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I've been a flie tyer for 40 years and and a lure maker for 30 years. There are so many diferent names for flies patterns that are so similar to others that it is mind boggling. And yet the "inventor" will claim that his flie pattern is a true original. In salt water fly fishing there are probably less than ten true flie patterns, such as Deceivers, clousers, crab patterns, tarpon patterns, bonefish patterns (of which there must be 10,000 "patterns", all tied with a bunch of hair, dumbell eyes on a hook riding point up) with an infinite number of variations.
Plugs are no different. Habs didn't invent the "needlefish", he just refined a particular pattern to the point where it outfishes other commercially made needle fish. Salty didnt either. No offence meant, but I have seen so many variations of Salties style of needlefish on this board and SOL that I doubt that anyone can claim the pattern is unique any more than the fly tyers that claim (and name) bonefish patterns as unique. There aren't but a handful of unique plug designs around. Danny Pinchney didn't design the metal lipped swimmer. They were already around. He just refined them. Most metal lipped swimmers are the same design with variations that make them perform differently. You bend the lip down and move the eye down and you have a surface swimmer, you bend the lip and eye up and it becomes a deep swimmer. But the shape of the bodies are similar, the lips are similar, only details change. It's hard to patent details like a lip being bent up or down. What Danny did was, once again, refine that concept into great lures, better lures than most of his competitors made.
Stan Gibbs produced original designs! He invented the pencil popper. In other cases he refined obscure designs such as the bottle swimmer into a commercial product. I am not sure whether he developed the Polaris or not. However, without Stan Gibbs we wouldn't have these plugs. Stan has passed on now but I don't hear anyone complaining about anyone ripping off Stan's designs. When you see someone marketing those designs, and there are some well known and well respected plug makers making them, you are buying counterfit plugs. Gibbs still makes pencil poppers and Polaris Poppers that are the equal of any and better than most.
Speaking of rip offs. All plastic lipped swimmers derive from Rapalas. Lauri Rapala developed the minnow swimmer. They were the first, they were unique and with the exception of materials used and relatively small changes in proportions, it is easy to recognize there heretige in every minnow swimmer out there today. Does that mean that Rebels, Bombers, Yozuri, and 50 or so others that all claim to produce the best minnow type swimmers are rip off artists? Take a look in your plug bag before you get so rightcheous.
For small plug makers to stay in business, they have to do what any small business man does, produce what your clientele wants. Produce a better product, be out in front of people promoting your product and concentrate on quality control and you will outlast your competition. Develop a following. Don't panic about someone else ripping off your design (unless it's Pradco, in which case it's time to get in another business), just build yours better. Salty builds a consistant and durable product at a good price point. Can some fly by night plug company that makes duplicates, and markets them behind the counter compete. I doubt that they will be around for long enough to worry about.
But you say there is someplace where I can get Habs copies ....
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