Kyle Norman of Pangburn loves fishing and has come up with an idea to combine his hobby and creativity to fashion a business. By cutting pieces off different lures and putting them all together, Norman was making crude Frankenstein models of the lures that would become the backbone to his new business, Hoax Fish. In order to make the designs into a mass-produced reality, he turned to the Computer-Aided Drafting and Design students at Arkansas State University-Beebe.
“What Kendall [Casey, department head for the ASU-Beebe CADD program] and his students help do was use their 3D drawings to make a mold in their 3D printer,” Norman said. “It made a single-cavity prototype that I injected soft plastic in. This was in the early trial stages, so I would inject the plastic, take it out of the mold and then test in in the pool, test it in the water, test it with fish. We’d tweak it and make changes and they would start over again. It’s been quite a process.”
Norman first went to Casey in October 2013 to get started on the project. The two men had never worked together before, but Norman’s wife suggested he reach out to the school to get help with the molds for his lures. Because of the complexity of the project, students spanning across several classes had a hand in designing and printing molds for Norman’s lures.
The 2014 CADD graduates — Jason Hutchison, Gretchen Hommrich and Kyle Taylor — began the project in 2013 with their classmates Lauren Turpen and Kenneth Jenkins. Some of the final revisions were handled by 2015 graduates Phelan Thomen, Logan Panhurst and Houston Keller.
“These shapes are not common to what we normally teach,” Casey said. “They’re curves and more organic. More designs are going that way — especially in consumer products — but the bulk of what we do is machine components. It’s solid and straightforward. This is a whole different level of modeling that’s good for the students to have in their tool belt.”
Norman and Casey said it was a learning experience for everyone involved. At one point, the prototype and the lure made from the CADD students’ mold looked identical, but they did not move the same way when put in the water.
“Sometimes it would look good on the table, but it wouldn’t have any action in the water,” Norman said. “We can think it looks as pretty as anything, but it doesn’t matter if the fish don’t go for it.”It was back to the drawing board for the team, and they eventually got it right.
“Once we had a good 3D model, I approached a mold company that cut an aluminum cavity,” Norman said. “That’s what the production line is made out of.”
Norman’s designs are now in full production. He recently released the Bamboozie Craw, which is the first soft lure in his series. Hoax Fish Bamboozie Craws are available in nine colors and can be purchased at area outdoor stores like Fish ‘N Stuff in Sherwood, BassMafia in Russellville, AtoZ Outdoors in Alma, Horizon Trike Center in Clarksville and Spadra Marina in Clarksville.
For more information on Hoax Fish, including upcoming products, visit www.hoaxfish.com or the Hoax Fish Facebook page.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.