Hobbyist hooked on lure of tackle: An inexpensive way to entertain his children now a part-time career

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HANOVER - Larry Wentworth has yet to hook his trophy fish, a 40-pound striped bass. But he vows that when he does, it will be with one of his hand-made wooden lures.

In the meantime, the 42-year-old owner of BigFish Bait Co. is catching anglers. From his workshop at his Hanover home, Wentworth crafts half a dozen varieties of lures and paints them in 12 colors.

ССTwo of the colors are for fish and 10 are for the fishermen,’’ he said. ССI have to catch the fishermen, and they have to catch the fish.’’

Wentworth, a self-employed heating oil tank installer, started fishing 10 years ago as an inexpensive way to entertain his two sons. What started as a hobby turned into an obsession that lured Wentworth into joining the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association and making his own fishing gear.

Four years ago, equipped with a lathe, sand paper and instructions from an online forum, Wentworth began crafting metal-lipped swimming lures and surface skimmers from Alaskan yellow cedar. Since then, production has taken over his garage and basement.

ССAt first this was just for fun,’’ he said. ССI got intoxicated with it, and I bought $1,500 worth of (materials).’’

Wentworth sold his first lure in August of 2005 and started BigFish Bait Co. six months later. Last year, three local bait and tackle shops carried his lures, and at least three more have placed orders for the coming season.

His most popular item is a yellow and white ССpencil popper,’’ a kind of lure that bobs on the surface. Wentworth stumbled onto the design by accident when he shaved too much wood off one end of a lure, he said.

He tried to balance the mistake by taking the same amount off of the other end. The resulting product became his best-selling lure: a bass magnet that was featured in the regional fishing magazine, On the Water.

ССIt’s a great feeling when you make something, (and) you throw it in the water and you catch fish,’’ Wentworth said.

From start to finish, each lure passes through Wentworth’s hands 40 or 50 times, he said. He produces them in batches of 500, and spends about six hours a day cutting, drilling, sanding and painting.

ССThe challenge is to make them look real and move like real,’’ he said. ССAfter each step, I have to stop to make sure it looks right.’’

Wentworth uses joints and weights in the construction of his lures to imitate a fish’s movement and details like plastic eyes and iridescent paint to replicate the appearance.

After he completes a batch of lures, Wentworth has to test them, he said. Testing usually means spending the day at one of his lucky spots in Marshfield or Provincetown and casting a line into the ocean.

ССIf I catch the trophy fish on some else’s lure, that would be disastrous,’’ he said. ССI have to have bragging rights when I finally catch one.’’
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