now. In the first five years the company grew by leaps and bounds. Now LureCraft (www.lurecraft.com or phone (800) 925-9088) has eight full time employees. “Although, we are a growing company, customer service is very important to us; no matter what size the account is,” said Shawn. Most of the orders are taken by phone, but the internet sales are increasing.
Today LureCraft is divided into two companies. Poor Boy’s Lures sells finished baits to
retailers like Bass Pro Shop, Cabelas, and mom and
pop stores. “We can supply any store
with no minimal order as long as they have a retail license, a store, or a
website,” said Shawn. Anglers can also
purchase finished baits online. Poor
Boy’s Lures have a huge following in the upper
The other company is LureCraft. LureCraft had been in business for over 40 years before Shawn and Kim bought it. LureCraft manufactures plastic lures, custom molds, custom lures if the order is large enough, fly tying materials, and components for building lures or flies. In fact, LureCraft sells everything an individual or a major lure manufacture would need from pints to drums of plastic to make lures with.
Shawn and Kim are not just in the fishing business to make money. They see it as a way to help expose other anglers to fishing. Poor Boy’s Bait is donating 20 cents of every bottle of Poor Boy’s Lure Dye to the Future Fisherman Foundation. The Future Fisherman Foundation works to introduce youth to fishing with funds from companies like Poor Boy’s Baits.
Poor
Boy’s Lure Dye is non-scented and odor disappears when dry. Use it to dye worm
tails, craw claws, hoola
skirts or even whole baits to get just the right color. The dye comes in six
hot fish-catching colors: watermelon, green pumpkin, black, red, orange and
chartreuse. Buyers have the satisfaction of knowing that part of the purchase
price from the sale of every bottle will help ensure the future of fishing.
“Since
its inception in 1986, the Future Fisherman Foundation has provided fishing
education programs for more than 1 million children nationwide,” said F3
executive director Keith Sutton. “This wouldn’t be possible, however, without
the generous support of companies like Poor Boy’s Baits and the customers who
buy their products. We’re proud to
include them among our partners.” Established
in 1986, the Future Fisherman Foundation unites the sport fishing industry and
a nationwide network of state outdoor educators, national conservation groups
and youth organizations dedicated to introducing
LureCraft like a
number of other lure manufactures has grown into a major supplier of fishing goods
for the angler or manufacture company; however, they still believe in customer
service no matter how big or small an order is and that’s what makes them the
ultimate fisherman’s shop.
Written by Brad Wiegmann. Brad is a professional fishing guide on