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INNOVATION RESOURCES

Better Lures help to Save the Environment

Breakthrough:
Making fishing lures that cannot be torn off not only saves millions of lures from being lost in waterways, but it also means keeping your hands warm because you don't have to change lures every time you loose one.

Inventor:
Lake Resources Group, United States

The Story:
Better Lures help to Save the Environment

You wouldn't think there would be much room to reinvent the fishing lure, but Popular Science Magazine dubbed the IronClad™, one of its "Top Ten Inventions of the Year" for 2009.

The novelty Ben Hobbins incorporated into his lures was to make them out of a polymer composite material that makes it impossible to rip the lure off the hook. The lures remain soft and supple and retain life-like action, while having the strength to hold up to 93 lbs.

He came up with the idea when trying to keep his hands warm on an ice fishing trip. Wouldn't it be nice if he didn't have to attach new lures all the time, getting his hands frozen in the process?

Having worked in the biotech field, it wasn't much of a stretch to consider using polymers for his rip-proof lures. His experience with skin graft technologies led him to apply biometric grafting materials and methods to reinforce the soft baits he was designing.

He went to the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center to get his idea assessed, where director Bud Gayart, who happened to be an avid fisherman, immediately saw the appeal of his idea.

With the help of several state agencies, including the Weinert School for Entrepreneurship and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Polymer Engineering Center, the lure became a success story that Hobbins says wouldn't have happened without such a group effort.

The technique used in making the lures involves embedding microfibers in soft plastic to form a composite material that is soft, yet flexible, and very durable.

As well as improving the fishing experience, his lures also solve a big environmental waste issue. Can you believe that 25 million pounds of conventional soft lures get left behind in waterways each year? With his IronClad lures, there would be literally no waste left behind to contaminate waterways, or for fish to ingest.

Hobbins thinks the technology could also be useful for other applications link golf club grips, or lawn and garden handles, even for therapeutic medical equipment that needs soft hand holds.

Hobbins has been CEO for his Lake Resources-IronClads company since 2006. He is a life-long outdoorsman & conservationist, founding the Lake Delton Fisheries Restoration Project and sits on the American Sports Fishing Association’s FishAmerica Foundation Conservation Committee.

Visit his website for further info.

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