DOWAGIAC — Wednesday evening, Mayor Don Lyons stood in front of a crowd of people wearing a Heddon fisherman jacket as he told a tale of industry, fishing and authorship.

Lyons presented “The Heddons and Their Bait,” a presentation that shares a name with Lyons’ 2018 book, as a part of the spring lecture series at the Dowagiac Area History Museum. During the presentation, Lyons, alongside his wife, Joan, discussed the journey that led him to becoming an author and about the history of James Heddon and Sons, a Dowagiac-based business that at one point was one of the most recognizable tackle manufacturers in history.

Lyons’ book, “The Heddons and Their Bait,” was published in December 2018 and is available at the Dowagiac Area History Museum for $44.95. The book is about the people and events that shaped Heddon, with a focus on Dowagiac,where the Heddons founded James Heddon and Sons, Co. Legend has it that James Heddon “invented” the artificial fishing lure while whittling on the Mill Pond outside Dowagiac around the turn of the century.

For Lyons, the journey to authorship started long before he sent a manuscript to a publisher.

“My fifth grade teacher assigned us to write a book on Michigan. I knew I wanted to write about Heddons,” he said. “Even when I couldn’t find a picture of the company in magazines, I just drew it.”

Lyons, a Dowagiac native, has been interested in fishing all his life, and it was his dream to own a Heddon hardcore spinning rod, he said. Growing up, he drove past the factory daily, but by the 1980s the factory was no longer thriving, and the building was soon abandoned.

In 1991, the Lyons bought the building and fixed it up so it could be put back to use. By 1994, they were offered a deal to buy the remaining artifacts of Heddon and turn the old building into a museum for the city of Dowagiac. On May 16, 1996, the doors of the Heddon Museum opened and a surprising amount of locals, friends and family filled the museum, according to Lyons’ memory.

This day took a turn when an unexpected group of dedicated and active collectors arrived and left with disappointment of the lack of artifacts. After disappointment, the Lyons chose to dramatically increase the number of artifacts in the museum, Lyons said.

Now the museum has the largest amount of all things Heddon in the world. The museum has one artifact out of each catalog and more than 250 rods.

During the rest of the lecture, Lyons reflected on his life and how Heddon influenced many of his choices.