Fishing Tackle Unlimited !
Interview with Sheldons' Inc Director of Communications
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I
start my (going to be) vast fishing tackle unlimited section with
a special interview I had the honor to have with one of the historical
and most respected lures
company
in the world: 
What are the general trends in the lure industry? I have noticed a lot of changes in ownership in many fishing reels and fishing rods brands, for instance. Is this happening also in the lure industry? Yes, large multi-national corporations have become a part of the fishing industry. Almost all fishing lures are now made in China. However, every Mepps lure sold in the United States is still hand-assembled here in Antigo from component parts manufactured at Mepps SA. Lures sold in other parts of the world are assembled at Mepps SA. Sheldons’, Inc. CEO Mike Sheldon said it best when he wrote, “At Mepps we make our own spinner parts to control quality. It’s like home cooking. We control the ingredients to get the best results.” As I said earlier, fishing comes first with us. I’m convinced this is why we’ve been around for well over half a century.
Who are the big players besides you, if I may ask you, and are there new lures and tackle companies at the horizon? Rapala and Dardevle are two that immediately come to mind. Andre Meulnart invented the Mepps spinner in 1938.
Do you know how Mr Meulnart got the idea? Some folks would say that Andre Meulnart was an engineer who also fished. However, the Sheldon family would tell you that Mr. Meulnart was a fisherman who happened to be an engineer. Like all fishermen, he was constantly looking for a way to catch more fish. He thought a spinner might be the way to do that. He was absolutely right.
The development of the Sheldons’ Inc. company must have been an amazing story as one can gather from your pages . Which were the high and the low moments? Low moments? I have worked at Sheldons’, Inc. for more than 20 years. It is a great company to work for. In fact most of our employees have been here over 25 years. We don’t have time to dwell on negative issues. We’re too busy making lures and fishing.
Do you see the emerging of lower quality products from China and Asia' - like in other industries by the way, nowadays? Is that a matter of concern to Mepps? Right from the beginning other companies have tried to duplicate the fish-catching effectiveness of the Mepps spinner . No one has been able to do this. There are many reasons for this and I can’t go into a lot of detail. I can tell you we have some patented components, and the parts manufactured at Mepps SA are built to very rigid standards with the highest quality materials available. For example, the shaft is the “backbone” of any in-line spinner. Most spinner manufactures use a shaft made of galvanized wire. The shaft on all Mepps spinners, however, is Sandvic stainless steel. This is the same Swedish stainless steel used by quality hand saw manufactures to make the world’s best hand saws. Blades and bodies are solid brass. Beads, both plastic and brass are turned on a lathe., making them extremely durable. You can cast them into rocks and they won’t chip or break. Almost all other lure manufacturers buy injection molded plastic beads. These beads are not nearly as durable, and the will chip and crack. In addition, every silver blade on a Mepps spinner is plated with genuine silver. Silver produces a bright white flash that can be seen much further underwater than nickel or chrome. There two finishes produce a black reflection.
Does building lures this way cost more? You bet it does, but we feel it’s worth it, and serious anglers world-wide feel the same way. In your opinion is fishing as a sport still growing? Any specialty in particular (bass fishing, carp fishing, fly fishing etc...)? I can’t speak for the whole world. In the United States however, fishing has been slowly declining for the past couple of decades. About 15 years ago I had a business magazine ask me who Mepps biggest competitor was and I answered, “Nintendo.” I had to tell the interviewer I was serious. We have lost a whole generation of fishermen to computer games and – now – the Internet. The anti-fishing activists are also “eating away” at our sport. In addition there are lot of families today with single moms and, while some moms may fish, it’s the dad who has traditionally taught fishing and hunting skills to his children.
What is Sheldons' Inc. plan and philosophy for the future? We are going to continue producing the World’s #1 Lure.
Ok, let's talk about something else. How is a general day at Sheldons' Inc.? Let’s just say that anyone who likes to fish would like to have my job. I am a very lucky man. I can’t imagine working anywhere else. I used to be a press photographer for a major metropolitan newspaper and I covered Big 10 sports. It could be very exciting at times, but, God willing, I will retire from Sheldons’, Inc.
Which one is your best selling lure? Currently we manufacture more than
4-thousand different lures, but the classic Mepps Aglia still accounts
for more than 50% of our sales. The #1 & #2 Aglias with a plain treble hook are our best
sellers.
Where is your main manufacturing plant, is it the one in France or in the USA? The Antigo plant is basically an assembly plant. We get our lure components from Mepps SA and assemble all of the lures sold in the United States. Mepps SA manufactures the Mepps lures sold in other parts of the world.
How much hand-work is used in making one of your lure? Every Mepps lure requires some hand assembly. Painted blades are all airbrushed by hand. Dressed hooks are all hand-tied. Mepps Comet and Aglia Long Minos are all hand-painted. Our products are extremely labor intensive, but they are also extremely well built.
What are the most recent new technical developments in your lures? Most recently, our technology breakthroughs have been in lure color and finishes. We call it Mepps color technology. In a nutshell, the key is color contrast. All of our painted products are now finished using this technology.
Any new lure that will be brought to the market soon? Yes! However, that is a carefully guarded secret and Michael Sheldon, our Marketing and New Product Manager would not be very happy if I let tha secret out of the bag. It might interest you to know, however, that it usually takes 3-4 years of intensive research and development to bring a new lure to market.
Your production is huge, as you said more than 4000 spinners and spoons in one year! Is the logistic of such an operation difficult to manage (supply order time, inventories, etc...)? Do you observe seasonal patterns? We have a very efficient and capable Production Manager. His name is Dan Sheldon. Dan sees to it we have what we need to produce what we will sell every year. Twice a year we receive a parts shipment from Mepps SA.
How do you get the natural materials required for some of your lures (animal hair, and fur,...) We ask squirrel hunters to please send us their tails. This is getting tougher every year. As anti hunting sentiment grows, the number of squirrel hunters is declining and some states will not allow the selling of animal parts. On the surface this may sound noble, but all we are asking for is a part of the squirrel that the hunter usually throws away. We look at it as recycling. We are a pioneer in recycling squirrel tails and we’re proud of it.
Can we visit a manufacturing plant? Sheldons’ has plant tours weekdays. You can find the schedule here: http://www.mepps.com/about_us/planttours.php
Thank you Mr Martinsen for your precious time! I will certainly look at the lures I use in a very different way now that I spoke to you!
SHELDONS', INC.
626 Center St.,
Antigo, WI 54409
Phone: 715-623-2382
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