PORTER BAIT COMPANY HISTORY 

In the 1920s and ‘30s, Richard Owen Porter managed Porter’s Garage in Daytona Beach. In the mid-1930s, Porter and a friend formed Dixie Bait Company, which lasted only for a short time. Porter established Porter Bait Company in the mid-1940s. Richard Porter, also known as "Dick" Porter, was one of the first lure makers in Florida, starting around 1920 with pier baits, also known as "clothes pin" lures. These heavy lures were used to catch fish in the Daytona area and at the Flagler Beach pier. In the 1940s, Porter expanded his line to include wooden lures, such as the Pop-Stop, Darter, and Shrimp. Older Porter lures have a bull's eye on the belly as a distinguishing characteristic. He passed away in 1963. The company continued for a time, but was out of business by 1990.