For those that make jigs and rods for a living

[dmm26]

I'm contemplating making jigs, flies, and rods as a way to supplement my income.

I'm wondering, does anyone here do this as a full time job?

If so, how did it come about?

How much R&D did you put in before you actually started to sell?

I have previously owned and operated a clothing company that did quite well, so I do know that it takes a lot of perseverance.

On the other hand, sometimes I think " Who do I think I am starting a fishing tackle business?"
Simply because, I don't get out fishing that much, I'm relatively new to the sport, Started actually taking a serious interest in fishing last year. And thirdly, I'm not as in tune with the seasons, fish species, and their habits/food sources as I would like to be.

Thanks for any replies.

Derek

 

[Bucko]

I only do it part-time so I can't speak for full-time, but almost went full-time a few years ago. With today's market everything is so mass produced that it's really hard for the small guy to make a go at it. The key I found is to go slow and perfect one thing before moving on to the next. Also the people that buy my stuff aren't the weekend warriors. If people want a custom lure they can't buy of the rack art Wal-Mart they have to pay a custom price. You cannot under sell yourself. My wife was all onboard for me to take this to the next level but with a family to support I couldn't walk away from a 65k job that was guaranteed. I'm not saying that someday after they are of to college I wouldn't take the leap, but for me this isn't the time.

What I do is give some of the guys I know from the tournament circuit some baits and all I ask is their honest feedback. That is my greatest RnD tool I have since most of them are on the water more than myself.

A good friend of mine has been making custom rods for 35 years and will be retiring after this year. He said it never feels like work since its his greatest passion. He's not rich but did very well for himself.

This business can be a very lucrative affair if you put your time in and pay every attention to detail. You need to make the customer feel that paying sometimes double for a bait is a good investment , and in return you need to make good on it. Don't let somebody beat you up on your prices and take pride in your work. Whether it's a simple trout jig or a $500 custom rod that will be the prize of someone's collection, never settle for mediocrity.

 

[hookup]

I build rod & pour & tie jigs. For me, it's a hobby. To turn this into work would remove the enjoyment factor of the hobby.

I've had a few friends that have tried to make a go of custom rod building as a 'real' job, but found out quickly the market's not there unless you expand into all phases of building, such as bait casters, fly rods, spin rods, salt & fresh - and even then, the demand was cyclic.

Also one guy breaks a rod & it's your fault. So you build him another to provide good customer service & loose your profit & time.

With all that said, if you do make a go at it, make sure you legally dot your i's & cross your t's. I've heard of horror stories in part time hobby turning into a revenue stream & the IRS knocking on your door.

 

[Kdog]

There used to be a really good thread over on the tackle underground site. Rod Building may be a bit more lucrative than jig making and cranks are decent if you have the painting skills. I have a loyal base of buddies and some reimburse me for materials, others give gift cards, case of beer, fishing trips etc...... So I avoid the IRS issues.

I looked seriously at luremaking and quickly realized that McDonalds would be a better source of income. Jig Making, unless you are already set up with a spin caster it is hard to compete in the raw head market. The custom market is better but lots of competition from box stores. Cranks are good and I can turn out 50 or so nice ones in 2-3 days or I can do some simple patterns and approach 200 in a day.

I've spent a lot of time with local lure maker that has been successful but has a lot of investment to get to where he is. Here is a video of his operation.

To succede you need to turn out perfect products every time and make your customers happy. The other thing is to find a small business accountant and get everything set up correctly before you go all in.

 

[Jig Man]

There is a member here that is building up his business and inventory so he will be setup when he retires. When will that be? Soon as he can!!

 

[hookup]

With everything said, I'd always rather deal with the small buiz operator than the mega super store conglomerates.

 

[dmm26]

With everything said, I'd always rather deal with the small buiz operator than the mega super store conglomerates.

While I share your sentiment,
I'm not sure that there is a huge demographic that also share it.

It's usually cheap and easy to go down to the local Walmart, or tackle shop and pick up gear

 

[hookup]

I'm not the cheap & easy type ;-)

 

[Bucho]

If I lived in north america, or if folks around here were as familiar with hair jigs as you guys are, I would´nt even think about going to business with myself. None of my lures can be found in a shop around here and if they ever should, I´ll move to something different. My personal experience is that you need to build up a customer base that buys directly from you. A shop will ask for around 50% of the turnover, that`s about 80% of the profit in my calculation. More than that, it will hold control of the customer relation which is not what you want.

Innovation ist key for me. I rent a shop in shipyard that became big with cutting edge double hull tanker technologie and now had been cut down to repairs and wrecking because some competitor has learned to do the same thing just a little cheaper. Having a good idea is not enough. You need to have many good ideas!

R&D takes about 40-60% of my time and I´m not planning to change that - ever! Meanwhile I get a lot of favors and recommendations simply because my lures are truly unique (from a local perspective). If you don´t spend much time fishing or take a deep interest in all sorts of lure fishing, I would seriously reconsider starting a business. I know quite a few fly-tyers here who love their passion so much that they started to make it a business. They all deliver excellent quality but can barely make their hobby pull its own weight simply because they face so much competition from other side-businesses who don´t have to sustain a full income.

 

[LRB]

I have been building custom rods for over 12 years....my advice to you would be..to make sure..you require at least half down on any rod that you build.....I have been taken to the cleaners..but that is my fault for trusting people...:dodgy:

Good Luck On Your New Venture...:icon14:

 

[Fatman]

For me it would take away from fishing time (except winter) I get my plastics from guys here and other boards - cause you can't get em at the store and the prices aren't that bad!!!!!!

I salute the folks that do though!!