Secret Cove Artificial Bait Company

Roth Kemper – St. Augustine, Fl – 1990’s

Kemper History

Roth F. Kemper was born in Long Island, New York on May 10th 1954.His family moved to Miami Florida when Roth was 4 yrs old. Roth started fishing at an early age, living close to Biscayne Bay and a short drive to the Florida Keys. He fished with his father Roth Sr. and his grandfather Frank Bonnici. Roth was married in 1980 to his wife Elyse. They had three children, Stephen, Rachel and Lauren. In 1983 Roth moved his family to St. Augustine FL., where Roth continued his Carrier with Southern Bell Telephone Company.

Secret Cove Mice

Secret Cove Cuda

Secret Cove Cork Head

By this time Roth was an avid bass fisherman and liked to modify his lures to catch more fish. This led Roth to craft some of his own lures. In the early 1990’s Roth started carving lures of red cedar that was cut from local trees. Over the years they were made from pine and basswood also. At first he would make the lures one at a time, but while fishing with friends they would want one after seeing how well they worked. Roth then started making them a dozen at a time so he would have extras for his friends.

Secret Cove Shrimp

Secret Cove Eye Candy

Underwater Minnows

Over the years his lures have been sold in several tackle shops in St. Augustine and Jacksonville. They have also become quite collectible over the years. Roth confesses he sells just as many to lure collectors as he does fisherman.

Much of the information on this page was obtained by utilizing the information provided by Doug Brace, Bill Stuart, and Russell Riddle in “Florida Lure Makers and Their Lures” (Currently out of print). The information we have provided is only a portion of the story.  If interested in purchasing this book, please reach out to other collectors in our forum to inquire about availability.

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