Mike Knight
Fishing Lures Craftsman
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If you google “Quotes about loving your job,” you get about 122,000,000 answers in 0.34 seconds.
But an even easier way to find the answer is to spend some time with Waipu local, Mike Knight, who really is living the dream.
Mike is the founder of On Top Lures, making world-class, handcrafted timber fishing lures that are all designed then tested on “our stubborn NZ topwater kingfish,” by this mad keen fisherman himself.
Growing up on the coast, Mike always had a passion for the ocean which often got in the way of his school attendance. So, after leaving as soon as he could, he became a carpenter, which funded his passion. And saw a few “sickies” on mint days. Everything changed the day a friend purchased two handmade Japanese lures that cost over $500.
“It seemed amazing to me that people would pay that much for something that they could lose on the first cast. I also thought, being a carpenter, how hard could it be to make some myself?" he laughs. Four years, "and many prototypes chucked on the winter fire” later, his side hustle became a full time job.
And when a couple of well-known international fishermen started giving Mike amazing feedback and results, sh*t really got real.
Today, On Top Lures is a successful family business. Mike in the workshop, wife Rita in the office & their two girls Lila & Indi regular product testers on family fishing and camping trips.
On the water Mike has always employed a catch, measure and release ethos. “Caring for the environment is a massive driver, it’s my workplace and playground so we have to take care of it,” he says. That’s why his lures are made from recycled cedar - “lightweight and super buoyant” - with offcuts from building sites providing the bulk of the raw material. Additionally, zero plastic is used in the packaging and sending. Outside of work, Mike often enjoys a cheeky local McLeod’s craft beer or three with friends. “After a day on the tools in my old gears, it's cool to slip into something smarter, but still with just the right amount of casual too. I love the 3 Wise Men Portland polo and the Charlie chino shorts most. I try not to wear long pants too much. Or ever!”
Classic. Ok Mike, last question and the one we’re all wondering. What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught? “Heaps around the 30kg mark, but the most memorable topwater catch was a 12 kilo/25 pound plus snapper on an On Top Lures topwater stick bait of course.”
Wouldn’t expect anything less mate.
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