Looter Lure Lore

We’ve all seen motivational advice posters. They tend to be plastered in the most mundane and simultaneously least expected places, such as the doctor’s office or the waiting room of a car dealership. Some favorites include: It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done or Set Your Goals High and Don’t Stop Until You Get There. But how many of us actually take such sayings to heart?

Bobby Vericella is an example of someone who embodies motivation: goal-setter, hard-worker, ambitious. Vericella started his own business last summer called Looter Lure, selling his grandfather’s vintage-style lures. His grandfather designed these unique lures in the early 80s, but they’re still catching plenty of fish even now.

Starting a business is no easy task, but Vericella’s motivation stems from a sense of pride in his product. He is a walking, talking motivational poster: The Way to Get Started is to Quit Talking and Get Doing. Through sheer grit and determination inherited from his grandfather, Vericella turned his dream of selling lures on the Great Lakes in to a reality.

The Start Of A Journey

While fishing on Lake Michigan, Vericella’s uncle lost one of his grandfather’s favorite lures – a silver piece made in Norway.

Disgruntled over the loss of his most valuable lure, Vericella’s grandfather was preoccupied all the way through breakfast the next morning.

“My grandfather was complaining that my uncle had lost this lure. Finally, my uncle asked, ‘What’s so special about this lure?’ To which my grandfather returned that it was silver-plated and silver stays visible in deep water,” Vericella recalled. “And so, when the waitress put the change on the table and it was a 50-cent piece, a quarter and a dime, my uncle said, ‘Well that’s silver, so why don’t we use that?’”

And that’s just what they did! Vericella’s grandfather and uncle took the coins and fashioned them into lures, replacing the lost originals.

“It actually isn’t legal,” Vericella admitted with a laugh. “They went and got brand-new coins, drilled them out, and fished with them and found some success catching fish. So, since you can’t do that legally, we had these pieces made.”

The Uniqueness Of Looter Lure

One of the things that makes Looter Lure special is not only its unique story but also the product itself. Pure silver will retain its color at any depth, where other metals and colors would lose their quality below certain water depths. This makes the lure especially perfect for salmon fishing, as salmon like to swim in deeper waters. Looter Lures can also be cast, trolled, or jigged, although their original purpose was intended to be trolling for salmon on the Great Lakes. Their versatility makes them the perfect lure for anyone wanting to invest in a lure that will bring in the fish every boater is chasing.

Looking Toward The Future

Looter Lure is only at the beginning of its journey toward success and creator Vericella looks forward to the many ways in which he sees his store expanding in the future.

“We’re already starting to get into tackle shops, but the goal is to get into every tackle store,” Vericella said. “We want to be in the saltwater market as well, which we are already starting to get some good feedback in Florida and some other states on the east coast.”

Vericella has hired the help of several college students at Illinois Wesleyan University for marketing, graphic design, advertising, and social networking. With the help of these students, Vericella has created a user-friendly website that draws in users from all around the Great Lakes.

“We want to be found all around the Great Lakes,” Vericella decreed, “since that’s where the lure originated.  We’re going to be a sponsor on two salmon tournaments this summer, the Kiwanee, and Door County tournaments.”

The Great Lakes Behind It All

Washington Island isn’t just the birthplace of Looter Lure, it’s where Vericella grew up and first started fishing. Without these family experiences, Vericella would never have been inspired to complete the all-encompassing task of starting his own business.

“Fishing’s been a big part of my life, going there over the summer to salmon fish, and my family history up there,” Vericella mentioned. “I’ve always been into inventing stuff. I have a couple of the other patents and fishing is my main passion when I’m not at work.”

Perhaps in the end it isn’t just motivation that makes the man behind the successful business, but all of the other factors that instill such a strong passion – a place with room for growth, and most importantly, a love for the Great Lakes.

For More Information:

Looter Lure

www.looterlure.com