I want to thank everyone for their interest and concerns for the future plans on closing down T&C Lures. The biggest question I am getting is "When will this happen?"
As if this very moment I am still unclear of a date, everything depends on how the new baits turn out. It has taken me quite a while to get to the point where I am at with my new bait projects, and am almost to the test stage on my 3rd prototype. I had inconsistent results with my last design and decided not to move forward with it, and made some changes. It caught fish and all, but I just wasnt happy with the action it was giving. This new design I am really crossing my fingers for a good performance. If it performs flawlessly, then the time T&C Lures will come to an end will be sooner than later.
Another question is "What about the swimgrub?"
Nobody wants to keep the swimgrub available more than I do. That bait has treated me very well, and is the reason why I started this whole thing in the first place. I have always found more frequent action on the swimgrubs over other paddletail type swimbaits, so have many others. They are not better than any other baits out there and they surely arent any worse, but for some they just flat out work better for them and I am one of them. The problem with keeping the current design of the swimgrub out there, is the fact that I will be starting a new company under another name and do not want to sell the swimgrub with "T&C Lures" still on the tail. According to Jeremy(the "C" in T&C) it would take a while to make the change, and of course money.... So as of right now, There are a couple options. One, wait a while for a mold with the new name or logo on the tail to be machined.... Two, a complete redesign of the swimgrub which would be somewhat similar to the current one, but with a couple small cosmetic changes. I wont state what these changes would be as I dont know which way this one is going to happen, or if it even will at this point. I would love to just have the logo changed and call it finished, but I am also digging my other ideas as well..
Another question, Will you be seeking out testers for the new stuff?"
For the swimgrub, I had at least 15 people from the border all the way up to Santa Monica fishing with them before I put a new pattern out. I eventually narrowed it down to 3 people who pretty much fished daily and all over the place. The conclusion I came up with was that I really didnt need testers in the first place if you have plastics and are fishing wherever there are bass, because they will always get hit. So for the upcoming venture, I may still hand some of the unavailable patterns off to anyone at anytime, but no testers.
"Will they be available in tackle shops?"
The tackle shops want me to sell them a bundle for 1/2 the price, just to sell them more than what I would sell them for. Thats the sound of me losing money, or barely breaking even at best. I will more than likely be doing business the same way as I am now.
"What will the prices be like?"
I hope they are as close to what they are right now, it really depends on how much material it takes me compared to the swimgrubs. But I cant see it being that much of a difference to be honest. I am referring to a 3" plastic of course, but if things go my way there will be other sizes of these baits as well, and I dont have a clue how much they would be yet.
"Are you going to keep selling jigheads?"
Yes, I decided to have the shad heads modified a little and made into 4 sizes. 1/4oz, 3/8oz, 1/2oz, and 3/4oz. These new versions are exact weights, meaning the 1/4oz head is actually 1/4oz including the hook, and the same goes for the others. The T&C version of the 1/4oz head is actually between 1/4oz and 3/8oz, but it was labeled 1/4oz compared to the size and shape of a hammerhead jighead.
There is good and bad though..... Good obviously they are in 4 sizes, bad is the fact that the bigger sizes were still made with a smaller bait in mind. The 1/4oz and 3/8oz will share the same 2/0 mustad hook. The 1/2oz and 3/4oz will share a 3/0 mustad hook, making it appear to have a really short shank. Basically the bigger sized jigheads will work great on a 4" sized lure, but probably not on anything bigger.
These will not be available with fiberguards, but I may try to do them as custom jobs or something(but would rather not).
"Can you show me what the new stuff looks like?"
LOL... 2nd most popular question so far, but wanted to save for last.... I hear the same thing all the time, I wont show anyone, I wont tell anyone, etc.
Some of the same people said the same thing when I originally told them about my future plans, but it wasnt long before I started getting emails asking whats going on with it...
So, not only NO because I dont currently have an actual bait yet, but NO because it will get spread around. Like I said the internet is very convenient...
When I have something that turns out the way I am expecting it to, I will start posting pictures. I dont want to show everyone, get them all excited about them just to not put them out in case they dont perform well. Only one person has seen my newest bait prototype, and only one person has seen my modified jigheads. If the photos get spread, I will know who opened their mouths lol.
I will keep everyone updated as progress is being made. If I had to make a guess, it would be between November and the end of the year. I may be way off, it could be next summer, its just really hard to say. I cant see it happening before November though.
Most of you know me through one or more of many fishing forums. Most of you are also previous customers of mine and have my email address, or even phone number. I am an easy person to get in touch with so if you have any questions please email me at tclures@hotmail.com, call my cell if you have the number, or send me a private message in the forums.
As always thanks for all of your support!
