A few years ago, Kenora angler Jason Tait had a revelation when he looked at the bottom of his boat while fishing and noticed a pile of used soft plastics that were destined for the garbage can.
With the excellent bass and walleye fishing we have right across Sunset Country, it’s not uncommon to go through several bags of soft baits on a good day. And over the course of the season, it adds up to a pretty good pile of baits.
Tait decided that if he could find a way to recycle these used baits, he could save a lot of money. So he did a little bit of research and figured out he could melt down these used baits and then re-pour them into the shapes he desired.
The initial investment was a few hundred bucks for some molds of the shapes that he likes, as well as some additives to give the plastic the feel and firmness he wanted.
It took quite a bit of trial and error before Tait was able to dial in the process to make soft plastic baits that would pass the scrutiny of tournament anglers who want baits that are soft, life-like, and come in the colours they prefer.
So was born Flureish Lures.
After making baits for himself and some of his friends for the past couple of years, Tait now is taking orders for his custom-made soft baits, which come in a variety of popular bass and walleye shapes, like minnows, frogs, tubes, and stick baits.
Anglers can give Tait their used baits if they are in a particular colour that they like, or they just can give him a sample of a colour they like and he can make them.
He is able to make baits with both used and new materials. And he has an eye for colours that work so you also can just trust his judgment to make you good baits.
Flureish Baits caught my attention because I know first-hand how many soft baits most bass anglers go through over the course of the summer. It’s hundreds, if not thousands, for me.
Tait told me about his hobby earlier this summer, so I saved up all of my baits this past season for him. I ended up with a box of at least 500 baits that I gave to him.
Last week, he called me up and invited me over to his shop to check out some of the baits that he made for me, as well as to see how he actually makes all of his different creations.
He made me a few special baits for my upcoming FLW Tour season, which starts at Lake Okeechobee, Fla. in early February. Maybe they’ll be my secret weapon down there!
You can check out Flureish Baits on its Facebook page.
If you see something you like, or have an idea for a soft bait that you would like to have made, you can send Jason a message and I’m sure he’ll do his best to create what you’re looking for.
