K.C.L. Worm Harnesses: Building Your Own Lures for Trout, Bass, and Walleye

Article written by Hunt Lift Eat Team Member: Keenan Charles Levean

I grew up in a family who loved to hunt and fish, and my dad started taking me out with him when I was old enough to hunt, hold a rod, and keep quiet. My dad (Marcel) and Poppa (Charlie) are the reason why I am the outdoorsman I am today. Idolizing my dad and poppa, I grew up watching their every move and doing stuff just like them. When I was young my poppa would make his own lures for him and I when we went out fishing. Finally, one day when I was about 12 years old I asked him to teach me and it didn’t take long for me to master the art of my poppa’s worm harness.

As I grew up I learned to fish with my poppa on the lakes around Whitney, Ontario, which is just 5 minutes from the famous Algonquin Park. We would catch all sorts of species from bass to walleye every time we went out. My poppa made his lure mostly for walleye, but sometimes we would get lucky and catch a large or small mouth bass. Later on when I got older, I was able to drive 2 hours north to visit my Grandma and Poppa Levean. I would make this trip in early May when the trout started opening up and being active in the lakes. At that point in my life, I started focusing more on fishing for three different types of trout that were present in the Algonquin Park Lake. The three different types of trout were lake trout, speckled trout (or brook trout), and splakes (which are hybrids of the other two). In my opinion, splakes are a very cool and interesting species of trout. They actually have traits from both parents, but have a faster growth rate than both parent species. Splakes aren’t successful breeders which is why they are produced in hatcheries and then stocked in lakes.

After making lures for only walleye, pike, and bass (predator fish), I branched off and started primarily making lures for trout. When making a lure for bass or walleye, I focused on using bright and vibrant colors with two hooks. On the contrary, now that I made the switch to trout lures, I use only one hook and a combination of colors. My favorite colors that have brought me the most success are blue, silver, gold, and pink.

Initially, I was only making lures for myself and for some family and friends, but one day I decided to start posting my work on social media. By sharing, I took a chance and almost instantly started receiving phone calls and Facebook messages from people who were intrigued by my fishing lures. Instantly, I had a demand for a product that I loved making (now that’s a win-win). To this day, making my own fishing lures is a skill and a hobby that I really enjoy. As a way to honor my poppa for teaching me everything I know, we have an annual fish fry and I make my lures for a prize give away at the event.

Since I’ve always had a love for the outdoors, when I graduated high school I attended Collège Boréal in Ontario and majored in Fish, Wildlife, and Forestry. When I saw Hunt Lift Eat on Instagram, I was drawn to their way of life and knew I had to take a shot and apply to be a team member. I was fortunate enough to get brought in, and after becoming a team member with Hunt Lift Eat, I gained the opportunity to make new friendships and meet people who share the same hobbies of hunting, fishing, and working out. So far, my experience with the Hunt Lift Team has been amazing and I am excited to share my hobby and background with you. I am looking forward to continuing making lures and furthering my passion for the outdoors through being a Hunt Lift Eat Team Member. To all the hunters and anglers out there, good luck in the upcoming season, enjoy your experiences in the outdoors, and be safe.

If you contact me about making lures for you, I will individualize a lure for your specific wants and needs based on your desired color, line test, length, preferred species, location, etc. Follow me on Instagram and send me a DM with your questions!

Thanks for reading!

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