My name is Chris Witt, owner and creator of the Rippin Hoo and Hellraiser Teaser Series.

My introduction to big-game fishing came in 1997, when I began fishing the Gulf of Mexico with a fishing partner who would remain by my side for the next ten years.

On every trip, we would put the same teasers out on each corner of the boat. At the time, I really didn’t understand their purpose. What I did understand was that we weren’t seeing the results I expected. The fish simply weren’t coming close to the teasers.

I got tired of not catching fish, so I decided to try something different.

I went into the workshop and began experimenting with ideas based on what I had learned in other types of fisheries, including salmon and bass fishing. I wanted to understand what actually attracted fish and, more importantly, what might make a big-game fish follow an artificial presentation all the way to our lures.

I started building prototypes and testing them in a swimming pool. Instead of relying on a single blade, I experimented with multiple blades arranged in different configurations. I tested different movements, presentations, and combinations, learning through trial and error what worked, what didn’t, and what I needed to change to get the reaction I was looking for.

Then, in 1997, the first version of what would eventually become the Rippin Hoo went into the water behind the boat.

Within 15 minutes, we had a 50-pound wahoo on board.

That fish was the beginning of something much bigger.

What started as an attempt to solve a problem on our own boat developed into an ongoing process of experimentation, design, testing, and refinement. From the original Rippin Hoo came the Hellraiser Teaser Series, designed with a completely different and more radical presentation.

And the work hasn’t stopped.

I’m constantly developing new ideas, testing new concepts, and improving existing products. Some of those ideas are still in the prototype stage today. When I find a way to make an existing teaser work better, I don’t consider it finished—I update and upgrade it.

That’s what Rippin Hoo and Hellraiser are built on:

Experiment. Test. Improve. And never stop trying to find a better way to bring the fish to the boat.