By Don Norton
One of the most beautiful, hand-painted lures in my modern-day collection was painted by Joel King, owner of KingFisher Kustom Baits. The lure doesn’t necessarily look like any fish I’ve ever seen, but the color combinations he used are one-of-a-kind.
I spoke to Joel a couple of weeks ago to learn more about his many colorful creations and how he got into airbrushing fishing lures.
I was surprised to learn that he’d been a golf professional in Bradenton, Florida, where he grew up. After forty years in the golf business, he moved to Sebring.
“We used to drive over here all the time from Bradenton to fish for bass in Lake Istokpoga. My wife is my fishing partner, and we both love the lake and the people. We found a place right here, on the lake, and we get out three or four times a week to fish. It’s so much different than playing golf. No rush. No pressure.”
In addition to airbrushing fishing lures, Joel also pours worms.
“I have about 30 or 40 plastic worm molds, so I’m always busy pouring worms,” he said.
I asked why he has so many molds, and he said most of the molds only have two to four cavities, and if he wants to make a large number of a particular plastic worm, it’s just so much easier with a number of the same molds.”
Over the years and with more practice, he’s gotten pretty good at matching his customers’ requests. “I kind of specialize in large orders, particularly the 5” Senko style bait. Guys tend to request that the most, and they are very particular about the color.”
Like many bass fishermen, Joel agreed that color may influence a fish’s decision to bite, but it definitely influences the fisherman to buy.
“You don’t make a ton of money painting lures and pouring worms, but it helps offset the cost of buying the materials,” he confided.
I asked how he came up with the name KingFisher, and he admitted that KingFisher was his favorite bird and that, at one time, it was also the name of his boat.
If you’re interested in seeing his baits or placing a special order, you can do both at one of the newest bait and tackles in Sebring, Florida, Fish Candy Bait and Tackle, 702 N.Ridgewood Drive, Sebring, Florida.
