July 9, 2010- I attempt to stay current on the blogging, but it never seems to happen. My only excuse is the lack of idle hands and down time. A couple months have passed since the Zero Gravity jig was released. The primary hi-lite was it took only 7 days for the 1st 10 Lber to be caught on the ZG jig. Theres no way to describe that satisfaction having gone thru the numerous trial and errors with its design. Its cliche to say it makes all the effort worthwhile, however I have no other words to describe it.  Looking ahead I can relay that there are more projects in the works, a couple of them, like the ZG jig, will be complete novelty concepts while others will be additions to the CLU line-up of lures. I'm very excited by recent testing of many of the prototypes as a few designs have exceeded my expectations. Having taken the better part of 5 yrs to get the ZG jig correct and to market, it was a long, costly, & frustrating process at times. Though the overall lessons learned are priceless. There are numerous crafters now trying their hand in lure craft, be it custom paint or by mimicking somewhat the groundwork laid several years ago. My thoughts on the sudden influx, "good for them, the economy and for the industry".  Many will fail & few will have the drive, enthusiasm and resources to remain steadfast...in the end though, we are all entitled to build a better mousetrap & pursue the American dream. My advice,... be unique, diligent, and above all be of strong mental & moral fiber. 

March 18, 2010- Five long years of trial, error, and design set backs have finally come to an end with the release today of CLU's Next Generation Lures Zero Gravity jig. It's impossible to relay 5 years worth of revisions in one quick blog, however I can say ZG is ready to swim in your waters. 

Jan. 5, 2009- What a great holiday season it was for the family. It's always hard to climb back into any work saddle in January, but CLU is up and running at full steam. We had a minor kink to iron out with the new look site, but all is functioning well. I know not everyone will like the changes to process, site, etc,...however in the interest of maintaining consistency and order in online and retail orders, some changes had to be made. Staying stagnate was not an option in this stumbling economy. One great change you will notice is that we have dropped cost on many goods, especially wooden lures. In a lure world with costs to do business rising, we are proud to be able to lower costs at this time. Last year alone, our overall costs increased 17.5%, however I do not like to pass along costs just for the sake of maintaining profit margins. Instead, I set out late Fall 09' to find ways to make the lures better and at the same time keep costs down. We were successful in finding those resources, so we are glad to pass along the savings to the anglers. The best thing about this find is the product itself will look better, perform great, and become even more durable.

It's been kinda interesting over the years. I'd like to personally thank everyone for their support and kindness. I hope you all continue to enjoy the lures and that they bring you hours of enjoyment and make tons of memories on the water.

December 11, 2009- The business year for CLU is officially closed til 2010. Thanks for the loyalty and support in 2009. We look forward to 2010.

Sept. 14, 2009- CLU is asked every week to put our name, support and money behind anglers, troops, projects, churches, benefits, donations, etc,...We are priviledged to be able to support many causes each year so we choose these items with care. The most recent item for CLU has been a life long love of CLU's Owner, baseball. CLU's reach has now expanded into youth baseball sponsorship. The link between fishing, outdoors and baseball are obvious. They offer our youth a chance to learn major skills for life,...teamwork, motivation, physical and mental skills, determination, and so on. Like fishing, baseball helps our youth to grow, avoid all the negative groups & behaviors so many kids slip into. So with all that said, enter a new TEAM CLU, one that CLU is proud to be involved with.

Sept. 8, 2009- All systems are on go here: the hand is healing rather well, some of the new lures are trickling onsite, and some are yet to make their debut, but it won't be long on the latter.

Aug. 18, 2009- CLU Design/ Owner suffered a 1st last week while working on an initial proto lure, a crafting related hand injury. He's on the mend & we'll be back to normal ops soon.

July 22, 2009- Putting the final touches to online & retail orders from last week. Also, the development of a new CLU online store for immediate purchases is currently under construction.

July 17, 2009- Day 3, final day at ICAST. Several wrap up mtgs & video interviews to complete today before the show wraps up. Had the pleasure of mtg several new folks that we correspond with, Cal, Jip, & Jack with Tackle Tour, Grant at Black Dog Baits, etc,... Tried out several new products. Said our good byes to Randy, Mike, Molix, and others as most everyone is flying out today. Back to reality soon, ...1st order of biz is to secure Mike's requests for the upcoming FLW Championship in Pittsburgh and to respond to the inbox of orders.

July 16, 2009- Day 2 at ICAST in Orlando has drawn to an end. The day turned into a productive day w/ meetings b/t Mike, Randy, Jeffrey, and I on product  dev. & marketing on the new protos. It's a rare occurance that we are all in the same place at once so we took full advantage of the op and pics.

 We continued to eye more great products and meet many of the people that we deal with on a regular basis. The real highlite of the day was seeing many of the friends and anglers that we've been fortunate to meet, fish and work with on lures and projects over the past 6 years. To mention a few,...Scott Martin, Hank Parker, Jason Quinn, Marty Stone, Aaron Martens, Peter T, Kota Kiriyama, Bill Dance, the good folks at Molix and Jackal etc,...anytime you're keeping that caliber of angling company, it's been a good day. More to come on Day 3.

July 15, 2009- CLU is currently at the Orlando ICAST show. Only had a few hours at the show today due to travel. CLU Pro Jeffrey Thomas and I took in the new product showcase, the new Eagle Claw hook (wow, btw), the new Skeet Reese rods (very nice price point for this rod). Met briefly with Mike Iaconelli (at Tru Tungsten) and discussed the upcoming FLW championship and his specific lure needs for CLU to take care of. We are having a sit down tomorrow to cover a load of other topics. Long day and it's near midnight, more to come tomorrow.

July 12, 2009- Have confirmed that the entire CLU Pro Team and lure design will be in show at ICAST 2009. It's a unique opportunity that brings these schedules together in one place.  Follow our blog for updates from Orlando.

July 11, 2009- The sun is barely creeping up and I'm the only soul awake, even the dog is still asleep. The development of a "new" proto lure has simply taken over our mindset. The word new only pertains to the folks outside of CLU as this is the 5th year since the conception. Even though the end is nearing soon, the lure still haunts my thoughts: naming, marketing, packaging, cost, final colors, endorsement of the lure, legally protecting the lure from copycat syndrome, cost again, ...are we manufacturing enough or too much? How will the concept be received once released? Will anglers understand how effective this lure is ? The really sweet part is she really smacks fish...that's not a hype statement from the creator, but a fact. So, in sum, it's closer than it has ever been. I hope the end arrives soon as I need some peaceful sleep.

Blog by: CLU Founder & Lure Design