Talking To Baits  By: Jerry Stesney

Chip Carlisle's first recollection of fishing was sitting on the banks of the Catawba River as a very young child. His grandfather, Vernon Lane, was a man with strong hands and a warm heart. According to Chip, "he could also take any piece of scrap wood and carve it into a president's head and shoulders bust, an animal, or a fishing lure". Sitting on those riverbanks, his grandfather appeared as a very sturdy man wearing a working mans clothes and cap. He had a face worn from years of hard work as finish carpenter, fighting world wars, and living in the Carolina sun. Through those strong features, a gentle man’s voice would instruct the future lure maker "If you want to catch a fish, you have to ask that bait to go get him".

Chip, a 4 year old at the time, talks of sitting there talking to those baits, looking them in the eyes and saying "you come back with a fish" . He can't remember those instructions not working, because through the eyes of a child and their heroes, everything works.

Thirty-five years later, he began Carolina Chip's Lure Co. It's a company started because of a seed that was planted in him by his grandfather. For every lure that he develops a color pattern for, carves or paints, he says he still asks them to "come back with a keeper". Regardless of whether they end up in Chip's, a professional or weekend angler's hand, he wants them to be a success.

 Early Beginnings

At a very early age, his grandfather had him splitting cork, gluing hooks and feathers to make simple little poppers. These little things were chugged along the surface enticing a bluegill or small bass onto the hook. From that point on he was hooked. To actually make a lure and convince a fish that it was dinner worthy was a great accomplishment in his eyes.

Sadly, Chip's grandfather died before he personally passed on his full craft. But skill does not have to be learned. It can also born into us. As mentioned, from that early seed planted by his hero, Chip learned to make lures, tie flies and spinners before settling on what he loved to do best, make crankbaits.

Over the years, Chip honed his skill by carving any piece of wood that looked like a lure was locked inside it and waiting to come out. All of his extra money was spent buying components and while kids were dissecting frogs in school, he was dissecting name brand lures to discover how they were made. He said " my parents would get so upset to learn after earning a few dollars cutting lawns, I would buy lures, cut them up and then try to reproduce them in wood". Soon after, airbrushes came into popularity and Chip used it like an extension of his hand. He said, "I just learned to naturally flow the colors onto the lure bodies".

Over the next three decades, Chip continued to make thousands of lures. Not a one was ever sold nor did one ever make it into a professional's hand. However those lures were used. Coming from a fishing family, he never had a problem giving them away. Friends, and friends of friends soon became recipients of Chip's lures. Not until recommendations in the late nineties, that he should sell his creations, did he even consider them for sale. 

So by word of mouth and one by one his business has grown into what it is today. It is a full time job and Chip says he still enjoys it as much as he did in the beginning. In 2002, Chip founded Carolina Chip's Lure Company, LLC & www.carolinachip.com. It is a full service business website that offers hand carved wood , plastic, soft plastic and spinning lures, forums, news and pro articles.

What Makes A Lure Maker

According to Chip, "a lure maker, like any other craftsman is a watcher and a listener". If you want to make lures, you can't tell the world what they need to use to catch a fish. To develop a talent for making lures, you have to go to the water and look and listen.  

To the average person, water is a glass or rippling surface with little or no detail. A lure maker, just like a fisherman, realizes that it is below the surface that counts. Under that peaceful lake surface is a whole new world and to its inhabitants, it is full of mountains, valleys, and streams. We call this structure, coves and creek beds. In Chip's case, he looks for basic lure designs that bounce off limbs, stumps and rocks. He says, "I also look for ways to dig the bottom, jerk on the surface, and slowly hover or just sit still. I work the right amount of wobble or shimmy till I get it correct".  He continues with "I also listen. A fish will show you its habits, but it cannot talk to you directly. Fishermen do and they are a lure maker's greatest resource. We all know that bass go after natural colors in clear water. If it is muddy or heavily stained, they will eat up brighter colors. Whether I am at the lake, in the fishing isle at my favorite store, or corresponding to emails, I listen to what the fishermen are telling me with regard to the bite". 

It appeared that Chip is bountiful in skills like painting, airbrushing, sculpting, science and research capabilities. On top of all this he has the ability to laugh and enjoy life. He replied to this statement""If you don’t get a kick out of what you do, it will not transpire to the water and into the lunker's mouth". 

Finally he indicates, "You have to have been exposed to hours, weeks, months and years watching your other heroes like Roland Martin, Hank Parker, Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston and many others. You need watch and listen to them explaining the skills and preferences they have on the water". 

If you put all this together and Chip has, you have what it takes to make lures!

What’s Great About CCLC Lures

Even as a lure maker, he still hits the shelves and buys his favorites from well-known manufacturers. You can tell from his shop and lure collection that he loves baits. There are literally baits everywhere. Cataloged by types, manufacturer and style. With all of the lures around me, I asked Chip, "What sets your lures apart"?

He responded with a smile that reflected his sincerity, southern humbleness, and confidence, "What sets my lures apart from these quality lures? Individuality is what Carolina Chip's Custom Lures offers. Take for instance Rhode Island Bass Federation Fisher, Joel St. Germain. Joel competed in the 2003 and 2006 Bassmaster Classic. He contacted me in early 2004 to develop a lure for him to fish in the upcoming season. He gave me specifics on his local waters, what the fish went for and what colors he would like to see.  We developed a lure pattern called the Smokey Joel that has been applied to hand carved and plastic molded lures. We painted jerks, medium and deep runners as well as lipless rattling cranks. Joel took the 2004 Team Angler of the Year award in the Rhode Island Federation. His success was reported to be based on Gary Yamamoto Soft Plastics and the Carolina Chip's Smokey Joel Cranks. Not only did this lure work for Joel St. Germain, but also letters and photos from all over the country started coming in showing tournament wins and respectable fish caught on colors that seemed so simple. The fishermen knew their needs and we listened".

Joel made the Federation Championship to take 6 individuals to the 2006 Bassmaster Classic. Again, Joel requested a design that he had confidence in and several of Joel's biggest bass were caught on our lures. Fish after fish kept coming in on CCLC lures in a featured Federation Championship shown on ESPN.

This method of lure making caters to the individual. A fisherman knows what he wants and a lure maker must listen and deliver on the request. The majority of my business are retail orders that Carolina Chip's paints in large quantities but we receive many request from the weekend fisherman and pro angler looking for an advantage. We paint 1- 2 lures or hundreds based on the need and request of the customer. Carolina Chip’s works with the angler to meet his needs at a personal level" 

It is evident that Chip is extremely proud of his past, Carolina Chip's Lure Co. and his lure creations. With use at the highest levels of fishing and coverage on ESPN Fishing Specials as well as being one of  the favorite five lure brands of ESPN2 Beat Charlie Moore Host, Charlie Moore.  Carolina Chip's Lures have been successful crossing over into professional fishing arena. 

While interviewing Chip, one thing that kept crossing my mind; Carolina Chip's Lure Company  just sounds like a bait company name. It's a name he hopes everyone hears more of in the future.