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In search of the ultimate trout bait, Dad Pautzke began cooking salmon eggs on his kitchen stove in 1932. From that humble beginning, Pautzke Bait Company has thrived through the years and has become world-famous for their trademark "Soft But Satisfying" salmon eggs.
The business was purchased by Pautzke's nephew, Keith Williams, in 1946, who hand packed 220 cans of salmon eggs that year but was unable to sell a single one. Persistence paid off, however, and by 1959 he was producing 650 cases per day during the peak season.
Originally only natural colored eggs were used, but experiments showed that discerning anglers preferred bright red eggs, which produced the catch line "Balls O' Fire" and "Soft but Satisfying." Although most bait packers use a chemical preserving process, Pautzke's remains true to Dad Pautzke's original recipe of keeping the eggs in their natural state.
In 1981, Keith stepped down as owner and it was purchased by Keith's sons Gerry & Chris, and daughter Paula. By 1991, peak production reached 3,700 cases per day and a new, state-of-the-art facility was built. This year marked Pautzke Bait's third generation change of ownership and is still a family enterprise.
Today, Keith's grandson, Casey Kelley, owns the business. This new generation of ownership and business has led to further development in Pautzke products. Pautzke's name has led the bait market since the mid 30's. Now we have diversified into other areas of the fishing industry and will continue to lead it into the new millennium with our world renowned Pautzke name.
The Best of Fishing!
Casey Kelley |
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