I first met Mike Mullen a few years back at a Connecticut Surfcasters Association Meeting while giving a talk about fishing needlefish, and, what I considered then to be “big” needlefish. After the talk, Mike waved me over to his table, and redefined my idea of a big needlefish. His “Biggie” jointed needlefish measures a whopping 15 inches, and he’s used it to catch stripers up to 51 inches long.
“Before I made lures, back around 2004 I started tying flies. I remember getting a real kick out of catching fish on the flies I had made. That excitement made me want to move on into making plugs.”
Mike’s motivation for making lures is a familiar one. Tired of losing store-bought lures, he began making his own. “Back when we were fishing with mono, I used to lose a lot of plugs. It wasn’t unusual for me to lose one or two every time I went out. I started making lures from kits. Then I took a lure making class with ‘Q’ Kresser, at Rivers End where I got to try out a lathe. After that, I went out a got a lathe and started turning on my own.”
Mike found fast success with his own lures, catching some quality bass. Two years ago, he started High Hook Lures, LLC. “The name comes from my winning the Connecticut Surfcasters Association’s High Hook Award in the Striped Bass Lure Division six times since 2006.”
