This month’s focus for our W2 Profile piece is Lee Taylor, owner of Bait Crafters Co, a collection of six tackle companies well known to anglers in eachs’ neck of the woods.
Locally, anglers may recognize the Fitt brand as Lake Anna guide and W2 Publisher C.C. McCotter has caught thousands of fish on the Fitt NottaFluke.
W2 first met Taylor 52, of Montgomery County, Pennslyvania at the Richmond Fishing Expo a couple years back with Sticky Balls and Zee Bait Co. Taylor attended the show this year as a visitor and stopped by the W2 booth to sign a marketing deal.
We caught up with a very busy Taylor recently to find out more on Bait Crafters. He has amassed quite a holding of bait companies including Stinky Balls, Daddy Mac Lures, Zee Baits Co., Third Eye, Slab Savage and most recently, the regionally popular Fitt Lures.
W2 asked Taylor, who refers to himself with the title of “Chief Stink” how he got into the bait business.
“I acquired a formulation for a biodegradable non plastic that turned into a scent trans-fer/release agent. This sounded too serious and scientific, so we took a major risk by forming it into balls and calling it Stinky Balls to help make angles existing lures better. Five years later, the financial side is questionable, but personally I am full with all of the giggles, laughter and fun that I am able to bring to a world that is filled with problems and stress be-cause after all… fishing is what we do for fun to take us away from life’s struggles, so why not laugh and have fun?”
We decided to go back even further and ask the Chief Stink what made him interested in owning bait companies?
“If a 20-year-old me would be asked this question 100% of me would have said not even a 1% chance, would I be interested in bait companies, no way! Life has its way of opening and closing doors, though. This is a journey over destination reason as to why I am here. I want to build on 50+ plus years of good and bad decisions and see where it takes me. I trust and believe in myself more than ever and never want to feel comfortable, as I enjoy pushing big boulders up bigger hills. Now, with this economy and rising costs of everything, this has led to the state of the fishing industry in a downward spin to some, and that may be my biggest challenge yet?”
We also asked Taylor why he chose to acquire and/or create the companies he currently owns?
“My father and father-in-law died of cancer with a year of each other and this was obviously impactful on me and my family. The brand I created was first started as an opportunity to leave a legacy, and although that hasn’t changed, it’s taken on so many changes, and one is to be a part of something so entirely different from the world I knew. It’s about the challenge and ultimately the joy that our products bring to anglers and new fisherman.”
So how does Taylor come up with new bait ideas?
“ New most likely means color variations rather than new baits. We now have 500 plus profiles that are now new to us.”
Taylor says what he is most looking forward to this year after a season of acquisitions is con-solidation.
“I look forward to having everything under one roof and allowing the vision to unfold in the coming months.”
We also wanted to know if Taylor has as pro staff and how he uses them for bait advice.
“Our relationships with guides and pro staff anglers is important. I’m not on the water but behind the scenes, so I’m entirely dependent on blunt feedback.”
So, what’s it like being a small bait business owner?
“Ha! I was a small bait business owner, now I’m not so small, so it’s too early to tell what parts I like, but I’m confident that if I keep my integrity up and chin down, anglers and fisherman will see I’m driven by the need to create happiness and continue to stay behind the scene.”
We wondered if Taylor was creating, molding and pouring all his baits in house, too.
“With the exception of Daddy Mac and some lead jigs, we hand make everything in house.”
Of course we asked Taylor what he does in his spare time.
“I have six brands to manage, what spare time?”
