Frequently asked questions with the answers:

Do I need a leader and swivel above the lure?
The proper action of all Tomic lures is side to side, not rolling over, therefore a swivel is not absolutely necessary in line so you may tie your main line to the lure. A swivel doesn’t hurt though – and a bit of weed on the lure may make it roll over and cause a big tangled mess if there’s no swivel. Our preference is to use a leader of fluorocarbon line about 6 feet long, a swivel, a bead, and then the main line. If you’re one of those pin pullers though (see the discussion on pin pulling) a plug will only float up if it breaks off in the leader area, if the mainline breaks the plug will be stuck between the fish and the swivel.

 

Do I need a flasher with a spoon or plug?
All Tomic lures have plenty of action on their own, so a flasher is not required. They may be fished behind a flasher if that’s how you like to fish, as the flasher may draw the fish in from further away, but the flasher is not required for movement. Our favorite use for flashers is the dummy flasher method where the flasher is run off the bottom of the downrigger, then the lure is run above it. That way, you get the attraction power of the flasher without having the flasher in line. When you’re fighting a fish, your line is directly to the fish rather than to the flasher and then the fish.

 

I have a favorite color. I can’t find it on your color chart – can I still get some more?
If you have a favorite color and you want more of exactly the same, it’s always safest to send us your sample lure for us to match. From year to year and painter to painter, our patterns may vary slightly from lure to lure, so if you would like one exactly the same, send us the sample.  If you don’t require and exact match (perhaps yours has faded or been so scratched up from teeth marks you’d like the match to be what your lure started out like), then have a look at the nose and see if there is a number stamped or written there. The number on the nose is our color code, so compare that number with the picture on our colors page. If there’s no number on the nose, or the number doesn’t look like the picture we have of that color, send us a picture, or better yet, send us the lure in the mail, and we’ll either identify it or we’ll let you know if we can match it.  If the nose is blank it may have been a custom color that we’ll likely be able to duplicate, or if the nose has a number that doesn’t look right, it may be that there were modifications to that number. Since there have been Tomics since 1960 – there may be some colors out there that surprise even us – but we’ll to our best to match any Tomic color you may have.

 

The tow bar on my Tomic plug is flat, not wire, is it really a Tomic?
Yes, it’s a Tomic, just an old one. We’re not sure when the flat tow bars were replaced with wire ones, our best guess in the 1980’s. Most of the flat tow bar style plugs will also have a welded ring at the front. The flat tow bar can be a little sharp for your line to tie to, so we suggest you use the ring rather than cut it off. If you’d like to troll slower with your flat tow bar plug, we suggest the elastic band method so you get the best of both worlds – tie to the ring, but tow from the top.

 

Is there and “S” in your site name or not? I type in tomiclures.com but tomiclure.com comes up? Is this really you?
They’re both us, don’t worry. We’ve had the domain tomiclures.com for a long time, and now have tomiclure.com too. This site is currently hosted at tomiclure.com but if you type in either tomiclures.com or tomiclure.com you’ll get to the same place.

 

I can’t find the one I want at my favorite tackle shop. Can I order from you?
Firstly – we’d appreciate it if you asked for us at your local tackle shops – we’d like to be in more shops, but  we’re a small operation (with a big heart) and a very teeny marketing budget.
You’re welcome to order from us directly. Just call into the workshop weekdays from 7:30 to 3:45 pacific standard time, 250 283 2244 or email with a list and we’ll send you a quote. Most often we accept Visa or MasterCard, but you may send a check, or stop in with cash if you’d prefer.