Someone is Looking for a Little Tail, Lots of Them!

  • Wanted: Squirrel Tails
Trade your squirrel tails into fishing lures or money.

By Jason Houser

The Mepps brand of fishing lures is best known for natural hair-dressed spinners. Over the years, they have tried many types of hair, including synthetic and other natural materials, as well as the hair from Angus cowhides, bear, and fox, coyote, and badger fur. But they have never found anything better than squirrel tails, and they buy more than 250,000 tails each year, mostly from squirrel hunters.

Mepps is the leading buyer of squirrel tails.

If you shoot enough squirrels to collect a sizable pile of tails, you can make a little cash selling those tails to Mepps. But the first thing the company (and I) want to emphasize is not to shoot squirrels just for the tails. The pay isn’t that good, and it would be a wanton waste of game meat. Instead, look at the tails as a harvestable by-product from the squirrels you clean for the table. Also, you need to make sure you are not violating state laws that govern the sale and shipment of sport-harvested wildlife. California and Idaho prohibit this, and Oregon specifically forbids the sale of the western grey squirrel.

Do not split and debone the tail. Just cut the tail and freeze it or salt the butt end for air drying. Table salt or a strong saltwater solution both work well. While a salted tail is drying, make certain it hangs straight. Mepps doesn’t want tails that dry in a curved shape. Make sure flies, and other insects cannot get to drying tails, and tails that go in the freezer must be laid straight and packed loosely.

To prevent spoilage, keep tails in the freezer until the end of the season when you can either deliver them yourself or ship to the company. Dried tails can be shipped any time of year, but drop the package on a Monday, so it is less likely to sit in a handling facility over the weekend, and only ship frozen tails (that haven’t been dried) while the weather is still cold. Never put tails in a plastic bag for storage or shipment, as this can promote spoilage.

If the package is less than 10 pounds, you can ship it First Class or Priority U.S. Mail. Over 10 pounds should be shipped UPS. Mepps refunds shipping charges for 50 tails or more. Make sure your name, address, phone number, and email address are included in a letter placed inside the package. Let them know if you are willing to trade the tails for lures. If you trade, Mepps doubles the value of the tails.

Once received at Mepps, the tails are graded and sorted.

After Mepps grades the tails, they mail you a check. If you chose to trade the tails for lures, you will be contacted so you can place an order for the lures you want.

The type of squirrel, the quality of the tails, and how many are in each shipment determines what Mepps pays. Currently, a bundle of 100 or more premium tails may fetch as much as 26 cents each. Prices drop from there.

More information including pricing for specific tails may be found online at www.mepps.com if you click on the “Resource” tab at the top of the page and then click “Squirrel Tails” on the pull-down menu. A video that shows how to package and ship may be viewed on the Squirrel Tail page. Or you can address the package and ship to Sheldon’s, Inc., 626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409-2496.

 

Holiday Gift-Giving “From-the-Heart” Made Easy for Outdoor Folks

  • Outdoor Holiday Gifts for Friends and Family
  • One-stop shopping even when you are not sure what to buy
  • Buy a $15 coupon to support Youth and Military Veterans, earn up to $5,000 in discounts

By Forrest Fisher

Most outdoor folks have little time for shopping, even for their loved ones and best friends of the outdoors. Well now, the 2019 Online Holiday Sportsman Show can help you make a good choice in very little time with their interactive online shopping offers. Visit the outdoor show halls to find exceptional outdoor products and gifts at discount prices for everyone on your list. The Online Show allows shoppers to avoid crowds, traffic, and parking.  Stay at home and visit with hundreds of exhibitors to help make selecting the perfect outdoor gifts for outdoor enthusiasts easier than ever.

If you are looking for even deeper discounts on great products at the Holiday Sportsman Show, consider a $15 Fundraiser coupon package will open the door to more than $5,000 of exclusive savings for a wide range of gifts and products.  Gain instant cash discounts and 10 to 50 percent discounts on larger offerings, like a fishing trip or hunting trip vacation. The best part is that this coupon purchase will directly benefit our youth, conservation and U.S. veteran groups across the United States. For more information on the Fundraiser Coupon, visit www.holidaysportsmanshow.com and click on “Discount Coupons” at the bottom of the opening page. The fundraiser program helps consumers extend their holiday purchasing power while supporting Kids, Conservation and Veterans.

With the Holiday Sportsman Show, sit back, relax and have a stress-free holiday shopping experience. The show is open through Dec. 31.

The Online Holiday Sportsman Show is a property of Vexpo Marketing that also produces the award-winning www.SharetheOutdoors.com website. 

New Mepps Fish Killer: the Mepps Comet COMBO

  • Two Iconic Mepps Lures combine to become new deadly fish-catchin’ lure
  • 15 fish-catchin’ colors in Comet Sizes #1-#4
  • Mepps Comet Combos come packaged with 3 unrigged Mister Twister Curly Tails

By Nik Kolbeck

The Mepps Comet Combo combines the legendary Mepps spinner with the original Mister Twister Curly Tail Grub.

Mepps Comet Combos come packaged with 3 unrigged Mister Twister Curly Tails.

It’s perfect for hooking up with everything from trophy largemouth bass and northern pike to panfish and crappie.

The Comet Combo blade spins close to the body, which allows the spinner to easily fish the shallow to mid-depth areas on top of those tight areas above weeds and cover.

Rigged on a Mister Twister Keeper™ Hook, the Curly Tail Grub is weedless when you pitch it into the pads and walk it over logs, rocks, or any other submerged cover.

Comet Combos are available in 15 fish-catchin’ colors and come in sizes #1-#4.

To receive a current Mepps Master Catalog featuring the entire line-up of Mepps products, either visit our web site or call 800-637-7700. Mepps, 626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409-2496

Sheldons’, Inc. • 626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409 • Phone: 800-637-7700

Walleye Trolling Meets Durability and Effectiveness with Mepps®

  • Mepps Trolling Rig® and Crawler Harness…NEW

In eastern basin Lake Erie, most anglers are conventional. They troll with lead core line, deep diving stickbaits and custom made spinner/worm rigs. Who would have ever thought to try a Mepps combination through all the contention with standard convention?  Guess what? They not only work in the land of giant great Lakes walleye back here in the northeast, they work everywhere.

Walleye anglers understand the efficiency of trolling, allowing you to cover a lot of water and keep in contact with active fish. Not only is trolling one of the most productive methods for catching walleye, it’s known for producing BIG fish. But, it’s also known for rigs tied from monofilament which tangle, twist, wear out quickly and break, costing valuable fishing time, or worse, the fish of a lifetime.

The Mepps® Trolling Rig and Mepps® Crawler Harness are built tough from the highest quality components and can last for decades. The Mepps® Trolling Rig features: a heavy gauge, stainless, main shaft and an ultra-flexible, kink-resistant 20lb. braided, stainless steel cable with a stinger hook, fastened with a clever loop design instead of a knot, allowing quick and easy hook changes or replacement; a spiral-wound, stainless steel clevis, which allows quick and secure blade changes; an oversized, brightly-colored, floating body which produces a tantalizing, slow sink-rate; a multi-colored bucktail or tinsel dressed hook, adding flash, color and a larger profile; plus, a time-proven Mepps® Aglia® blade in silver, gold, copper or black. The Mepps® Trolling Rig comes in 2 sizes and 18 color combinations.

The Mepps® Crawler Harness shares the same features and durability of the Trolling Rig, minus the dressed hook and utilizes a Colorado blade, finished in a wide selection of colors and patterns. The Mepps® Crawler Harness comes in 2 sizes and 9 color combinations. Remember, all of the quick-change features built into both of these baits means blades, bodies, dressings and hooks can be mixed and matched to find the perfect combination for current conditions.

Mepps® is also proud to announce a new series of short, educational videos, demonstrating the many features of these unique baits, and loaded with tips on using them to catch more and bigger walleyes. The videos are available at http://www.youtube.com/meppsman1.

To see the entire lineup of Mepps® products, or receive a current Mepps® Tackle Catalog, visit our web site at www.mepps.com or call 800-237-9877.  Sheldons’ Inc., 626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409-2496.

Mepps / Mister Twister has a new Communications Guy

Mepps/Mister Twister has a new Communications Director.

The Mepps® Aglia® Flashabou combines the vibration and flash of a classic Mepps® Aglia® blade.

From Antigo, WI, Nik Kolbeck has joined Sheldons’ Inc. (Mepps and Mister Twister) as the new Communications Director. In this role Kolbeck will develop and oversee communications for Sheldons’ across its many platforms: print, online, retail, social media and mobile.

Kolbeck is a graduate of University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point where he studied Graphic Design in the Fine Arts Program. During his college years, Nik’s passion for fishing started to take off and has since become a family event with his father and brother and their beloved Border Collie, Abbi.

“My love of fishing has grown over the years, but I owe a lot of my admiration for the sport to my brother, Adam who taught me everything from what to use in certain conditions to the best practices for hooking up a fish and getting it into the boat. Family and fishing work hand-in-hand for me and there really is no better experience than hooking up with a big fish and sharing that experience with your family and friends.” Kolbeck grew up learning the ins-and-outs of fishing in central Wisconsin focusing on largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike and musky. He looks forward to expanding his fishing knowledge to other fish species that are caught throughout the United States.

  Since graduation, Kolbeck worked for Swiderski Equipment – an agriculture and construction equipment company with five locations throughout central Wisconsin. His duties included creating print, online and social media graphics, photography of equipment and keeping website information current and correct.
“Mepps and Mister Twister are two brands that I’ve used since I started fishing and I’ve never been disappointed with the results. The fact that I get to come here every day and talk fishing with all different types of fisherman is just icing on the cake for me.”

Company Overview: Sheldons’, Inc. started with the Mepps® brand in 1956 in the back of a small sports shop in Antigo, Wisconsin. It has since become one of the most important players in the fishing tackle industry. When all lure sizes, colors and hook configurations are taken into account, Mepps currently manufacturers more than 6,000 different Mepps spinners and spoons. In addition, Sheldons’, Inc. owns Mepps S.A. (Mepps France) and Mister Twister®, a premium soft plastics lure company and innovator of the Curly Tail® concept.

Sheldons’, Inc. • 626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409 • Phone: 800-237-9877

Mepps Introduces New Additions to Spinner Lines

Cover water with the all-new Mepps® Aglia® Flashabou. The new Mepps® Aglia® Flashabou combines the vibration and flash of a classic Mepps Aglia blade with a highly reflective, hand-tied flashabou tail for attractive, shimmering action in the water.
Mepps® Aglia® Flashabou spinners beam prisms of light to attract fish and are available in single and double blade configurations. The Double Blade Aglia® Flashabou produces more flash and loft over weeds and structure than the Aglia® Flashabou.
No other Flashabou style spinner offers the fish catching power and dependability like the Mepps® Aglia® Flashabou. View the Mepps Aglia Flashabou at mepps.com/products/lures or the Mepps Master Catalog. To receive a current Mepps Master Catalog, call 715.623.7556.

The Mepps® Aglia® spinner is the original French spinner. It is the World’s #1 Lure. The Mepps® Aglia® is extremely popular with fishermen world-wide because it will catch just about any freshwater fish and many species of saltwater fish.

Sheldons’, Inc. • 626 Center St., Antigo, WI 54409 • Phone: 800-237-9877

 

 

MAG-12 BUZZ Worm: MASSIVE Action & GIANT Motion ATTRACTION

By Forrest Fisher
So just what’s in a worm that is not a real worm? Why do fish even think about biting it?
It might be a lot of things, but there is simple mystery, appetite, movement, unusual size, smell, color, contrast and perhaps…hunger.
Mister Twister’s NEW 12″ Mag 12 BUZZ Worm is a large profile, big bass worm with a length that is BIG with a tail designed to provide maximum action and vibration while fishing, especially around structure.
The latest addition to Mister Twister’s bass fishing line-up works great for targeting bass on structure such as ledges, reeds and brush piles in deeper water. It is exceptional for flipping, Carolina rigging and Texas rigging. Use a 5/0, 6/0 or 7/0 hook.
In Florida golf ponds, especially in winter months, the biggest bass will only eat the BIG worms. This Mag 12 worm works on those bass, fish that top the 10-pound mark.

The Mag 12 BUZZ Worm’s tail has a natural, free-falling action imitating wounded baitfish. When a bass’s metabolism heats up during the summer, the Mag 12 BUZZ Worm is sure to satisfy big bass appetites. In autumn, like now, this is an energy storage candy bar for big bass looking ahead to winterize their consumption system.
“I’ve caught them flipping reeds in Florida to dragging ledges on the Tennessee River system,” says Bass Elite Series Pro Clent Davis. This bait is a bass getter. When the bite gets tough and when I am looking for that kicker, I turn to the Mag 12 BUZZ Worm”.
The Mag 12 BUZZ Worm was in Clent’s lure rotation for his 5th place finish at the FLW Costa event on Kentucky Lake in June, 2017.
“The 12″ BUZZ worm is one of those game changers for me,” says two-time BASSMASTER Classic Qualifier, 2015 Bass Nation Champion, 2014 ABA National Champion, and 2012 BASSMASTER Weekend Series Nation Champion Albert Collins. “I catch big fish on the Hang 10!, but with the Mag 12 BUZZ Worm, I have the confidence that at some point I will get some upgrades,” he says.
Watch this video tosee a bit more about catching fush with this BIG WORM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU–Y-dnNiU&feature=youtu.be.
Mister Twister’s NEW 12″ Mag 12 BUZZ Worm is available in 10 fish-catching colors, including Cranapple, Watermelon Red, Green Pumpkin, Red River Special, Red Bug, Plum, Blue Fleck, Rayburn Bug, Black/Blue Flake and Junebug. These colors were selected by our Pro Team members. View the NEW Mister Twister 12″ Mag 12 BUZZ Worm.

 

Mepps Squirrel Tail Recycling Program

Antigo, WI – Aug. 24, 2017 – Mepps® continues to ask hunters to save their squirrel tails. The tails are used for their hand-tied, dressed hooks of their world-famous, fish-catching lures. They’ve been recycling squirrel tails for over half-a-century.

“Squirrels are good eating and we can reuse their tails for making the world’s #1 lure,” explains Mepps® Communications Director, Josh Schwartz. “Consider harvesting squirrels for the 2016 hunting season.”

Mepps buys fox, black, grey and red squirrel tails and will pay up to 26 cents each for tails, depending on quality and quantity. Plus, the cash value is doubled if the tails are traded for Mepps lures.

Schwartz reminds everyone, “We do not advocate harvesting of squirrels solely for their tails.”

For details on the Squirrel Tail Program, either visit our web site www.mepps.com/squirrels or call 800-713-3474.

For additional information contact:
Josh Schwartz
715.623.7556
jschwartz@mepps.com