When and how did all
start with Relax Lures?
Relax Lures started with my father Witold Kowalczyk. Fishing
in our family has been passed down for generations. My father came to America
by himself in the late 1970’s with $10.00 in his pocket. He worked cleaning
floors at a car body shop, and at nights would work on his own car projects to
make extra money. A few years later he was able to purchase a boat that he
fixed up, and he discovered a whole new world of fishing. My father and all his
family member were typically white fish shore fisherman. This was a whole new
world for him a totally different way of fishing and tactics. This is where he
started using and playing around with soft plastic lures. This was the early
1980’s. My father would come back to
Poland almost every year to visit my grandparents, at this time he would bring
soft plastic lures with him to go fishing while in Poland. The results were
amazing! A few years later my father was making his own lures in the America
and selling them throughout The Europe as we continue and expand to this day.
How did you end up in
this business?
I was born not too long after my father came to America. I
basically grew up from the beginning of my dad tinkering and using soft plastic
lures. It is part of my whole life from a child to currently running the
business after my father passed away on a fishing trip in late 2015.
Since the first Kopyto
was produced, how many Kopyto lures do you think that were sold all over the
world?
Since my father designed the lure, I am safe to say that at
least over 100 million Kopyto lures, in different color series, have been sold
worldwide and sell to this day. It is one of the easiest and most effective
soft lures made for all fisherman no matter the experience/knowledge of age.
How many lures do you
have now in stock?
We have a wide range soft plastic lures in different sizes,
designs and colors. We have over 20 different products ranging in shad/minnow
style lures to grubs and creature lures. All of these products come in
different color series and hundreds of different colors each. So, A lot. We
keep adding to our lure family with different lures each year as well. I have a
very large inventory, due to the fact of manufacturing and then shipping overseas.
With a such a lag time and large variety of products and colors I need to have
a large inventory.
In your opinion, how
important is the color in lure production?
My father believed that color was very important in lures
and fishing. In fishing many factors come into place when fishing, but color is
one of the major important factors when fishing. I have spent many days
fishing, and I can tell you that it’s unpredictable and you never know what
kind of day it will be. To this day when I go fishing or hear stories of
fishing trips, the fish are biting or not biting or ONLY biting on certain
products and specific colors. You in nature its unpredictable!
Who is your biggest
competitor on soft plastic lure market?
There are many competitors in the soft plastic lure market,
and many more that pop up each year too. We do what we know best and are
constantly moving towards the future to bring you the best soft lures fishing
lures on the market.
In 2019 we will be adding three new lures throughout the
year to our product range. We are also working on some other products and
accessories, but due to competition we will keep that quiet for now. Just make
sure you stay up to date with us.
You are also a
spinning angler, tell us your 5 favorites lures!
My lure selection depends on the type of fish I am
targeting. I typically fish for perch (my favorite) zander and pike. When I go
fishing for Perch I use the Clonay 2”, SuperBanjo 3”, and the 2.5” & 3”
Bass lure. When Fishing for Zander I use Kopyto 3”, Kopyto 4L, Kalifornia 3”
and also Jankee 4”. For Pike fishing I usually bring with me Kingshad 4” and 5”,
Kopyto 5” and the Kopyto 6” and occasionally the Jankee 6”. I typically don’t
use grubs but if that is what he wants that day, I got a tackle box full of
Twister VR’s from 3” – 6” for him 😊 .
VIDEO
Where was your best
fishing day in Romania?
I have had many great fishing trips in Romania. I have
caught a lot of fish, met many wonderful people, and have a lot of great
memories fishing. Romania is the first time and place that I went fishing after
my father passed away. It was the 2016 Mr. Kopyto Trophy on Sarulesti (Raduta
Lake).
Do you have a message
for the Romanian anglers who will participate to Mr. Kopyto Trophy 2019?
My message to all the anglers in
the 2019 Mr Kopyto Trophy is to try to have a good time and just enjoy
themselves. Oh and yes, try to catch a lot of fish too!!!