Berkley Bedell, the man who founded tackle company Berkley, passed away last weekend after suffering a stroke earlier in the week in Naples, Fla. Bedell was 98.
Bedell spent 12 years as a member of the House of Representatives, serving as a Democrat as Iowa's 6th District U.S. Representative from 1975-87.
Long before he got involved in politics, Bedell had established a foothold in the fishing tackle business.
At 16, he started Berkley Fly Company in Spirit Lake, Iowa, in 1937 alongside his brother Jack Bedell. Fishing line and scented soft-plastic lures were the staple products of the business, which later was known as Berkley & Company and then Pure Fishing.
Bedell was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2018.
To read more about Bedell's life, click here.
