Jordan Beck | Daily Press Tim Seger, a production worker at Bay de Noc Lure Company, drills holes for Swedish Pimple lures.

GLADSTONE — Since it began manufacturing brass fishing lures in 1955, Bay de Noc Lure Company has been based in Gladstone.

Today, Bay de Noc Lure Company is co-owned by business partners and cousins David and Anders Nyberg.

“We’ve been partners since 1990,” David said.

David and Anders’ fathers, Lloyd and Carl Nyberg, were the sons of Swedish immigrants. They established Bay de Noc Lure Company in partnership with Nels and Ed Apelgren, who were also sons of Swedish immigrants.

The company was initially operated out of Carl Nyberg and Sons, a Gladstone blacksmith shop owned by David and Anders’ grandfather. It was established in response to demand for a type of lure used in Sweden for more than 150 years, which Bay de Noc Lure Company sells as the “Swedish Pimple.”

“Before starting manufacturing, they used to import some lures from Sweden. Those were popular, but the demand was too strong … they could sell more than they could get from Sweden,” Anders said.

In recent years, business for Bay de Noc Lure Company has been good on the whole. The company’s biggest market is the Midwest, but it has also seen good sales elsewhere in the United States, in Canada and in Russia. The company does not sell directly to consumers; instead, it sells lures by the dozen to wholesale outlets and larger retailers.

Due to the popularity of ice fishing, winter weather conditions in the Midwest are an important factor behind Bay de Noc Lure Company’s sales figures each year.

“We’re dependent on good ice more than anything else,” Anders said.

The Swedish Pimple is still Bay de Noc Lure Company’s most successful product today. David said the lure’s reputation has been key to the company’s longevity.

“It’s got to be the fish-catching ability of the Swedish Pimple — it sells itself,” he said.

Anders said the lure’s unusual name has also played a role in Bay de Noc Lure Company’s success.

“The name recognition is big,” he said.

Although the Swedish Pimple is Bay de Noc Lure Company’s most popular lure, the company manufactures a number of other lures. These include the Do-Jigger, the Vingla, the Laker Taker, the Flutter Laker Taker and the Flute Spoon.

Each Bay de Noc Lure Company lure is available in a variety of color combinations. The company has a total of about 1,500 SKUs across all its lures.

The overall process of manufacturing lures at Bay de Noc Lure Company has not changed much over the years, David said. One piece of equipment in use at the company — a Nazel power hammer used to forge lures — is 102 years old.

Bay de Noc Lure Company has attracted quite a bit of attention throughout its history, having been written about in publications such as “Field & Stream,” “Michigan Out-of-Doors” and “Dakota Country Magazine.” In the summer of 2017, Rick Snyder — then the governor of Michigan — stopped by.

“He came to visit us — took a tour,” David said.

Beyond continuing to stay in business and introducing new color options, Anders said Bay de Noc Lure Company does not have any major plans for the future.

“When (the) lures are famous, you don’t really want to change them,” he said.

For more information on Bay de Noc Lure Company, call 906-428-1133 or visit www.baydenoclure.com.