Do you have a backup plan?

[Keith Fellmy]

I have a smallside business where I sell fishing sinkers to a few places here in FOrt Myers. It keeps me busy in the morning (a normal poker player morning starts at 10 am.) Then in the evening I play poker.

I take care of my grandmother (who has Alzheimer's) so I don't get out much. Once she passes away I will pursue other accounts so that I can make fishing sinkers all the time. I would, more than likely, quit poker so I can concentrate all my energy on making sinkers. I also make spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and spoons. I start with sinkers then let the owner know that I make lures and start with a small consignment tree (you see these in all bait shops-a small tree made of dowel rods with a local guys lures on it) of lures. As those sales start to pick up my little tree becomes a small corner of the shop. So now I can sell him bulk sinkers, pre packed bags of sinkers and lures. Keeps me busy most every day. In two weeks I can make a whole season's worth of lures...then make sinkers as needed.

During the down time in the summer (remember I live in Florida) I make up bunches of lures. I also make many thousands of sinkers in the popular sizes. I mean I have a 5 gallon bucket full of each size of popular sinkers. 3/4 oz., 1 oz., 1 1/2 oz., and 2 ounce sizes. I have smaller sizes that I make up and fill smaller buckets. I only make up egg sinkers before hand since they are the big sellers. Other orders are made as needed. I do make large bank sinkers and pyramid sinkers, but egg sinkers sell faster by 10,000 to 1.

Anyway I am rambling on like a drunken idiot so I will close with this: if you live near a large body of water then you can make money selling sinkers and lures. Anyone can do it. If I can do it then so can you. Just remember to buy a hella good mask to keep the fumes out of your lungs. I got the best mask made and it was over 200 bucks.