Hofmann's Lures
Jack Hofmann making lures in his Lakeview shop
Jack Hofmann, a skilled toolmaker and lifelong fisherman, turned his quest for the perfect lure into a successful family business. In a workshop at his Lakeview home, he created handcrafted fishing lures known for their ingenuity, quality, and performance on the water.
Jack began making lures for himself and his friends while living in Dayton, Ohio, but he did not move into full production until he and his wife, Rose, opened their own business. Encouraged by Jack’s brother, “Frizz,” the Hofmanns moved to Lakeview in 1952 and launched the company. Frizz helped market the earliest lures and produce them on a “few-of-a-kind” basis. In his honor, the Hofmanns named their most popular lure the “Frizz Spoon.”
Drawing on his experience as a toolmaker, Jack designed and produced dies that engraved, formed, drilled, and stamped the metal spoons that are the heart of each lure. All four models underwent extensive testing on the water. While testing the Mitey Mite, Jack introduced many people in the Indian Lake area to ultralight fishing. He also kept detailed product-testing records that, he said, read like a “Who’s Who in Fishing.”
The Hofmanns received countless testimonials from anglers delighted with their lures. One fisherman from California wrote, “I have taken channel cat, carp, buffalo fish, striped bass, drum (white perch), walleye, pickerel, and even a small alligator.”
Former Ohio State football and baseball star Vic Dorris used a gold Hofmann Flyrod Spoon to catch a personal-record largemouth bass weighing 8¼ pounds and measuring 23½ inches. Dorris said, “Any fisherman who doesn’t try this Hofmann spoon is sure missing a good bet!”
Among the company’s innovations was the Get-Em-All trailer hook, designed to catch short-striking fish that missed the spoon’s main hook. The lures also featured a specially designed weed guard with enough spring action to shed weeds without adding significant weight.
Using dies Jack designed, the Hofmanns blanked the spoons from strips of 100 percent marine brass before sending them to Minnesota for buffing and plating. Each lure was fitted with extra-heavy stainless steel split rings for added durability.
The Hofmanns also worked with subcontractors who tied the tails and trailer hooks to the main hooks and handled the necessary painting and gluing. Although produced in quantity, every lure still demanded extensive handwork: at least 32 operations went into each one, while a single tail required at least 13 steps completed by hand.
The completed hooks and tails were then delivered to the Hofmann home, which served as the lure factory. There, they were riveted to the plated spoons and given a final coat of paint. Rose played a crucial role in the business, helping with assembly and shipping. She polished every spoon to remove fingerprints and smudges, brushed each tail with a toothbrush, and packed and shipped the finished lures.
The Hofmanns credited the company’s success to satisfied customers and word-of-mouth recommendations. Over time, their lures reached anglers throughout the United States.
In 1986, the Hofmanns’ grandson, Scott Johnston, took over management of the company and continued operating it from his home. The business changed hands again in 2006, when Scott sold Hofmann Lures to his longtime friend Denis Short, Denis’s wife, Roberta, and Steve Spitzer. Denis and Scott had attended high school together, and Denis had fished with the Hofmann family for 35 years. The new owners continued the family tradition of crafting lures by hand.
In 2008, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s began selling Hofmann’s Lures, introducing the company’s handcrafted products to a broader market.
Hofmann’s Lures changed hands again in 2018, when Dave and Kristin Dunbar purchased the business and moved it to Greenville, Pennsylvania. The Dunbars introduced the innovative Easy Clip & Spin series of spinners, allowing anglers to change blades quickly and easily. They also updated several popular lure models, including the Mitey-Mite, Specialist, Queen, and King spoons, replacing the center-rivet hook mount with a split-ring attachment.
Today, Hofmann’s Lures ships to Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s distribution centers throughout North America and supplies hundreds of Big 5 Sporting Goods locations, FishUSA, and other retailers across the continent.
Hofmann’s Lures remains committed to the quality and tradition established by the Hofmann family. Still manufactured and assembled by hand in the United States, the lures carry Jack Hofmann’s legacy forward for a new generation of anglers. As the company approaches its 75th anniversary in 2027, it plans to release new lures commemorating the milestone.
For more information about Hofmann’s Lures, visit www.hofmannlures.com.
Revised from a 2021 article. Information and photos courtesy of Denis and Roberta Short, Scott and Cindi Johnston, and Dave and Kristin Dunbar.
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