By Jacob Fehr
SOMETIMES, when you can’t find what you’re looking for, you have to make it yourself. That’s why Ty Earle of Port Dover started making fishing lures and launched a business to sell them, King Crusher Lures (KCL).
Mr. Earle told the Maple Leaf that he’s been an angling aficionado for most of his life, and his love of the sport has its roots in a popular community event.
“To say that I am an avid fisherman would be an understatement,” he said. “Although I have lots of different interests, fishing has become my passion since my grandma took me to the Perch Derby when I was very young.”
Last summer, after searching for specific fishing lures he sought to use and finding them unavailable, he had the idea to start making and selling them himself.
“More often than not, I couldn’t find what I was exactly looking [for]—be it colour, size, action or other features such as the ability to glow underwater—so I decided to make my own,” he said.
“So, I purchased high quality components and started to assemble them in my basement and went as far as building my own spray paint booth and went to work—building and airbrushing lures by hand.”
He started by replicating common lure colours before toying with his own unique designs. It didn’t take long before his labour had borne fruit.
“The results were fantastic! Word slowly spread within my fishing community and surprisingly many local fishermen reached out and expressed an interest and bought lures.”
With demand in hand, Mr. Earle knew he needed more supply, so he devised a plan to offer more products in his second year operating the business. He spent last fall searching for a manufacturer capable of replicating his designs and creating the lures the way he wants them to be.
Though he hoped to hire a Canadian company, his search for one was unsuccessful. Fortunately, he found a business in the Philippines “that still hand paints lures,” and he’s happy with their work on his products.
“They have been fantastic to work with in every possible way imaginable and the feedback I have received this year from anglers is nothing short of absolutely positive— colour, action, durability, finish, glow, it’s all beyond positive.”
His lures are a kind called spoons, which are typically oblong and concave on one side. They are multi-species lures, meaning anglers can use them to catch different types of fish, and they come in three sizes: small, medium, and magnum.
KCL products are available online through the company’s website; online orders can be shipped or picked up at Bridge Yachts in Port Dover. They’re also available in Long Point at R&R Outdoors and Old Cut Livery. Mr. Earle said he’s “super appreciative” of the local businesses that support him.
“And, I’ve really enjoyed that part of it, building relationships with new people and businesses and essentially partnering up to provide sport fishermen with awesome new lures. It’s pretty cool to think people are going in to stores to buy my lures—it’s just a real good feeling.”
He mentioned that one of his favourite parts of preparing his products for sale was designing the packaging, “which is all Port Dover inspired,” incorporating the community’s “iconic lighthouse” on all products and a fishing tug on magnum-sized packages. That’s because representing his home community is meaningful to him.
“I want King Crusher Lures to be recognized as a company from Port Dover. I want to put this place back on the map, or to at least further invigorate Port Dover as a great place to launch your boat, have a great sport-fishing day and come back to shore to enjoy our restaurants, beaches and hospitality,” he said.
“I’m also really looking forward to the day I see my lures in a retail location in Port Dover!”
With time, he hopes his business grows to have a greater physical presence in stores. But he thinks it’s “pretty neat” that his lures have already attracted customers as far away as north of the GTA, and it took just 22 days for the company to sell out of small-sized lures this summer, something he said he “certainly didn’t predict.”
In addition to its lures, King Crusher has a line of merchandise called Crushed Gear, offering shirts, sweaters, hats, stickers, and insulated tumblers. Mr. Earle said he works with The Custom Print Shop in Simcoe for these products because his business model is to be as local as possible, and “they too were great to deal with.”
As many entrepreneurs know, quality and reputation can be key to business success. To help test KCL products and provide data and feedback to improve them, and to spread the word about them, the business has a Pro-Team of experienced fishermen who serve as brand ambassadors and product testers: Mike Kilpatrick and Aron Suprun of Port Dover, and Allen Carroll of Long Point.
“All three guys are absolute fishing fanatics and spend serious amounts of time on the lake,” Mr. Earle said. He added that he’s open to all feedback aimed at improving his products with the goal of “more fish in the cooler for everybody.”
Looking to the future, he said he hopes for “slow, steady, and consistent growth” for his company. His primary goal is “eventually being recognized as an industry leader in terms of sales volume and offering top quality innovative products and service.”
“I figure if I make that the cornerstone of KCL the rest will fall into place!”
For information about KCL or its products, go to www.kingcrusherlures.ca.
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Originally published August 20, 2025
