Toby Keith, singer of the country music anthem ‘Made in America,’ has acquired iconic bait and tackle brand Luck E Strike
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The company will be operated by industry veterans Jeff Williams, General Manager, and Todd Hempen, Operations Manager, and is endorsed by bass fishing legend, Jimmy Houston.
The brand will be relaunched this summer with a focus on its traditional American-made division in Greenwood, Arkansas, while at the same time maintaining its current range.
“Luck E Strike has a lot of history,” said the singer/songwriter. “It’s one of the earliest fishing brands universally stocked in national retailers.” Trading in its old yellow and black packaging, the Redman Spinner will be the first lure to lead the company’s new product line.
“Jimmy has been spokesperson for Luck E Strike for decades,” said Keith. “He started building his Redman Spinners out of diaper pins and selling them to Walmart.”
Houston believes the acquisition will make a big impact in the industry. “I’m happy seeing the fire in his eyes over this. It’s a big deal for the fishing industry as whole to have him involved in bringing this brand back to where it ought to be.”
Luck E Strike has been in decline in recent years, but Keith believes the experienced Williams and Hempen will help provide a new focus and vision.
Williams is a bait and tackle developer whose previous brands have included Team Catfish and Fle Fly.
“Luck E Strike will be a global brand,” he says.
Hempen has more than 30 years retail and supply chain experience with household names like Bass Pro Shops, Walmart and Amazon.
Toby Keith has amassed 42 top 10 hits, 32 number ones, 40 million album sales and more than 10 billion streams and has his own Show Dog Nashville record label.
The body that represents the sportfishing industry in the US is supporting new legislation that seeks to protect the use of lead in fishing in the region.
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is backing the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act which, if enacted, would prohibit the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management from banning the use of traditional tackle and ammunition on public lands.
Exceptions would only be made if such action were supported by the best available science and state fish and wildlife agencies.
The bill, introduced in response to a recent Fish and Wildlife Service rule that would ban traditional tackle on some National Wildlife Refuges, ensures that access is not unjustly prohibited and that anglers can continue to depend on the performance and affordability of lead.
In a statement supporting the introduction of the bill by Senator Steve Daines (Rep-Montana), the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) said that protecting traditional tackle is crucial for ensuring that anglers can continue to enjoy their sport.
“The sportfishing Industry is grateful to Senator Daines for introducing the act,” said ASA President Glenn Hughes (pictured). “Decisions about the tackle anglers are allowed to use must be based on science, not emotion.
“This bill will uphold state fish and wildlife agencies as the proper authorities to make science-based determinations around lead fishing tackle.”
The ASA is also encouraging others to voice their support of the bill and urge their senators to co-sponsor it here.
Italo Labignan YouTube channel video, takes you to the eastern basin of Lake Ontario and shows you how to use downriggers, Torpedo steel-line and planer boards to catch Lake Trout near-shore.
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