universally more effective, but don’t
want to go into the details, considering
the particulars to be a trade secret.
“Bass vision is attuned to certain col-
ors,” states Turner. “We humans see
chartreuse as straight chartreuse. Bass
don’t. So we mix our paints, and we don’t
use the industry-wide, standard generic
colors. With our pro-staff and others
helping, we’ve developed shades of col-
ors that bass can see the best, that catch
their eye.”
As their sales records can attest, a
lot of fishermen agree. Their best-sell-
ing three colors overall are cricket shad
(black back, brownish sides, bone belly),
Chris’ red craw (reddish orange with
bone belly) and Batey shad (white belly
with black, yellow and copper details),
but a plethora of other shades available
on crankbaits, topwaters and jerkbaits
of various sizes and shapes are best-
sellers in certain locales.
The bodies are clear when they arrive
in Arkansas and originate in China,
where they’re molded according to the
specifications that Turner indicates.
“We send them molds that we have
made, and they send us samples,”
notes Turner. “Either we tell them the
samples are OK, or we tell them, no,
this or that needs to be changed or
improved. Then they change them to
what we want, and we approve the fin-
ished product. It’s not a haphazard
process, and we don’t just settle for
anything they send. That’s one reason
we have so many repeat customers. We
field-test everything we sell, and if it
doesn’t catch fish, we don’t put it on our
website.”
Turner says Skirmish Baits has dou-
bled its sales each year during the
three years it’s been in existence, and
figures to gross $160,000 this year.
Overhead goes toward paying for lure
bodies, shipping the finished products
and donating lures to various benefit
tournaments for veterans.
“I love to fish; I always have, but I
don’t like to be out in public as much as
I used to,” admits Turner. “This busi-
ness has kept me alive, and it’s not
because of any money. We’re not going
to become another Strike King. My
house and my boat and my 120 acres
are all paid for, and I’m debt-free.
Skirmish Baits has given me some
peace of mind, and you can’t put a
price on that.
“God blessed me with what I’ve got,
and all things considered I’m happy.”
Chris
Turner
Custom colors and attention to detail have helped Skirmish Baits develop a strong following among
bass anglers.
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