It is undeniable that fishing would not be the sport it is without well designed fishing lures. Iconic lures such as the chatterbait, senko, Alabama rig, or spinnerbait don’t just come to market overnight. Years and countless prototypes usually proceed every successful lure. Once one is deemed successful it can still evolve repeatedly. One thing that stays the same no matter the lures history is that it always must have a beginning.
Goochland Middle School of Virginia is nurturing and inspiring that “beginning”. With a course called Make It Your Business (MIYB) taught by Randy Burts he teaches the logistics of building a business. Two of his students Isaac Kowalski and Miller Nixon teamed up to start a lure company with innovative lure designs. Their company South of the Coast focuses on making profitable and successful lures for bass fishing and saltwater fishing. “Middle school really is a time where you have these kids who are discovering who they are,” said Randy Burts. From lure designs, marketing, and promoting/sales on Instagram South of the Coast started off on the right foot.
Sometimes innovative fishing lure designs are best born using the Keep It Simple Stupid or K.I.S.S. method. Take Missile Baits new Magic Worm for example. They collaborated with the iconic Roboworm Company to put their own spin on a standard six-inch straight tail worm. In twelve unique colors there is one for any and every body of water you could run into. One of which even proudly displays owner John Crews’s name (Johns Juice). He used that color to win the Bass Master Elite Series on the St. Johns River earlier this year. Having the Missile Baits stamp of uniquity while maintaining the proven pour perfection found in all Roboworms this is one lure you must have in your boat. I personally can attest to this as most of my fish weighed in at the recent MLF Toyota Series on Lake Chickamauga came on the Magic Worm. I was dropshotting it around cover between five to fifteen feet deep. I ran out of several colors simply from catching so many fish on them.
Some lures take years to bring to market, and others come to market rather quickly. No matter the timeline one thing is certain. There will always be a need for new innovative lure designs. Whether they come from well-known companies like Missile Baits or from middle school classrooms the fish are ready for them. So, take it from these two totally different levels of companies. If you have an innovative lure design that you think could catch fish, then make it. It just may be the next big thing.
You can find both Missile Baits and South of the Coast on Instagram. Orders and info about their products can be found there.