Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Wooden lures made by Christiansburg resident Matt Winn are a work of art.
For as long as Matt Winn can remember, he has loved to fish.
“It didn’t matter if it was a creek, pond, river or ocean. If it held fish, I’d have a line in the water. The thrill of landing a fish, no matter how big, has always been the same,” he said.
As he got older, the Christiansburg man’s pastime progressed from bait fishing to lure fishing, and also to a passion for woodworking. One day it occurred to Winn, why not combine the two?
“I started making my own lures on the lathe in my garage, and after many years of trial and error, I developed a system for making wooden lures,” he said.
He is now making wooden lures he sells online and at shows along the east coast.
“I’ve spent countless hours refining my craft, as well as developing and testing new lure designs. So now, I am pleased to offer a line of beautiful natural wooden lures that have proven to catch fish,” he said.
Winn’s lures are top water baits and are floaters with a variety to choose from including stick baits and jitterbugs with every one being hand-made. No two lures are exactly the same.
No stain or paint is used on his lures. Instead, he artistically uses the natural wood to make it a little piece of its own art work. He uses mostly cedar and popular wood to make the lures with an occasional piece of redwood.
Winn signs each lure, and in many cases, people find them worthy of display versus being used to fish. But Winn is quick to point out; he makes them to catch fish.
“You can use them. I make them to fish with,” he said. And yes, he and friends do test the lures and they have caught a many fish with the wood bait.
That was seven years ago, and Winn admits he has been finding it harder and harder to keep up with demand.
The price of Winn’s lures range from $14 to $17 for the bass lures, and $25-$30 for muskie lures.
“When someone looks at my lures, I hope they see the craftsmanship, and each one has its own unique number,” he said.
Winn’s Lures will be on display at the Lion’s Club Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair, Dec. 2 at the Christiansburg Recreation Center. They can also be found at Winn Lures online and Facebook.
Clarification
The article “Love of fishing leads to lure business” that appeared in the Nov. 22 edition of the paper was not correctly attributed. Marty Gordon wrote the story. The News Messenger regrets the error.