Ernie DeBlasi, owner of Impact Lures
and part-owner/executive chef at Caffe Luna Rosa.
DeBlasi’s handmade fishing lures made in his garage in Boynton Beach.
Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Willie Howard
When it comes to fishing and cooking, Ernie DeBlasi rarely spares the creative juices.
The executive chef for Caffe Luna Rosa in Delray Beach makes his own pasta for the restaurant and is always looking for a new culinary challenge for himself and his staff.
When relaxing at home, DeBlasi’s not the type to sit on the couch and watch television. He stays busy in his garage making all kinds of things from wood — bowls, picture frames, rolling music boxes, even longbows.
DeBlasi learned the fundamentals of woodworking from his uncle while growing up in North Miami Beach and has made it a lifelong hobby.
So it’s not surprising that the veteran angler started making wooden fishing lures. He was fishing at Boynton Inlet about 10 years ago and kept losing store-bought lures to toothy bluefish, so he decided to build his own.
“I cut a broomstick, put a hook in it, spray painted it and I probably caught 100 bluefish on it,” DeBlasi said.
The chef who used to tie his own flies was suddenly hooked on wooden fishing lures. He started making mostly topwater lures because he enjoys seeing fish rise up and strike plugs on the surface.
He shared his wooden lures with friends. They caught fish on them and suggested that DeBlasi sell his lures to the public. After a collection of his lures sold out at a craft show, he was convinced.
DeBlasi formed Impact Lures about five years ago and had a website built — impactlures.com — to sell his handmade works of fishable art.
DeBlasi’s lures, most of which sell for $9.49, are made by hand, one at a time, from a variety of woods — mostly oak, cedar, pine and poplar.
Lures made from denser poplar and oak are designed to work below the surface, while those made of cedar and pine are topwater lures — including DeBlasi’s personal favorite, the Loxahatchee Walker.
DeBlasi said it takes 17 steps to complete a lure, beginning with cutting the wood and ending with coats of clear epoxy to protect the paint. His 6-year-old son, Beni, helps him paint the lures sometimes.
In addition to making the standard lures available on his website, DeBlasi creates custom lures to order. To satisfy some customers, he builds replicas of plugs that have been out of production for decades.
Old plugs from generations past occupy part of the wall of his garage in Boynton Beach, creating a place where DeBlasi can study classic designs for chuggers, poppers and surface walkers.
For anglers who want to try their hands at making fish-fooling devices, DeBlasi sells make-your-own wooden lure kits.
Snook and largemouth bass are among DeBlasi’s favorite fish to catch, especially on topwater lures such as the Loxahatchee Walker, which works from side to side as it moves across the water in a “walk the dog” presentation.
DeBlasi’s biggest fish taken on one of his lures: A 48-pound jack crevalle, caught on the Loxahatchee Walker while he was fishing from a kayak near St. Lucie Inlet. It took him 90 minutes to land that brawny jack.
DeBlasi has shipped his handmade lures to anglers throughout the United States and to several other countries, including Israel, France, Portugal, Canada and Costa Rica.
His greatest satisfaction comes from hearing stories from customers who have caught fish on his wooden creations.
When ideas pop into his mind, DeBlasi enjoys being able to test them on the lathe at home or in the kitchen at Caffe Luna Rosa.
“I’ve got that kind of mind that is unsettled,” DeBlasi said. “You can get so burned out on one thing. It’s important to keep the thought process going.”
Julius Santos of Boca Raton shows two yellowtail snappers caught while fishing with his father
on the Living on Island Time drift boat based at Palm Beach Yacht Center.
ishing for yellowtail and mutton snapper improved in March with the onset of warmer weather.
Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
Fishing club yard sale set for April 11
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club will hold its annual yard sale from 7 a.m. to noon April 11 outside the fishing club at Fifth Street and Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach.
Used rods and reels, boating gear, tackle boxes, life jackets, coolers, marine hardware and clothing will be for sale.
Proceeds from the yard sale benefit the youth education and conservation efforts of the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation.
The club will accept tax-deductible donations of used fishing and boating gear and related accessories before the sale. For more information, call 832-6780 or visit westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.
Coming tournaments
Here’s a partial list of offshore fishing tournaments scheduled for April and May. Most tournaments are for kingfish, dolphin and wahoo, though some include other target fish:
April 11: Boynton Beach Firefighters Fishing Tournament and Firehouse Chili Cook-off based near the boat ramps at Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park. Entry fee $275 per boat. (Chili cook-off entry $25. Call 252-0769 or boyntonbeachfirefighters.com.
May 2: Lantana Fishing Derby based at Old Key Lime House restaurant. Captain’s party 6 p.m. April 30 at Lantana Recreation Center, 418 S. Dixie Highway. Awards party May 3 at recreation center. Entry fee $200 (by April 17) or $250 thereafter. Call 585-8664 or Lantanafishingderby.com.
May 30: Palm Beach County KDW Classic based at Riviera Beach Marina. Entry fee: By May 21, $200 ($175 for West Palm Beach Fishing Club members and tenants of Palm Beach Yacht Center and other specified marinas); after May 21, $275. Call 832-6780 or kdwclassic.com.
Nice catch!
Capt. John Davie used a sardine on a circle hook tied to 40-pound fluorocarbon leader to catch an 11-pound dog snapper in early March. The snapper took his bait in 60 feet of water south of Boynton Inlet while Davie was fishing aboard the Sea Mist III drift boat. The snapper was 26 inches long.
Tip of the month
Look for cobia moving along the beaches and over wrecks and reefs in the waters off Boynton and Boca Raton inlets.
Experienced cobia anglers have stout rods rigged with heavy jigs ready to cast to cobia they spot from platforms such as the Boynton Inlet jetty or the Lake Worth pier.
Capt. Bruce Cyr of the Lady K drift boat said cobia often follow sharks, rays and sea turtles. Drift boat anglers have been catching cobia up to 36 pounds using dead sardines in the waters off Boynton Inlet. Cobia make excellent table fare.
Cyr suggests fishing with dead sardines on knocker rigs (weight knocking against the hook) or standard sliding sinker drift-boat rigs using a 1-ounce sinker. Some anglers bounce heavy jigs off the bottom to catch cobia.
Cobia must measure at least 33 inches (to the fork of the tail) to be legal to keep. The daily bag limit is one cobia per angler, not to exceed six per boat.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.
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