Canyon Plastics was originally started by two brothers, Gary and Bobby Garland, in 1973 in Kingman, Arizona. That year they made the first lure called the Mini Jig ranging in size from 1 to 1 ½ inch and 2 ½” . Five years later they introduced the Gitzit ranging from 2 ½ , 3 ¾ to 5 inches. Soon after they added the Giant Tora ranging from 7, 8 and 10 inches. Then in 2000 they introduced the 6 inch size.
MADE IN USA
We still are hand dipping and hand splitting our tubes which makes more play in the tentacles.
We sell the Mini Jigs in sizes 1 inch 1 ½ inch and 2 ½ inch which are known to be excellent for crappie, shad, trout, bass and walleye.
We also have the Gitzits which range from 2 ½, 3 ¾, and 5 inch. The saying is known as “The Gitzit Gets Em”
The ultimate is the 6 inch tube a good pitching and flipping bait used for all types of fish.
The Large Giant Tora Tubes 7, 8 , and 10 inch which is a good saltwater bait using the 2, 4, 6 and 8 oz tora lead heads. These tubes became a tremendous lure for mackinaw, halibut, ling cod, muskie, lake trout, salmon and large mouth bass.
We sell different hooks as well: magnum ½, ¾, 1, 2, 3 ounces, Tora lead heads 2, 4, 6, 8 ounces, Insiders 4 ad 6 oz.
We also sell 1/64 oz 1/32 , 1/16 mini jigs, ¼ and 1/8 ounce minnow heads
The F Series and T Series lead heads of 1/16, 1/8, ¼, 3/8 ounce
Gamakatsu Hooks ½, ¼, 3/8 ounce
We also sell some Fight n’ Craw, Skin N’ Bones, and Grubs
NEW OWNERS!
Here is a little information about the new owner Matt:
From before high school, my dream was always to do construction and build cabinets for my dad and the family business that he created. So I purused Engineering & Design Technology (CAD) in college at Iowa Central. I planned and used that in the construction business for mainly kitchen cabinet drawings and houses.
In July of 2011, I began my journey and became a self employed Contractor and began my dream career! I was very excited in 2021 to have 10 years under my belt. Well, that streak quickly ended.
On October 10th, in 2021, my life changed forever. At the time, I did not know, but that was the last day of my career in that industry. In the middle of that Sunday afternoon, I had a significant stroke. I was 29 years old.
I was rushed to the local ER, where they discovered I had a stroke. The next day, they took me by ambulance to a larger hospital. It was that day that I had learned for the first time that I was in heart failure.
After a few nights in the ICU step-down unit, they were finally able to discharge me. But not without a wearable defibrillator (Life Vest). I was told to wear that, so if I go into V-tach, it can shock me.
I was back home walking around the block, then eventually, further like everything was just great, it was all getting better. Unfortunately, I started to decline quickly. The medicine they gave me seemed to be working, but then it was almost working against me.
Fast forward two months to December 6th. I am at home, and my "life vest" begins to alarm, and every time I go to shut it off it just keeps alarming. Back to the ER I go. Once I arrived, I was sedated, and they cardioverted me.
Next thing I know, I am on a lifeflighted headed to Sioux City, Iowa. Once I arrived there, I started to go into cardiogenic shock and multi organ failure. To help with my heart, they placed an impella.
I wasn't improving but only getting worse. After a huge list of hospitals called to see if they'd take me, they finally got a yes! Off on another lifeflight to Omaha. Once in Omaha, I was hooked up to Echmo (life support) with a 50% chance of making it out alive.
It was just 10 days later that I was blessed with a second chance at life! Fortunately for organ donation and a wonderful young 23 year old that checked "yes" to be a donor, I was able to receive a new heart!! But the hurdles weren't over yet.
The day or two after transplant was going to change my life completely, and it wasn't for the better. It was then that I learned that I lost blood flow at some point to my spinal cord, which was also called a spinal stroke (spinal infarction) from T-4 to S-5.
After the two months in the hospital, I was off to the first rehab center in Omaha at Madonna. It was there that I gained some strength back and weight after losing nearly 70 pounds. From there, I went to the second rehab facility, QLI, also in Omaha.
QLI also got me stronger, and by the time I left QLI, I was able to get up and walk on KAFO braces with the use of my hips! Miraculously, I was able to gain feeling back down to about my hips (T-10-T11).
Little did we know that there was a plan for me and a job out there waiting. I am now currently 1.5 years post transplant and ready to strive with this business and make our customers happy and make new ones!
We will continue to hand dip and hand split!
As we go on and get some things under our belt and are comfortable with everything that we are doing, it'll be great and will continue to grow. We have big ideas! Fishing is one our favorite hobbies!
Matt and Kendra Koppen.
