When Salt Water Sportsman magazine reached out to talk about the future of trolling lures, our co-founder Andy Holcomb sat down with veteran fishing writer Ric Burnley to discuss where the industry’s been — and where it’s going. From the early days of hand-poured resin heads to today's cutting-edge innovations in lure design, this Q&A dives into what’s driving change in the offshore trolling world, and why serious anglers still rely on craftsmanship and quality above all else.
What is your background with trolling lures?
My name is Andy Holcomb, and I’ve been in the trolling lure business the majority of my professional career (16+ years). Starting Fathom Offshore lures out of my Wilmington North Carolina garage in 2009 with business partner Brandon Carter in our mid 20’s. The two of us have been designing, building, and marketing trolling lures ever since.
After about 2 years in business we added a 3rd partner (Keith English) who at the time was fishing heavily (chasing Blue Marlin with his accomplished crew aboard the “Click Through”). Since then, the three of us have continued to tournament level fish, and develop Fathom Offshore into an industry leader in quality trolling lures and sportfishing products.
How have you seen trolling lures change?
The Marlin lure has evolved a great deal from the “pill bottle mold, and strip cut lawn chair vinyl skirts” of the 70’s and 80’s, with major advancements in resins, skirting materials and overall build quality. Taking nothing away from the lure builders of the past. We as an industry are forever in debt to the early pioneers who took crafting marlin lures from non-existent, to an artform that has spawned a multimillion dollar industry. Many of these early “lure-crafters” were commercial fisherman and full time charter captains; these guys made lures from what they had around them: boat epoxy’s, copper pipe, broom bristles, shell fragments and turned that into functional pieces of fish catching art. While many of these lures are gone, or in private collections, you can still see variations (across all brands of lure makers) on these early traditional head shapes today: plungers, bullets, concaves and tubes. Shapes that work will never go out of style.
What are the latest trends in design, construction, materials?
With the emergence of 3D printers paired with more affordable / accessible CAD software, we’ve seen an influx in plastic printed lures, both commercially and by hobbyists. It’s been cool to see what this technology has been able to add from a design standpoint. Many shapes being made with aggressive angles and complex jet holes.
In addition, over the years we have seen tons of “new designs” that offered alternative ways to fix, what some may have deemed as an opportunity for improvement: Changing a skirt faster, rigging the leader / hookset easier, even the addition of scented beads and saltwater activated flashing lights; While there is definitely room for this in the market, I believe that most professional Marlin and tournament level anglers continue to revert back to the hand poured resin style lures they have used for decades for one simple reason, they trust it will work... Fishing and saltwater are tough on tackle (especially blue marlin fishing) and I think there is an undeniable level of confidence that a no frills, handcrafted, quality built trolling lure is going to perform when its needed under the extremes that offshore and marlin fishing present.
For us at Fathom Offshore we try to blended the best of both past and present. Taking the hand poured craftsmen style technique of the pioneers, and blending that with modern day materials such as ballistic grade resins, UV+ additives, keel weighting, jewelry quality shell and durable soft plastic skirts. Mixing the “art” of building lures with the absolute best in material advancements and technology. We still pour every one of our trolling lures by hand, and make them (from head to skirt) in our NC facility. Controlling 100% of the manufacturing process inside our building has allowed us to maintain an uncompromising level of attention to detail across our entire trolling lure and lure skirt product lines.
How are anglers using lures in new ways? New places? How are lures changing to meet these new tactics?
I feel that big game marlin fishing has advanced leaps and bounds as a whole, and trolling lures are simply another important piece of that constantly evolving puzzle. Comparing a Blue Marlin boat today (tackle included) with those of the 1970’s, it’s mind blowing. Advancements in boat building, GPS and sonar, gyro stabilization, o2 infused bait wells, the introduction of dredges, various teasers and breakaway hooksets, the big game world is getting further, faster and stronger across the board, lures included.
What is the future of trolling lures? What is the next big advancement?
I think the Big Game / Marlin fisherman is one who understands quality and craftsmanship. They spend a lot of money on fuel, bait, and obviously equipment such as boats and tackle. Often these men and women only get 2-3 days a month off to get offshore, they can’t let their tackle / lures fail them when they get there. I think we are seeing a shift away from the 90’s - early 2000’s “just whatever is cheapest”, to anglers seeing the value in a quality hand built product. Even with the insurgence of overseas vendors like TEMU and others pushing mass produced “like kind, or compared to” types of products. In my opinion there is a big difference in simply making a product vs understanding it. Understanding where it CANT fail and why... The level in build quality and attention to detail in the rigging is the major standout here. I don’t think saving a few bucks on a “compare to” lure is worth busting a fish of a lifetime off, and I’d bet I’m not alone. I think that’s where we are seeing an advancement as a whole in this industry.
At Fathom Offshore, we are constantly testing and trying new things, from new materials and patterns, to innovative shape design and additives. Once we develop them, they are then tested around the world. Getting real feedback (and actually listening to it) is the key. It’s a process that takes time, because the final result HAS to work, thus has to be real world tested.
I think the future of trolling lures has been, and will always be what catches fish best; and where that eventually takes trolling lures, we are excited to be a part of it.
Final Thoughts: As offshore fishing continues to push boundaries, so too will the gear. But no matter how far the industry evolves, there’s one constant: performance matters. At Fathom Offshore, we're proud to be part of that evolution — building lures that blend the tradition of craftsmanship with the precision of modern innovation.
Got questions about our lures or want to see what’s next? Browse our latest designs or reach out — we’re always happy to talk tackle.