Well it looks like time is up for T&C Lures. I want to thank everyone again for all of their support. Its pretty satisfying seeing and hearing about people catching fish on plastics that I made. In the near future, It will happen again with several of my other upcoming products. I just hope that its sooner than way later. Although the bait making hault altogether wasnt expected, the time off will be welcomed. There is a lot going on in my life right now and putting lure making on the back burner will really help with the rush rush effect.
The new company will definitely start sometime in 2013, but I do not have an exact date yet. The best way to find out the latest news is by emailing me at tclures@hotmail.com. I will continue to update here as progress is made. Once I have a website up I will put up a notice here for a week or two, and then this blog will be taken offline. If you try to reach me through facebook, it will probably take you a while as I do not go on there very much, as I mentioned before I dont like social networking. You can also look me up in the local fishing forums, Im pretty easy to find.
Thanks again everyone!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Final T&C photo contest winner
Arnold E. caught this nice spotted bay bass while using the 3" razor clam pattern swimgrub and wins the October contest.
Thank you for all of the pictures you have sent in. As soon as I start the other company there will be more photo contests. The last day for making last minute orders is tomorrow, November 6th.
Please be sure to check back here for any updates regarding the new company. Once again, thank you for all of your support!
Thank you for all of the pictures you have sent in. As soon as I start the other company there will be more photo contests. The last day for making last minute orders is tomorrow, November 6th.
Please be sure to check back here for any updates regarding the new company. Once again, thank you for all of your support!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Thank you!
I just wanted to thank everyone who showed up for the BBC3 contest, and also give another thanks to those who donated in anyway from near and far away.
I am not sure why the turnout was so small, but we still had a decent raffle anyhow :)
Congratulations to Joel(aka fishing4hali) for winning that beautiful custom spinning rod that Len wrapped and donated. Also congratulations to Greg K(aka frombigisland) for winning the $100 gift certificate to Pt. Loma Sportfishing that was donated by Ron Huber.
I am not sure why the turnout was so small, but we still had a decent raffle anyhow :)
Congratulations to Joel(aka fishing4hali) for winning that beautiful custom spinning rod that Len wrapped and donated. Also congratulations to Greg K(aka frombigisland) for winning the $100 gift certificate to Pt. Loma Sportfishing that was donated by Ron Huber.
Friday, October 26, 2012
An unexpected change of plans.....
I was just informed that my mother is losing her place, and will more than likely not be living where she is at past the 15th of November. How does this effect me? My moms place is where I make everything at. Baits, jigheads, and molds.... I am not able to make anything at my current place for certain reasons that I will not really go into, its just way easier and more convenient for me to do everything at her place. This puts me in a tough position to move forward with anything to do with bait making. As of right now I have to deal with finding a new place to continue doing what I do. I am not really sure how long it will take.
Since I have been trying to fade out of T&C and bring in the new company, I will not reopen under T&C Lures, it will be under the new company name. Before today, the soonest I seen that happening was maybe the turn of the new year. But that was with my previous complications of bait designing, schedule, and life happenings. Not having a place to make anything is just going to push it out further, unless I can find somewhere else to make everything soon.
Even though I expected to shut down T&C, I surely didnt expect it to go down like this. I expected to shut it down one day, and reopen a new the next. Not close it one day and reopen months later.... This is not something I am very happy about, but at the same time, a little downtime will give me some time to get things in order on a personal level. So many things are happening in my life aside from the bait world that makes temporarily haulting the bait business not seem that big of a deal. I hope to find solutions to all the issues that have presented themselves to me in the recent weeks, especially this new one.
I will be keeping T&C Lures operational until November 6th. If you plan on making any orders, please keep in mind it may take me a couple extra days to complete orders as several people have expressed wanting to make a final order of T&C products before the shut down. I would need to have all orders completed by November 9th since I will be spending a lot of time moving stuff after that. If the orders get out of hand to the point where I know I wont be able to complete them and still have time to help my mom move out, I will notify you via email, and refund your payment. Please know that its definitely a likely scenario. As always, I will make the orders in the order received/paid for.
I am sorry to put such an abrupt stop to things, believe me I am still shocked over it. I will not take the blog offline since this is where I will be updating any forward progress that I make as far as starting the new company goes.
I am not a big social media kind of person, I have always hated facebook lol, so you will not find any updates there. For those that do not know, I can be found on some of the fishing forums that a lot of people frequent.
www.sdfish.com (username- dj thrillz)
www.scsurffishing (username- staylor)
www.oceanicangler.com (username- T&C Lures)
There are other forums some of you have bumped into me on, but the three mentioned ones are the main ones I post on.
You can still send me emails on tclures@hotmail.com. Even after I start the new company I will still keep this email address(I will have a new one of course too).
Those of you who know my cell number, dont be afraid to use it. Those who want to aquire it, just send me an email, its attached to my signature ;)
I cant wait to start the new company, I hope its sooner rather than later. Hopefully all of you will check in and stay updated on whats going on. Hopefully you all become fans of the new company also. Remember, the swimgrub will still be available once its underway.
And YES, we are still on for BBC3!!! I hope to see a lot of you out there :)
I want to thank all of you for supporting T&C Lures.
Kevin Taylor
Since I have been trying to fade out of T&C and bring in the new company, I will not reopen under T&C Lures, it will be under the new company name. Before today, the soonest I seen that happening was maybe the turn of the new year. But that was with my previous complications of bait designing, schedule, and life happenings. Not having a place to make anything is just going to push it out further, unless I can find somewhere else to make everything soon.
Even though I expected to shut down T&C, I surely didnt expect it to go down like this. I expected to shut it down one day, and reopen a new the next. Not close it one day and reopen months later.... This is not something I am very happy about, but at the same time, a little downtime will give me some time to get things in order on a personal level. So many things are happening in my life aside from the bait world that makes temporarily haulting the bait business not seem that big of a deal. I hope to find solutions to all the issues that have presented themselves to me in the recent weeks, especially this new one.
I will be keeping T&C Lures operational until November 6th. If you plan on making any orders, please keep in mind it may take me a couple extra days to complete orders as several people have expressed wanting to make a final order of T&C products before the shut down. I would need to have all orders completed by November 9th since I will be spending a lot of time moving stuff after that. If the orders get out of hand to the point where I know I wont be able to complete them and still have time to help my mom move out, I will notify you via email, and refund your payment. Please know that its definitely a likely scenario. As always, I will make the orders in the order received/paid for.
I am sorry to put such an abrupt stop to things, believe me I am still shocked over it. I will not take the blog offline since this is where I will be updating any forward progress that I make as far as starting the new company goes.
I am not a big social media kind of person, I have always hated facebook lol, so you will not find any updates there. For those that do not know, I can be found on some of the fishing forums that a lot of people frequent.
www.sdfish.com (username- dj thrillz)
www.scsurffishing (username- staylor)
www.oceanicangler.com (username- T&C Lures)
There are other forums some of you have bumped into me on, but the three mentioned ones are the main ones I post on.
You can still send me emails on tclures@hotmail.com. Even after I start the new company I will still keep this email address(I will have a new one of course too).
Those of you who know my cell number, dont be afraid to use it. Those who want to aquire it, just send me an email, its attached to my signature ;)
I cant wait to start the new company, I hope its sooner rather than later. Hopefully all of you will check in and stay updated on whats going on. Hopefully you all become fans of the new company also. Remember, the swimgrub will still be available once its underway.
And YES, we are still on for BBC3!!! I hope to see a lot of you out there :)
I want to thank all of you for supporting T&C Lures.
Kevin Taylor
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Update: T&C Lures, and a side view sneek peek :)
So it looks like T&C Lures will remain operational until at least the end of the year. A couple of things have kept me from moving forward, both on the personal side, and the bait side.
This week, I am testing my larger swimbaits. They are very wide.... I like them, but they will require so much plastic for each one it may not be worth it to sell them unless I put a high price on them, and I dont really want to do that.... But we will see how they do. I did a quick pour of each size for your viewing pleasure ;)
Not the greatest looking pours, or the greatest looking photo, but you have a better idea of how they look now. I call them "Tubbo's" and the sizes in the photo are 5", 4", and 3".
I have 3 prototypes finished but not molded. After the molds are made, baits are poured and tested. If they are satisfactory(to me) then I will post some pics. If they are not, then its modification time all over again.
This week, I am testing my larger swimbaits. They are very wide.... I like them, but they will require so much plastic for each one it may not be worth it to sell them unless I put a high price on them, and I dont really want to do that.... But we will see how they do. I did a quick pour of each size for your viewing pleasure ;)
Not the greatest looking pours, or the greatest looking photo, but you have a better idea of how they look now. I call them "Tubbo's" and the sizes in the photo are 5", 4", and 3".
I have 3 prototypes finished but not molded. After the molds are made, baits are poured and tested. If they are satisfactory(to me) then I will post some pics. If they are not, then its modification time all over again.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Report/News: A great week of spotty fishing :)
Report:
I think I fished more in the last week and a half than the last month and a half combined. Let me tell you, it sure felt good to find some consistency out there. Summertime fishing for me isnt normally that great anyhow, but this year was the worst out of all the years that I have been logging my outings. With limited time for fishing, I am limited to fishing only a few areas to take advantage of the time that I do have. On 9-28-12, I took my nephew out and we got into some bass in SD Bay. I caught 14 spotties and he caught 10 spotties. Last Sunday(9-30-12) I was able to get on the tube for a couple hours. I fished in SD Bay and caught 21 spotties and a corvina. The next day I was out for about 30 minutes and found 3 decent bass in MB. Tuesdays sesh was short but sweet, about 20 minutes in MB for 1 bass. Wednesday I was able to leave work early and hit one of my favorite stretches of MB for 4 nice spotties in about 2 hours. Thursday I was back in SD Bay for about 25 minutes for 5 spotties and a lizardfish. Let me just say that I am so excited to not have a ton of lizardfish attacking my baits anymore, its like as if they have disappeared all of a sudden.... Friday I hit the tube for a couple hours in SD Bay but only caught 9 micro bass. Yesterday, I went back to SD Bay for some more action and finished with 15 spotties and a corvina. I woke up a tad late this morning and rushed out the door and hit the same grounds where the action has been almost nonstop, and again it did not fail me. Finished with 31 spotties in about 2.5 hours. From June-mid September I have barely logged about 20 spotties(mostly due to all the surf fishing I was doing this year) but when I did fish for bass it was really slow. Since 9-28-12 I have caught 103 spotties, 2 corvina, and a lizardfish. A nice change of pace for sure. Most the fish were caught in SD bay, but a lot of them were sub-legal. Every fish I caught in MB was legalish or better. Anything with orange in it was getting bit for the most part. In SD Bay, I used a modified xmas oil pattern(put an orange belly in it) and it slayed.... I used 3 styles of baits: swimgrubs, curly shrimp pours, and my new swimbaits.
Bonito.... I have only seen a few bonito in SD Bay following my bait, never hooked up to any. Havent heard of any reports of them inside the bays, but I know they have been roaming around Ocean Beach Pier, Imperial Beach Pier, and at the end of the jetty (Dog Beach side) near the channel entrance. The ones at OB have been small, about 12"-14". In IB, there were reports of them being a lot bigger. Guess its a slow year for them too.
Bigger migratory sand bass should start to move into SD Bay pretty soon. Xing fingers ;)
News:
Good news..... Looks like once I start the other bait business I will still be selling the swimgrubs. Wasnt sure if I was going to redesign it, keep it the same, or even sell it at all but as of right now it will still be available :) A slight change was made, instead of a 5" calikiller, there will be a 4" swimgrub. The 3" swimgrub was scaled up to 4", so the body of the 4" is actually a little wider than the body of the 5" calikiller. I used it already and it works just fine, I actually like it better then the 5" version. There will not be a 5" swimgrub available under the new company name.
Most of you know I have a 3" swimbait already completed and tested. Some of you got to see some teaser photos on the T&C facebook page. I also scaled this particular bait up to 4", and 5". I am finding that a full scale is not the proper way to make the baits bigger, but whats done is done. I have not tested the larger sized swimbaits yet, and am not sure if they will be available, but the 3" swimbaits will be.
I am in the process of creating a simple worm for fishing weedbeds, and I am also working on yet another swimbait design. I put the craw design on the shelf for now until the other projects are completed. But you can expect to see one in the future, the craw bait will be mainly for pitching near docks and rocks.
BBC3: Dont forget to sign up for our Bassin for Breast Cancer III contest, the information on this is a few posts down :)
I think I fished more in the last week and a half than the last month and a half combined. Let me tell you, it sure felt good to find some consistency out there. Summertime fishing for me isnt normally that great anyhow, but this year was the worst out of all the years that I have been logging my outings. With limited time for fishing, I am limited to fishing only a few areas to take advantage of the time that I do have. On 9-28-12, I took my nephew out and we got into some bass in SD Bay. I caught 14 spotties and he caught 10 spotties. Last Sunday(9-30-12) I was able to get on the tube for a couple hours. I fished in SD Bay and caught 21 spotties and a corvina. The next day I was out for about 30 minutes and found 3 decent bass in MB. Tuesdays sesh was short but sweet, about 20 minutes in MB for 1 bass. Wednesday I was able to leave work early and hit one of my favorite stretches of MB for 4 nice spotties in about 2 hours. Thursday I was back in SD Bay for about 25 minutes for 5 spotties and a lizardfish. Let me just say that I am so excited to not have a ton of lizardfish attacking my baits anymore, its like as if they have disappeared all of a sudden.... Friday I hit the tube for a couple hours in SD Bay but only caught 9 micro bass. Yesterday, I went back to SD Bay for some more action and finished with 15 spotties and a corvina. I woke up a tad late this morning and rushed out the door and hit the same grounds where the action has been almost nonstop, and again it did not fail me. Finished with 31 spotties in about 2.5 hours. From June-mid September I have barely logged about 20 spotties(mostly due to all the surf fishing I was doing this year) but when I did fish for bass it was really slow. Since 9-28-12 I have caught 103 spotties, 2 corvina, and a lizardfish. A nice change of pace for sure. Most the fish were caught in SD bay, but a lot of them were sub-legal. Every fish I caught in MB was legalish or better. Anything with orange in it was getting bit for the most part. In SD Bay, I used a modified xmas oil pattern(put an orange belly in it) and it slayed.... I used 3 styles of baits: swimgrubs, curly shrimp pours, and my new swimbaits.
Bonito.... I have only seen a few bonito in SD Bay following my bait, never hooked up to any. Havent heard of any reports of them inside the bays, but I know they have been roaming around Ocean Beach Pier, Imperial Beach Pier, and at the end of the jetty (Dog Beach side) near the channel entrance. The ones at OB have been small, about 12"-14". In IB, there were reports of them being a lot bigger. Guess its a slow year for them too.
Bigger migratory sand bass should start to move into SD Bay pretty soon. Xing fingers ;)
News:
Good news..... Looks like once I start the other bait business I will still be selling the swimgrubs. Wasnt sure if I was going to redesign it, keep it the same, or even sell it at all but as of right now it will still be available :) A slight change was made, instead of a 5" calikiller, there will be a 4" swimgrub. The 3" swimgrub was scaled up to 4", so the body of the 4" is actually a little wider than the body of the 5" calikiller. I used it already and it works just fine, I actually like it better then the 5" version. There will not be a 5" swimgrub available under the new company name.
Most of you know I have a 3" swimbait already completed and tested. Some of you got to see some teaser photos on the T&C facebook page. I also scaled this particular bait up to 4", and 5". I am finding that a full scale is not the proper way to make the baits bigger, but whats done is done. I have not tested the larger sized swimbaits yet, and am not sure if they will be available, but the 3" swimbaits will be.
I am in the process of creating a simple worm for fishing weedbeds, and I am also working on yet another swimbait design. I put the craw design on the shelf for now until the other projects are completed. But you can expect to see one in the future, the craw bait will be mainly for pitching near docks and rocks.
BBC3: Dont forget to sign up for our Bassin for Breast Cancer III contest, the information on this is a few posts down :)
Monday, October 1, 2012
September winner!
After Kaleo K. lost her favorite luckycraft hardbait(my condolences...), she switched to the trusty 3" black widow swimgrub and nabbed this 19" halibut. She is our September winner :)
Like August, I only had a few entries again for September. Thanks for those of you who submitted photos, your odds have increased with the decrease of other entries. I was getting 20-40 entries per month until I made the "future of T&C" announcement lol. Not sure if people just arent using the swimgrubs or not fishing at all, but like I said your odds are better than they were, so send in them photos :)
Like August, I only had a few entries again for September. Thanks for those of you who submitted photos, your odds have increased with the decrease of other entries. I was getting 20-40 entries per month until I made the "future of T&C" announcement lol. Not sure if people just arent using the swimgrubs or not fishing at all, but like I said your odds are better than they were, so send in them photos :)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Bassin For Breast Cancer III
Ok everyone its that time of year again for the T&C Lures Bassin for Breast Cancer fishing contest. This years contest is not going to be as big as I was hoping for, but every donation counts in the eyes of the Komen foundation, and its a pleasure to help raise some money for them. So wether I have 3 people enter, or 30 people enter I appreciate it very much!
The contest will be held at Harbor Island near the big parking lot in front of the Hilton Hotel from 9am-11am. The $5 donation entry will remain the same, and all proceeds will go to the Komen For the Cure Foundation. I supplied baits and jigheads for the previous contests... but with a really busy schedule and even lack of funds, I will not have any extra time to make anything for this contest. Therefore, for this years BBC3 contest, any type of bait will be allowed. So bring your confidence bait!
I will have a very small raffle at the end of the contest, but will have a very nice grand prize that was donated by a very generous T&C Lures fan named Ron Huber, thanks again for the raffle donation! For those of you who bring a raffle donation you will receive a coupon good for 1 dozen swimgrubs in my newest pattern that nobody has their hands on yet. Raffle items do not have to be pricey.... It would be appropriate for them to be fishing related, but not required. For example I included some movie passes last year, and will probably include some more this year, as well as some T&C Lures bait packages. Some cheap raffle item examples include: Fishing line(8lb-12lb), leadheads, plastics, towels, fishing tools(needlenose pliers, hemostats, nail clippers etc.), bait scent, storage containers.... you get the picture. But if you have something else thats non fishing related but feel that its something anyone can use, bring it for the raffle.... Gift cards anywhere, movie passes, dining certificates, hats, shirts, etc.
Prizes will be given out for:
Most bass caught
Biggest bass(bonus prize if caught with a T&C Lures bait)
-BONUS- Any legal halibut
I cannot keep track of everyones catch, therefore a photo of the fish caught must be taken by a nearby fishing neighbor, or one of my scouts that will be around taking photos. All photos should be full sized, meaning not just a shot of the fish, I want the angler in the photo also, at least from the waist up. To qualify for the biggest bass prize, a tape measurement is required as well as a full photo and must have one of my scouts present to verify fish size and angler info so that it can be reported back to me and noted.
$5 donation entries can either be in cash on contest date, or sent via paypal to tclures@hotmail.com. To sign up for this charity event, email me at the same email address and type BBC3 in the subject heading. Please be sure to include your first and last name, as well as any others who may be participating also.
If you would like to donate something for the Komen foundation or for the raffle but do not with to fish in the contest, please contact me at tclures@hotmail.com. All donations are welcomed, and appreciated.
When: October 27th(postpone date set for November 10th in case of rain)
Where: Harbor Island big parking lot across from Hilton Hotel
Fee: $5 donation, 100% of proceeds go to Komen For the Cure Foundation
Contest prizes and raffle prizes
Drinks and snacks for participants
EDIT--- A couple things to add:
Anyone 16 or over is required to have a valid California fishing license with ocean enhancement stamp.
This event is from the shoreline only. No boats, float tubes, or kayaks allowed.
Some of you just might get to see first glance of the swimbait prototype I have been working on for months.
The contest will be held at Harbor Island near the big parking lot in front of the Hilton Hotel from 9am-11am. The $5 donation entry will remain the same, and all proceeds will go to the Komen For the Cure Foundation. I supplied baits and jigheads for the previous contests... but with a really busy schedule and even lack of funds, I will not have any extra time to make anything for this contest. Therefore, for this years BBC3 contest, any type of bait will be allowed. So bring your confidence bait!
I will have a very small raffle at the end of the contest, but will have a very nice grand prize that was donated by a very generous T&C Lures fan named Ron Huber, thanks again for the raffle donation! For those of you who bring a raffle donation you will receive a coupon good for 1 dozen swimgrubs in my newest pattern that nobody has their hands on yet. Raffle items do not have to be pricey.... It would be appropriate for them to be fishing related, but not required. For example I included some movie passes last year, and will probably include some more this year, as well as some T&C Lures bait packages. Some cheap raffle item examples include: Fishing line(8lb-12lb), leadheads, plastics, towels, fishing tools(needlenose pliers, hemostats, nail clippers etc.), bait scent, storage containers.... you get the picture. But if you have something else thats non fishing related but feel that its something anyone can use, bring it for the raffle.... Gift cards anywhere, movie passes, dining certificates, hats, shirts, etc.
Prizes will be given out for:
Most bass caught
Biggest bass(bonus prize if caught with a T&C Lures bait)
-BONUS- Any legal halibut
I cannot keep track of everyones catch, therefore a photo of the fish caught must be taken by a nearby fishing neighbor, or one of my scouts that will be around taking photos. All photos should be full sized, meaning not just a shot of the fish, I want the angler in the photo also, at least from the waist up. To qualify for the biggest bass prize, a tape measurement is required as well as a full photo and must have one of my scouts present to verify fish size and angler info so that it can be reported back to me and noted.
$5 donation entries can either be in cash on contest date, or sent via paypal to tclures@hotmail.com. To sign up for this charity event, email me at the same email address and type BBC3 in the subject heading. Please be sure to include your first and last name, as well as any others who may be participating also.
If you would like to donate something for the Komen foundation or for the raffle but do not with to fish in the contest, please contact me at tclures@hotmail.com. All donations are welcomed, and appreciated.
When: October 27th(postpone date set for November 10th in case of rain)
Where: Harbor Island big parking lot across from Hilton Hotel
Fee: $5 donation, 100% of proceeds go to Komen For the Cure Foundation
Contest prizes and raffle prizes
Drinks and snacks for participants
EDIT--- A couple things to add:
Anyone 16 or over is required to have a valid California fishing license with ocean enhancement stamp.
This event is from the shoreline only. No boats, float tubes, or kayaks allowed.
Some of you just might get to see first glance of the swimbait prototype I have been working on for months.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
News
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!
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!
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