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This is a remarkable story of how a hobby of producing a few fishing plugs for locals grew into a flourishing business and is still growing 65 years later. Tens of thousands of the plugs are produced annually in a small operation in Kelowna and marketed throughout North America and others areas in the world.
Lyman Dooley was born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan in 1914. The family moved to Kelowna in 1929 where Lyman enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, eventually stationed in Newfoundland. One of Lyman’s hobbies was tying flies. After the war, he and two other partners established Game Guide—a fishing sports store. Lyman began designing and producing fishing plugs from yellow cedar.
Though it has changed hands a few times over the years, Lyman’s Lures has remained a family business, with the company owner running shop, his wife hand-painting the famous “Lyman Wiggler,” and a brother-in-law handing out lures to Lake Ontario guides. Many hands took Lyman Lures from six sizes of plugs in a few patterns to 10 sizes and over 100 different colours. Surprisingly, only a few of the original colours have been dropped. The new ones result from feedback from fisherman—the ones that are catching the fish.
Lyman Lures have caught a lot of fish for over 60 years, making this special Canadian handmade wood fishing lure a staple in a lot of anglers’ tackle boxes. Next year, Lyman’s looks to launch an entirely new product line for Great Lakes anglers.
250-861-3677 // www.lymanlures.com // Prices Starting at $11.95
