This is my opportunity to give back to an industry that has given so much to me. Over the past 20 plus years, I have enjoyed watching the person who is, in my opinion, the best educator in the history of muskie fishing – Bob Mehsikomer. No one has impressed me more with his or her knowledge, skills and wisdom regarding muskie fishing than Bob, and he truly lives up to the nickname many have pinned on him, “The Professor”.
Bob’s lure design skills are equally legendary among muskellunge anglers – he created the Awaker in 1983, the Giant Jackpot in 1985, the Musky Boss in 1996, the Magnum King in 1998 and the entire Odyssey Lures line during the early- to mid-1990s.
Last year, I approached Bob with an offer to lead the design team for what has become A-Team Tackle. Bob initially declined my offer, expressing concern that this venture would detract from his long-term relationships with manufacturers such as Poe’s, Worden’s and Yakima Lures.
I strongly admired Bob’s commitment to his existing relationships, but that only made me more certain that we wanted him on our team. Fortunately, I was able to convince him that we would not pressure him to reduce his involvement with his existing manufacturing partners. On December 3, 2007, we came to terms with “the Professor” Bob Mehsikomer, and he accepted full
control over the design and development of all new products for the A-Team Tackle line. Trust me when I say that we are very excited and proud to have Bob as a key contributing member of our team!
