About Us
Who are we: Branson Baits is a small innovative bait company located near Sacramento in Northern California. We specialize in hand made plastic baits for saltwater and freshwater. Our target species are ling cod, rock cod, cabezon, halibut, striped bass, mackinaw, pike, bass and muskie.
Who runs this gig: My name is Michael Lavoie and I am the owner and the guy who designs, molds, pours and tests the baits. I am currently a tournament pro for Lowrance, EGO Adventure Products, Team Lews, Daiwa VIP, P-line, US Hobie fishing team member and a brand ambassador for Scotty. I truly stand behind these companies and they're great products.
Why did I start Branson Baits: I went through tons of different swim baits, scampi's, all kinds of stuff for the tournaments I'd fish. Finally I said to myself, I'm going to make my own baits... so I did. I basically took what I liked about all the other swim baits I've used in the past and incorporated it all into one. It took almost 2 years to come up with the finished swim bait mold and man did it produce quality fish. This thing wobbles when it swims, it has a huge tail that pushes a ton of water, keeps it in the strike zone longer on the fall and being thicker and longer than most swim baits with some awesome color combinations. So after I finished that bait, I went on to make a scampi with a scent chamber and then a slug bait and a tournament series slug with a scent chamber, rip stop mesh and a rattle molded right into the tail.
I was loving these baits and doing very well. But, slowly and consistently guys were noticing the baits and asking me where I bought them. I just replied, oh I made them. I got some really great looks and a few interesting remarks, like "bs you did, seriously where did you buy them?" LOL. Well soon the word was out and guys wanted them. I started with just friends and then they finally convinced me to start selling local, so I did. Well,here we are and I'm sure you get the point.
How long have we been in business: On November 15th 2014, we sponsored our first event, the Lowrance Rock Fish Classic at Anchor Bay and sold out of our first baits... that's right we sold out! And guess what, the 2nd place angler caught his winning fish on our swim bait, go figure. I recently found out that another angler has won a large tournament, not once but twice in a row on a slug. We continue to make minor tweeks and changes to the designs, but I feel we've come up with a winning line of products. I felt extremely confident they would do well in the market place and they really have. We do no real advertising which keeps it a specialty product, which I think it is. We're really happy with our growth. Many people have come to me wanting a piece, possibly invest. As soon as the words "send to China" come out of their mouths, our conversation on that is over. These are hand designed and poured right here and that's the way it's going to be.
Do we have ProStaff? Yes we do, some really great fisherman, friends and colleagues. We're always looking for someone who truly has the same passion and desire for these baits as I do.You may be that angler I'm looking for. But what we're not looking for is a proStaff whore... you know that fisherman collecting prostaff badges that doesn't really give a shit about the companies they're supposed to be representing, just in it for free or discounted products. You know who you are loosers! We want the opposite of that.
Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, product ideas, Pro-Staff Request, etc.
Branson Bait Company
sales@bransonbaits.com
Thank You for your support and we'll see you on the water!