Pictured is President Dustin Rhodes with his father Kim looking over inventory. Hooks and weights are still hand-tied on fishing lures produced by Lucky Strike.
Last month, Council approved another grant under the Community Improvement Program to local manufacturer, Lucky Strike Bait Works.
It’s a name that any angler will recognize, and will probably find one of their products in their tackle box, whether it’s brand new or a hand-me-down relic. The firm is a preferred tackle supplier, providing lures, plugs, spoons, swivels, split rings and landing nets for inland fishing.
One of North America’s oldest and largest tackle and landing net manufacturers, this family owned, private Canadian company based in Cavan. The business was founded by Frank (Rusty) Edgar in 1929, when he transformed a hobby into a small business when his job in the automotive industry disappeared during the Depression years. His first products were wooden plug baits made from broom handles. His success as a fisherman on the shores of the Otonabee River caught the attention of fellow anglers, and he began to sell his products out of his own tackle box.
After operating in several Peterborough locations, the firm relocated to its site on Whittington Drive where custom production facilities allowed the firm to keep all activities under one roof. In its factory on Whittington Drive, the firm now stamps, plates, paints and pack-ages a product line of roughly2,000 fishing tackle-related items for buyers primarily in Canada but also in the US, the UK and in Scandinavia. Over the years the firm has designed and adapted several machines to address its unique production needs and allows a firm grip on quality control.
The firm is now an extended family business, managed by the fourth generation of the Edgar family. Edgar’s grandson and wife are the current General Managers of the firm, aided by their son Dustin Rhodes who is President of the firm.
Lucky Strike currently pro-duces more than 2,000 fishing tackle-related items primarily for the Canadian market with customers in the US UK and Scandinavia. Each year their skilled staff create new, innovative products, creating a challenge to phase out older products that have lost their popularity. In the last twelve months, they have sold roughly 875,000 items.
Their production process is decidedly old school. Each hook, feather and weight is attached by hand by one of the firm’s 16 employees. Shiny colourful surfaces that catch the attention of fish. They benefit from a stable workforce, some who have worked for the firm for decades.
The grant will be used for investment in technology, but will not alter the production process. The technology will be used to help them better manage their purchasing process by scheduling component and raw material purchases in order to maximize their ability to fulfill orders on a timely basis. Production has been hampered this year by delays in raw material receipts due to supply chain disruptions stemming from tariff uncertainty, forcing them to ship incomplete orders.
Lucky Strike owners have grown a successful manufacturing business from a Depression era hobby by earning the trust of loyal customers who appreciate their innovative and extensive product line. The family has called Cavan home for many years, and is delighted to operate their business here. We are delighted, too.