Tomic Lures
Victoria, British Columbia

    
Information from the Tomic Website:  

     Born and raised in Victoria with his two brothers Gary and Norm, (both now deceased) Tom Moss experienced a type of childhood now unheard of, in the urban metropolis of Victoria.

     It was not until the early 1950’s when Tom’s real passion was discovered, Salmon fishing. From his first boat a speedy 12 footer, with a 3.5 horse motor, anchored in Towner Bay. He fished as much as possible, learning the secrets Saanich Inlet had to offer, once being a great fishing destination for the rich and famous. Tom’s local knowledge and ability came naturally the more his determination fueled his desire to fish.

     Prior to the invention of Downriggers, Tom paired up with local legend Jimmy Gilbert. Together they devised better ways to catch salmon, be it making new kinds of tackle, or ways of cutting bait. They always tried to improve their methods. At times they would even ask their guests to steal their wives nylons, which would then be filled with rocks and carefully rigged with a paper clip, which would open when a fish hit, dropping the rocks to the depths of the inlet. Now their clients could play only the fish and not have to fight the weight of the rocks. (What a far cry from electric downriggers, light monofilament line and graphite rods) In those days you had to be tough and crank everything by hand and catch way more fish to limit out. New inventions that would make part of your day easier were always welcomed. Especially when three charters a day was a regular event.

     Guiding on and off for the Gilberts from 1952, as well as working in the steel construction industry and cutting strip for Rhys Davis, Tom did what ever he had to do to pay the bills. In 1954 his life took a dramatic turn, while working on a building in Victoria, standing on a whaler, which broke, he fell 3 stories to the bottom of the elevator shaft, luckily landing on a 2x12 which was laying flat on top of vertical rebar at. His back was broken.

     Living for 2 years in a full body cast. The Doctors told him he would never walk or continue work again, as he knew it. They said he should become a cobbler, fixing shoes or do something very menial. This was the point when Doctors were no longer his favorite people and his dream of becoming a fireman like his Father was over.

     Despite his injuries and pain, Tom filled in guiding for Gilberts, while Jimmy was at University getting a degree in Marine Biology. He guided 12 months a year and continued to develop different ideas, mainly using wooden plugs, which gave him the best success catching Chinooks. He had trouble keeping the plugs working consistently, they would either get water logged, or the paint would flake off. The wooden plugs would only work for so long until the water infused into the wood and the action wouldn’t entice any more strikes making them virtually useless. He would then dry them out in the oven at home and refinished them with paint.

     This frustration went on for years, to the point where Tom was modifying all his wooden plugs. He was carving the noses, modifying tow bars and trying different color patterns. A plug wouldn’t go to the salty depths, unless it was swimming properly and had an attractive enticing wiggle. He came up with the idea of solving this problem by making a plug from plastic. It would never fill with water and the paint would probably stay on better.

     So in 1962, while living in Brentwood, Tom perfected the prototype of a 3-inch plug. This was used to make the original dye for the first Tomic. Injection-molded from butyrate plastic, the plugs could be spray painted with durable lacquer paints. They also have a hand made metal tow bar, which is inserted with the tap of a hammer. Little did he realize, this was the start of his life work.

     This original was a great success. Local guides and the commercial fishermen begged for his plug, as their catch rate went up. They basically farced Tom to develop bigger plug and more colors. The line was soon increased to a 7 and 6-inch model, all available in any color. (Approx 800 at last count) The plugs were so successful that the factory was moved to Sooke. Soon a 5 and a 4-inch style was born, as well as a line of flashers called The Sonic by Tomic and then a jointed lure called the Broken Back.

	Tomic Salmon Plug A somewhat grainy pic of the infamous Tomic plug.
	Tomic Salmon Plug Collection A picture from the Tomic site showing the range of available colours, and the colour codes associated with each neat variation.