Mepps

Todd Sheldon owned a tackle store in Antigo, Wisconsin where, in 1951, he found himself fishing rather unsuccessfully in the Wolf River. He finally put on a Mapps lure, created by the French engineer Andre Muelnart in 1938 and given to Sheldon by a WWII GI after he came back from the war. The results were instantaneous. Fish after fish were being reeled in by Sheldon. He began buying more Mapps lures from a local source, but they were being purchased so quickly that the supplier couldn’t keep up. Sheldon began buying the lures directly from Muelnart’s factory in France. Finally in 1956 Todd Sheldon sold his tackle shop and founded Sheldon’s, Inc.

Through the latter half of the century the Mepps spinners became the highest selling lure in North America. The hard work ethic that drove Sheldon’s, Inc. was passed from Todd Sheldon to his son Mike Sheldon; and the company that started in the back room of Todd Sheldon’s store became a company that was over 50,000 sq. ft. Fishermen still to this day will send in pictures of their catches to the company, which publishes the pictures in the annual Mepps Fishing Guide.

See all Mepps products on WisconsinGoods.com.