“I always get a special feeling when I catch a bass on something that I’ve made. If we can put a smile on someone’s face because they catch a bass on one of our lures, I think that we are very successful.”
-William Davis
The story behind the origins of Davis Bait Company really isn’t that unique when compared to those of other small tackle companies. A local tournament angler starts creating custom baits out of his garage, beats up on the local competition for a few years, and then starts selling his wares to buddies who are tired of getting beat every weekend on the water.
From coast to coast, there are hundreds of one-man lure making operations headquartered from a workbench next to the lawnmower, weed eater, and last year’s Christmas decorations. Many of these solo lure artisans have a small but dedicated following of local anglers who swear by the product, similar to groupies for a local rock band that never quite hit it big.
That’s where the story of William Davis and Davis Bait Company diverges from the path most often traveled by small lure companies. Over the past 40 years, Davis has been able to turn his lure company in East Central Alabama from a local legend into a nationwide success.
Over the next fifteen years, Davis expanded the lure company, which was called Pro Line Bait Company until 1990 when Davis bought out his partner and became the full owner, renaming it Davis Bait Company.
After outgrowing a 10×20 building and a 30×30 building, in 1999 Davis Bait Company finally relocated to a 17,000 square-foot facility in Sylacauga, Alabama, where the factory remains today and produces more than 9,000,000 baits annually that are distributed across the country and in Japan.
“If the average angler knew how much hard work went into making each lure, they’d never break off. They would try to retrieve that bait…every single time.”
The conviction in Davis’ voice was unmistakable as he voiced the above statement, pausing before the final three words for added emphasis. “There’s a lot of sweat and blood that goes into this stuff,” he continued. “Most fishermen have no clue about how many times a bait is actually touched before it goes in the package.”
One of the benefits of owning a tackle company that produces baits that have accounted for over 1.5 million dollars in tournament earnings is the ability to rub shoulders with some of the best and brightest anglers in the professional ranks.
In addition to an Ambassador Staff at the local and regional level, Davis has created a Pro Staff consisting of three Bassmaster Elite Series pros including Mark Menendez, Bill Lowens, Greg Vinson, and Aaron Martens, who Davis worked with on developing a new Scrounger.
Working alongside Elite Series pros is a dream come true for Davis, who still fishes around 20 local bass tournaments a year. “When I first started out, I never fathomed that this would happen,” he admitted. “It’s hard to describe the feeling when guys who have won millions of dollars want to help a small bait company like mine. They’re truly dedicated to helping us create products that fit the needs of the anglers.
“Without these professional anglers and the Ambassador Staff helping with the promotion of the baits and getting the word out, it would be really hard for us to stay in business.”
Counting on quality and reliability for longevity in the industry is nothing new to Davis. Even though Davis Bait Company has recently worked on at least four new product designs with Pro Staffer Aaron Martens and offers custom crankbaits, topwaters, spinnerbaits, and jigs – Davis’ original Shaky Worm Head still remains a best seller after 33 years.
Check out Davis Bait Company at www.davisbait.com. To contact Davis Bait Company, e-mail william@davisbait.com or call (256) 249-2281.
Sidebar: Once a diehard tournament angler, Davis said that he gave up the majority of his tournaments to focus on the business and ultimately, his family. “Once my son is out of college, I may go back to fishing more tournaments,” said Davis. “Until then, my focus is on my family and the company.” That should leave plenty of time for the 51-year-old Davis who plans on retiring, “sometime in my 80s.”
Davis values the time spent outdoors with his family and believes that more parents need to spend time sharing a hobby with their children. “If you’re a parent and you enjoy fishing, you need to invest some time and take your children fishing,” he said. “If they don’t like to fish, just spend some time with them.” To drive the point home and offer a reminder, some of Davis Bait Company’s new packaging features the phrase, “Make an investment – take a kid fishing.”
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