American Baitworks product designer continues chipping away at tradition
Andrew Gardner flunked his high school woodworking class. He knew the assignment, but more importantly, the future bait artist knew himself.ย
โI carved a brown trout and we were supposed to build a box,โ Gardner chuckles. โI grew up on Long Island, New York, and I fly fished a lot with my dad. He was a wood carver and he loved carving trout, so thatโs probably why I did that.โ
Bucking a school assignment wasnโt rebellion; rather, it was a young soul committed to planting the roots of what has blossomed into a brilliantly expressive and skillfully founded bait-making career. A naturally artistic type who first embraced drawing, Gardner quickly learned to love his fatherโs craft and eventually established Melosh Custom Baits.
Sixteen years after failing that East Islip High School woodworking class, Gardner won his first carving competitionโthe 2008 Great Lakes Fish Decoy Association (GLFDA) Best in Show Decorative Decoy and Best in Show Working Decoy. Like the hundreds of carvings since that day of personal triumph, Gardnerโs first of many awards validated both his lifeโs course, and its deeply resonating meaning.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
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Since 2018, Gardner has parlayed his artistic talent and functional sensibilities into his role as the product designer for the Mississippi-based bait and tackle company, American Baitworks. Reflecting the artistโs practical prowess, many of Gardnerโs creations and color ways make regular appearances in pro-level tournaments, including the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Chickamauga, which Texas pro Lee Livesay won with the Scum Frog Launch Frog.
With a keen eye for color ways and anatomical form, Gardner finds his carving business and the corporate gig balance nicely while keeping him in his zone. Specializing in what he terms the whimsical and the weird, Gardner said he enjoys blending the species-specific work with pure creative indulgence.
โSometimes, my favorite pieces come from just grabbing a chunk of wood and carving into it,โ he said. โIt doesnโt have to be a real fish species. What goes through my head is, โWhat can I carve out of this piece of wood thatโs never been seen before?โ Those are the pieces that give you the most satisfaction. I think the copying of species is fairly easy, but my own style has taken many years to develop.โ
Gardner traces his characteristic looks to a comic strip he created during the late โ80s. The title character, โMeloshโโthe namesake for his bait carving businessโ fished for various alien species on the planet โAnchovia.โ
Today, from his home in Bayonet Point, Florida (about an hour north of Tampa Bay), Gardner brings forth his inner vision in a 20 by 30 workshop. The early years found him carving with knives, but as his productivity needs grew, Gardner moved into power carving with Dremel-style micro tools and Foredom tools.
โThe type of wood I use is based on the type of lure and its intended function,โ Gardner said. โBasswood and cedar are good for lures. I use tupelo for display pieces.โ
IN DEMAND
![bait artist](https://fishinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Bait-Artist-DavidBrown-03-1024x683.jpg)
Gardner makes a lot of collector-quality lures and ice spearing decoys that never see a drop of water. Others are straight-up bite getters and pike foolers with exquisite detail, vividly natural colors, and captivating eye work. Signing and dating each piece, Gardner spares no effort in turning wood into wonder.
โMost carvers use glass or stick-on eyes, but I hand paint my own eyes,โ he said. โI also make my eyes slightly larger than they are on a natural fish to add more personality.
โThe eye is generally the first thing a viewer checks out, so I ensure theyโre unique. It worked for the Mona Lisa.โ
A fishable swimbait, glidebait, or topwater might go for $50, while collectors pieces reach into the $2,000 range. Decoys go for $100 to a few thousand. More elaborate display piecesโtypically commissioned worksโwith habitat elements requiring greater time and effort fetch higher prices.
Including the carving, painting, and curing, lure and decoy projects vary from 10 to 40 hours. Larger display projects may last several weeks.
โThe most memorable piece Iโve carved was when a client commissioned me to carve a replica of George Perryโs world record 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass,โ Gardner said. โI didnโt realize until I found the length and girth online how big that fish was; it was huge.โ
While Gardner has carved just about everything that swims, with plenty of top-tier species from life size tarpon and peacock bass, he favors the more humble rough fish clan. Itโs blue collar, nostalgic; these often marginalized fish of his youth.
โI like to carve the species that people donโt like to carve like the carp, the buffalo, the suckers,โ he said. โWhen I was a kid, I used to fish for carp with my dad and it just brings back memories every time I carve one.โ
A DEEP CONNECTION
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While Gardnerโs father mostly carved as a hobby, his skill garnered the attention that led to international media coverage, including covers of magazines like Field & Stream and Sports Afield. He also developed a niche that immortalized many a personal best.
โHe captured peopleโs catches [as an alternative to] taxidermy,โ Gardner said. โHe would carve their memories into wood.โ
This motivated an aspiring young carver who would enhance the fatherโs craft with a layer of his own.
โI like to relive peopleโs memories of catching fish in the decorative carvings I do, but I also like to create the lures that actually make the memories,โ Gardner said.
In addition to domestic and international showings, Gardner has competed in several competitions, including the Bait Bash Championship, held in Karlstad, Sweden, which heโs twice won for most creative bait design. He has also won the National Fish Decoy Association title and notched seven wins at the GLFDA World Championship.
On the other side of competition, Gardner has created one-of-a-kind awards plaques. Example: Prior to the 2022 Bassmaster Classic, Gardner hand-carved a spotted bass and mounted it to a plaque for the eventโsย top-finishing American Baitworks angler.
Gardnerโs father passed away in May 2023, four months before his sonโs seventh GLFDA title. Gardnerโs winning entry was a black buffalo, a somewhat rough fish species reminiscent of those youthful fishing trips with the man who helped fuel the bait artistโs careerโand lifeโfulfillment.
โI dedicated the win to my dad,โ Gardner said. โI just wanted to win with something that he would have thought was cool.โ
Modern equipment and materials, along with the Internet age, broadened a sonโs horizons, but Gardner remains rooted in the family bond that inspired an ill-fated, yet life-shaping brown trout.
Kinda reminds you of Dan Fogelbergโs 1981 hit, The Leader of the Band, in which the artist pays tribute to the musical legacy passed from father to son.
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man
I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band
Gardner agrees the stories relate.
The gift of music, as with wood carving, came with the charge to take it farther, make it bigger; but never lose the passion for creation.
โIโm trying to carry on what my dad started,โ Gardner said. โI want each piece to be better than the last.โ
To this end, Gardner refuses to place any of his work in his home. In his view, the next piece will always be his best, so keeping past works on display would only anchor him to a previous level of his ongoing development.
โI enjoy creating every piece and getting better with every one.โ
CARVING FOR THE CLASSIC
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The Ray Scott Trophy: Itโs the symbol of Bassmaster Classic victory, the elusive king-of-the-hill crown, and unquestionably the sportโs most coveted prize.
But while Justin Hamnerโs wire-to-wire victory on Grand Lake Oโ the Cherokees made him the newest member of a prestigious club with only 42 other members, his dominant performance also earned him a truly unique prize. So unique, in fact, thereโs only one other like itโand Hamner owns that one, too.
Starting with the present, woodworking wizard Gardner honored the fourth-year Eliteโs Classic win by creating an amazingly detailed award plaque featuring a hand-carved largemouth bass made from Mississippi Tupelo. Two years prior, Gardner created a similar carving for the highest-finishing Classic angler aligned with American Baitworks, where Gardner serves as product designer.
In his Classic debut at that 2022 event on South Carolinaโs Lake Hartwell, Hamner made his presence known with a fourth-place finish that topped the ABW pro staff. Missing the 2023 Classic lit a fire that would see him comfortably coast into qualification for the 2024 championship by finishing 21st in Angler of the Year points.
Coming off an eight-place finish at the 2023 seasonโs final event at the St. Lawrence River, Hamner preceded the Classic with strong finishes at the new seasonโs first two events (14th at Toledo Bend, third at Lake Fork).
He walked in confident and walked out a champion.
Dedicated Space: Of his second ABW plaqueโs destination, Hamner references the first oneโs immediate popularity.
โThe plaque from 2022 is the only thing my wife let me hang in our living room,โ he chuckled. โAndrewโs work is phenomenal. Itโs amazing to see some of the stuff heโs crafted.
โI already have a spot picked out for the new plaque.โ
Apparently, an owl painting has been demoted.
Perspective and Appreciation: For a couple of years now, Hamner has tinkered with wooden lure designโmostly rough ideas of suggested bait designs he offers to ABW. But just as Hamnerโs probably the superior angler, the Classic champ admittedly poses no threat to Gardner in the bait carving competitions.
โThereโs so much more than just making a mold and carving it out,โ Hamner said. โHe really goes into detail of what it takes to make a lure swim rightโwhere the line tie is, where the hook hangers are, how itโs weighted.โ
As someone whoโs seen a whole lot of bass in his 33 years, Hamner tipped his hat to Gardnerโs masterful representation of his perpetual target.
โItโs scary how accurate it isโdown to the gill plate,โ Hamner said. โItโs the little details you wouldnโt think about. Every fish you catch is different and I think he captured something unique.โ
Making the Connection: Hamner and Gardner equip themselves with different tools, they work in different settings, and they employ different techniques. Still, the reigning Classic champ says he gets what makes Gardner tick: his drive, his motivation.
โI see it as in both of us are trying to be the best at what we do,โ Hamner said. โLooking at his work, itโs so good. Iโve always lovedโwhether itโs in football, golf, or something elseโguys who master their craft. Thatโs what Iโm going to do.โ
The Start of a Streak?: Small is the number of talented, dedicated anglers who will ever own the Ray Scott trophy. Smaller still, the count of those whoโll adorn their wall with an Andrew Gardner carving.
โI gotta keep this streak going,โ Hamner said. โItโs so special. I guess Iโm just gonna keep doing well in Classics.โ
The Final Cut: At the time of his Classic win, Hamner was less than a year removed from the lawn care business that previously had supported his tournament fishing dream.
So, a guy who used to cut grass wins a hand-carved plaque made by a guy named Gardner.
Life writes its own tales.
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