Fishing and fishing lures became obsessions of mine at a very early age.  The sport itself has always been very appealing to me because it’s a process that is never the same from one day to the next.  It is an ongoing puzzle, always shifting and changing, and I love the challenge of figuring it out.

I became very interested in building my own lures around age 15.  Catching a fish on a lure I built myself gave me a satisfaction; it also gave me something to do when I couldn’t be on the water.   It was a way to build what wasn’t available.  It gave me the ability to make something that was perfect in my eyes for the situation I intended to use it, whether that be lead-based lures or balsa baits.  The first balsa baits I ever built was for my senior project in high school.   Those original baits, as crude as they were, were the origin of what is now Black Label Tackle.

I feel very blessed for the competitive and business success that I’ve experienced in my lifetime. Whether it be a balsa bait that I built, or one of my sponsor’s products that I’ve had a hand in designing or constructing… I still find satisfaction in other anglers telling me how much they like the products and hearing their success stories.

We will never have perfect days on the water, and we’ll never build the perfect crankbait, but we will spend a lifetime striving to accomplish both.  Thank you for your business and support.