LIVETARGET: realistic Match the Hatch lures

2007: Founded by Grant Koppers
Canada: Brand founded in Ontario
Match the Hatch: Lures modelled on real prey

The story of the brand

Grant Koppers, from fishing guide to lure maker

LIVETARGET was born in 2007 in Ontario, Canada. Its founder, Grant Koppers, spent years guiding anglers on the Great Lakes. He wanted lures closer to the prey that fish really hunt. Vic Cook joined him as a founding partner.

From the start, the brand shaped its models on the anatomy of baitfish, crawfish and frogs. This method has a registered name: Match the Hatch. In 2010, LIVETARGET won its first Best of Show awards at ICAST, the major American fishing trade show. It was awarded in the hard and soft lure categories, then again in the next two years.

In 2021, the Norwegian group Mustad bought the brand, fourteen years after it was founded. Grant Koppers and Vic Cook kept control of product development. LIVETARGET still designs lures for freshwater and saltwater, with the same rule: copy nature as closely as possible.

Key dates

2007 LIVETARGET founded in Ontario by Grant Koppers
2010 First Best of Show awards at the ICAST show
2021 The brand is bought by the Norwegian group Mustad

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything about the brand

Who founded the LIVETARGET brand?

LIVETARGET was founded in 2007 by Grant Koppers, a former fishing guide on the Great Lakes. Vic Cook is the other founding partner. The brand started in Ontario, Canada, within the company Koppers Fishing and Tackle.

Both founders still lead lure development, including since the Mustad acquisition in 2021.

What does Match the Hatch mean at LIVETARGET?

Match the Hatch is the design principle of LIVETARGET, registered as a trademark. Each lure copies a specific prey of predator fish: baitfish, crawfish or frog. The shape follows the anatomy of the animal and the colours match North American species.

The goal is to show the fish what it is used to hunting.

Which group owns LIVETARGET?

Since 2021, LIVETARGET has belonged to the Norwegian group O. Mustad & Son, known for its hooks. Mustad had already bought the line brand TUF-Line in 2019. The brand keeps its identity: its co-founders Grant Koppers and Vic Cook still lead the design of new lures, for freshwater and saltwater.

LIVETARGET, realistic lures from Canada

LIVETARGET, also written Live Target, is a Canadian brand of realistic lures. It is based in Ontario. Grant Koppers, a former fishing guide on the Great Lakes, founded it with Vic Cook. Today the brand belongs to the Norwegian group Mustad.

LIVETARGET designs lures for both freshwater and saltwater. Each model imitates a specific prey of predator fish: a baitfish, a crawfish or a frog. The range covers hard baits, soft baits, swimbaits and frogs. Its frogs target fish that hunt at the surface, such as bass and pike.

The Match the Hatch principle

The LIVETARGET credo fits in three words: Match the Hatch. The idea is simple: copy the prey the fish really eats, where it lives. The shape follows the anatomy of the animal. A perch has the profile of a perch, a bluegill that of a bluegill. The colours match the forage species of North America. The brand calls them biomimetic patterns.

This approach also shapes how the lures move. On its frogs, for example, the legs hinge at the hips. They stretch out with each pull, like a frog that flees. The body is made of floating ABS and the legs of soft TPE. Since the Mustad deal, the two founders still lead the design of new models.

Shapes copied from the anatomy of prey.
Colours based on local forage species.
Lures for freshwater and saltwater.
Actions built to imitate vulnerable prey.

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LIVETARGET: realistic lures and frogs for predator fish